Worn control arm = steering vibration? Or else?

[Sawdusted]

Guys, I have a problem here. Steering wheel shakes fairly hard when going 45-65 mph, usually peaks at about 55-60 mph. In addition to steering shake, sometimes the floor of the car shakes too.

Will worn out control arm bushings cause this?

My SUV when it had an old set of tires did this, and I thought it must have been the tires because I seldom drove it and it could have many flat spots. I got a new set if tires from a different shop, had it roadforce balanced and alignment but still same problems.

I also recently replaced my outer tie rod ends and my mechanic says there is no looseness in the steering.
Any thoughts? Thanks!
Julian

 

[ram_man]

what kind of car?

 

[The Critic]

I would start by checking your suspension for any worn parts. Although it is possible for worn LCA bushings to cause a vehicle to pull during braking, I am a bit doubtful that they would cause a hwy vibration. At the speeds that you are describing, tire runout/wheel balance are more likely causes.

 

[dishdude]

It really sounds like a bent wheel or out of balance tire. I'd try rotating the tires and see if there is any change.

 

[observer]

i would check also check for bad u joint.

 

[evanautumn]

For what it's worth, I had an Audi I bought really cheap that had those exact symptoms. Ended up being the control arms.

 

[Sawdusted]

Originally Posted By: ram_man
what kind of car?

2001 nissan pathfinder. Single control arm with struts on the front.

 

[Sawdusted]

Dishdude, I have tried rotating tires, it didn't help. I got new tires. It didn't help either.

 

[LeakySeals]

Flat spots on tires and floor board rattles can = bad/torn lower control arm bushings. Just had mine replaced for that reason. The mechanic that pressed in the new bushings was convinced at first it was bent rims because of the flat spots. Nope, if you jack a corner up with the tire off its pretty obvious, you can see a cracked bushing clearly. Make sure to align it after!

 

[eljefino]

It sure could be and if you keep driving it at this resonant frequency it's going to knock itself to pieces worse.

This is one of those times when you rebuild the whole front end so a little slop in one place doesn't hammer something else.

But check for tire problems first, a simple rotate will do.

 

[Falken]

Get it up in the air at a local mechanic for 10$, bring him a coffee.

He'll go through it and demonstrate bad bushings with a short pry bar, wheel bearings, ball joints etc.

When they show you what is bad it is very apparent.

Make a list and see if you can get the parts cheap.

 

[Sawdusted]

Thank you for the replies guys. I will ask my mechanic to check them out when I bring it in for some exhaust work on Tues.