I have relatively new (10K)Michelin tires on my 2002 4Runner. Every now and then the steering wheel starts wobbling like a tire in unbalanced. But some times it's like riding on ice as it's so smooth. What should I check? It's not major bad for long enough to make me go and check it out. It may ride fine for a week and then out of the blue here is the steering wheel shake.
2002 4Runner 210K with Intermittent Steering Shake
- Thread starter Gebo
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I have 12k on my Michelin Defenders and developed a light shimmy in my steering wheel at about 80 mph. I called America's Tire where I purchased the tires from and they performed a rebalance for free. The shimmy went away immediately. I just got back from dinner tonight and drove about 50 miles varying the speed from 65 to 80 mph. The shimmy is totally eliminated!!
I had something similar, but not as severe. Turned out to be the inner tie rod end. I would check the inner and outer ends for play. Sometimes, there is only a tiny bit of play which results in a mostly smooth steering feel except when just the right harmonics of vibration occurs causing the wobble. On this year 4Runner, it's likely the inner and outer rods are seized together due to rust so it would be a good idea to replace both the inners and outers together at the same time.
Nick1994
$100 site donor 2024
CV Axle
212 K miles it deserves a good checking over. Ball joint play, bushing play, worn out struts. Or it could be a balance trouble. Lost a weight? Please report back the fix TIA
This was the first symptom I experienced with a frozen brake caliper.
Ok, the shimmy irritated me today. I took it to a mechanic and he said all the "linkages", ball joints, tie rods are fine. He said it may be the universal joints, transmission mount, a belt may be coming loose in one of the front tires. I'm gonna rotate the tires tonight and take it to Costco for a rebalance tomorrow. Since Costco is about 1 1/2 hours away I'm hoping to see if by moving the fronts tires to the rear I can eliminate the steering wheel shimmy.
I'll see how the wheels spin and listen for any grinding when I rotate them.
I'll see how the wheels spin and listen for any grinding when I rotate them.
Everything seemed ok except it seems I may have overdid the application of grease on the back of the pads. The edges of the front pads looked a little coated. Could this be causing my problem? I removed them and cleaned them with brake cleaner...Will know more tomorrow on my drive to Costco
I got my answer. Well, I'm 95% sure. I don't usually drive the 4Runner on a regular basis but it has been my daily driver for the last month. I noticed it was using a lot of gas based on my previous use. I decided to check the mileage on my last tank and I got 14.4 mpg. That is awful since 75% of my driving is open road. The lowest we had every gotten was 17 mpg.
As I was removing the wheels to look more closely at my brake pads I noticed it was really difficult to roll the front wheels. Once I got them off I started to remove the metal pins/rods that hold the pads in place. I had to beat them to the point of thinking bad words. I then took them and sanded them and applied an ever so slight coating of 3M Silicone Paste. Reinserted and went for a test spin. No intermittent shake. I drove it about 200 miles today and still have over 1/2 tank. My mileage has improved a bunch.
Notice, this brake system is unlike any of my other cars. There is nothing to pull the brake pads back away from the rotor once you release the brakes.
Here is my deduction. My front brake pads stayed in constant contact with my rotors. Not heavy but light pressure due to the rusty pins/rods not allowing them to slide freely. After I would drive a few miles, things would heat up and cause the shimmy. I'd apply the brakes and it would REALLY shimmy. Sometimes it would drive like on a cloud and brake as smooth as silk. Next time driving on open highway with no brakes being applied it would vibrate the steering wheel like a out of balance tire. Now what I experience is everything is smooth unless I stay on the brakes going down a longggg hill and I then get the slight pulsation. But nothing like before. I'm assuming the brake pads would get stuck intermittently and heat up causing the shaky steering wheel. Sometimes they would stick and sometimes they wouldn't.
Sound Plausible?
As I was removing the wheels to look more closely at my brake pads I noticed it was really difficult to roll the front wheels. Once I got them off I started to remove the metal pins/rods that hold the pads in place. I had to beat them to the point of thinking bad words. I then took them and sanded them and applied an ever so slight coating of 3M Silicone Paste. Reinserted and went for a test spin. No intermittent shake. I drove it about 200 miles today and still have over 1/2 tank. My mileage has improved a bunch.
Notice, this brake system is unlike any of my other cars. There is nothing to pull the brake pads back away from the rotor once you release the brakes.
Here is my deduction. My front brake pads stayed in constant contact with my rotors. Not heavy but light pressure due to the rusty pins/rods not allowing them to slide freely. After I would drive a few miles, things would heat up and cause the shimmy. I'd apply the brakes and it would REALLY shimmy. Sometimes it would drive like on a cloud and brake as smooth as silk. Next time driving on open highway with no brakes being applied it would vibrate the steering wheel like a out of balance tire. Now what I experience is everything is smooth unless I stay on the brakes going down a longggg hill and I then get the slight pulsation. But nothing like before. I'm assuming the brake pads would get stuck intermittently and heat up causing the shaky steering wheel. Sometimes they would stick and sometimes they wouldn't.
Sound Plausible?
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