Interminent Vibration

[njdrsubaru]

Hey guys

 

This morning i decided to take my brat to work on a 30 miles journey down the parkway. Everything was fine but the vibration on the steering wheel. it kinda came and went away, when i t was vibrating it felt like a unbalanced tire and then got smooth again, what it can be?

 

Thanks in advance

 

Neo

[85Sub4WD]

what it can be?

about 10,000 different things - but things to check for are:

 

does it vibrate at a given speed?

 

if so then it could be many things - but I am leaning toward tire balance being off - if it was sudden you may have dropped a weight - another thing to check for is loose axle nuts - the big castle one on the end of the driveshafts in the center of the wheel - but I don't think that is as likely as unbalanced tires - the "wagon wheel" rims tend to drop weights - I know b/c that's what my car originally had! - good chance yours has them too - they are seven spoke white (when not badly rusted) steel rims

 

does it vibrate when you press the brake?

 

if so then you may have a warped disc rotor or out-of-round drum - always replace both with OEM or top-quality name brand (like Raybestous or Bendex) - there are many knock-offs on the marked that are not properly heat treated that deform/warp with normal use

 

does it vibrate in a particular gear?

 

if so, then potiential tranny/drivetrain issues - but I think this is the least likely of all, and should be checked last - these cars have pretty solid trannies

[njdrsubaru]

i couldnt be the tires i just had them rebalanced and pug wheels on. as far as the axle nuts they are pretty tight, i just did a all around brake job. then again i have a bad axle in the passenger side that clicks. vibration happens when i'm cruising at a speed ie 45mph or 55 mph even 60 mph.

 

could it be the bad axle?

 

Neo

[85Sub4WD]

could it be the bad axle?

I don't know for sure, but I would say it is very likely - if anything that rotates is not properly balanced, then vibration can occur (especially at the speeds you mention) - the axle seems highly likely given the fact that it is going bad, and could be out of balance

[calebz]

Could be the bad axle. I would say its pretty likely

 

Could also be an alignment problem

[idosubaru]

check your driveshaft to your rear wheels, i think you'll find a bad ujoint. sometimes it's noticeable by visual inspection depending on the failure and if you know what to look for. best bet is to remove the shaft and manually inspect the joint (or just drop one end of the shaft so you can manually move the ujoints around, though it's easy to remove the entire shaft). a failed joint will be obvious - it will either be seized, coming apart or feel very *lumpy*.

 

i would check that first before anything else.

[edrach]

Does it vibrate on acceleration and immediately disappear as you let off on the gas? If that's the case, you likely have a bad axle; specifically a bad DOJ (inner joint). If you also have a torn inner boot on either side, that'll definitely point to a DOJ problem.

[njdrsubaru]

yup thats exactly what it is, dammit here i go spending another 100 bucks to fix a axle. hehehe