Vibrations and Suspension problems are a very common thing on vehicles and they can be caused from a variety of things so to diagnose them properly you need to eliminate the most common problems until you find what is wrong.
Common Things That Can Cause Front End Vibrations
Tires – The first place to start when diagnosing your vehicle vibration is your tires. As tires wear there can be a variety of different problems that cause them to wear unevenly. Bad struts or suspension can cause what is called cupping. This is when it looks like someone took a large spoon and scooped out some of your tread. This is often caused by struts or shocks that are worn. However when you have suspension problems it will be reflected in your tread pattern.
Ball Joints are another common problem when you have vibrations and they often start at higher highway speeds. You may hear a clunk when you go around a corner in just one direction and the noise or vibration is normally only on one side of the vehicle. Testing for worn ball joints means that you need to jack up the vehicle and rock the top and bottom of the tire in and out and listen for clunking due to looseness.
Struts, Shocks and Springs – When your vehicle passes over bumps in the road your struts or shocks and springs dampen that hit and provide a smooth ride. They also keep your tires on the road by forcing them down to the road surface so you can maintain the ability to steer. Doing a bounce test on the corner of the car that has the vibration will tell you if you have serious problems with these parts. Put your weight on the car and try to bounce it. When you stop bouncing the car it should stop almost immediately. Compare that to the other side of the vehicle. If these items are worn then the car will continue to bounce. Struts and Shocks are filled with oil and gas when they fail they normally leak a clear oil so look for oil coming from that area.
Wheel Bearings – Wheel Bearings often make noise when they are failing but in the beginning you might feel a vibration or feel or hear a clunking when you are going around a corner. To Test for bad Wheel Bearings jack up the vehicle and spin the tire. It should spin freely and not make a lot of noise. Brakes will make some noise but when you compare the other side of the vehicle you should be able to tell the difference. Also you will want to pull and push straight in and out on the tire and a worn bearing will slide on the axle and feel loose.
Brake Problems – Worn Brakes or even ones that got wet from going through deep water can cause vibrations and problems. To quickly test if it is your breaks or suspension causing the problem apply your brakes normally and feel for a pulsing feeling on the brake peddle and notice any noise or other problem that starts and stops when you apply the brakes. Brakes are a serious thing, not like other parts of your suspension aren’t but you do need to take brake problems very seriously. Jack up the vehicle and inspect the brakes while you are inspecting other parts of your suspension.
Tie Rod Ends – Your tie rods have pressed ball joints that allow your steering to turn the front wheels. When they wear out you can get a loose feeling in the wheel as if you turn the wheel an inch or so and there is no response. They can also make clunking noises and vibrations as they aren’t able to hold the wheel in place properly. To test for worn tie rod ends you need to jack up the vehicle and then simply pull and push on the tie rod to feel if there is any play. There shouldn’t be any looseness.
Bushings – There are a variety of rubber, nylon and other bushings on your suspension. When they get worn they can cause a variety of issues. Normally these issues are seen more when you are turning your vehicle but that would depend on where the bushing is located. Visual and physical inspection is necessary.
Axle Shafts, Gear Boxes, Transmissions – Drive Train issues can also turn up as vibrations whether it is your engine or transmission or your axles that send the power to the wheels. It can be difficult to diagnose these problems but normally you will hear clunks or clicking when you go around a corner if your axle shaft is bad. For your transmission you would put the vehicle into neutral and see if the same problem happens. Again physical and visual inspection may be necessary. If you find the rubber boots on your axle shaft have torn open don’t even bother trying to repair them just replace them with new parts.
Damaged or Loose Suspension Parts – Hitting a pot hole or going over a bump can cause serious damage to your suspension. The suspension joints might even check out as not being worn but you could have bent or damaged parts that need to be replaced. Struts and Shocks do bend due to heavy hits. If parts are lose then you should also suspect that they are worn and damaged however a loose part can sometimes be reassembled.
Diagnosing Suspension Problems Often Takes Professional Inspection
If you can’t easily diagnose the problem yourself then it is important to take your vehicle to a professional mechanic. When you feel vibrations or hear clunking it is an indication that something bad is happening. If you catch it early it will prevent serious damage to other parts.
If you hit a pot hole or have a small accident then bent parts are a concern. In addition you could have minor frame damage that is difficult for an average mechanic to see. Bringing your vehicle to a body shop and having its frame measured is a good idea if you have problems that can’t be cured by replacing worn parts and doing an alignment. It is very easy for a frame to be out of shape 10 to 20 millimeters and an average mechanic can not see it with the naked eye. They have to be measured and then restored to factory specifications within 2mm to allow for safe driving and good suspension alignment.
Final Note
Everyone who owns a vehicle should own a Repair Manual that can help them repair their vehicle or at least know what is wrong with their vehicle before they bring it to a mechanic.
Haynes is one of the best general purpose manual publishers and they have guides for most common vehicles. Using our Amazon Affiliate link you can find the one that matches your vehicle. Find Your Car’s Repair Manual