Driving around yesterday, I felt a sudden vibration coming from the front left wheel, seem s to be speed dependant. However, there is no vibration in the steering wheel or in the brake pedal....could it be the wheel bearing? Also, seems to be easier to turn left than it is to turn right. Steering idler arm bushings maybe? There's a squeak on starting to move and coming to a complete stop, its just one squeak and only happens every now and then. Also, there has always been vibration around 90mph, but you can't feel it, the rear view mirror just starts shaking like crazy, and its comes on pretty quickly, like when you hit 85 it starts.

 

Its not a very strong vibration either, you just kinda know its there, but ever so slightly.

 

step 1, lift the car and look for play in the left front, bad tire, bent rim etc.

step 2, put the left front tire somewhere else and see if the vibration moves. if it does, its a wheel/tire, if not its a bearing/bushing/other

 

It could be:

1. Ball joints - grab tire at 12 and 6 oclock and try to wigle back and forth, too much play may
be a ball joint issue.
2. Bearing/tierod/idler arm issue - grab tire at 9 and 3 oclock and try to wiggle, too much play
indicates one of those components are too loose.
3. Wheel/tire balance - Like j9 says, move the wheel tire combo and see if it follows.

So the vibration at the higher speeds may be just worn tires and the wear bars are starting to
be felt. How worn are your tires?

 

I had a bent wheel which caused a vibration like yours, except my steering wheel shook

 

Look for witness marks of a lost wheel weight. Sometimes it's obvious.

 

I think I'm going to rule out the wheel weight because it's not a constant vibration when it happens, and it doesn't happen all the time. When it does happen it can vary in intensity, and is less when the wheel is under load, i.e. turning left.

For example, driving home from work I didn't feel a thing(back roads, kinda windy, nothing too too intense) stopped at the bank and when I got back in, I felt it after taking the first corner, again, nothing from the steering wheel or pedal, just the dull, clonck vibration from the left front.

 

If the vibration goes away when you turn left, it's more than likely a wheel bearing. See if it gets worse when you turn right.
It also could be a sticky caliper- my car did some weird stuff when I first got it moving that turned out to be a sticking caliper.

 

It does get worse when I turn sharp right. I don't have immediate access to a jack, but I did try and wiggle the wheel, makes the same sort of clunking noise. It does on the other side, but not nearly as much. I ordered an extra set of idler arm bushings on Sunday and they came yesterday. Going to put those in because I can move the arm up and down quite a bit. Do I need to jack the car up to do this? Regardless, how the hell do I get the castle nut off?

 

There is a cotter pin that hold the castle nut on. Make sure to use a new one when putting it back together.

 

Here's a video to help explain. Could I get a cotter pin from any hardware store?

 

nope, pull the cotter pin, loosen the nut, and the thing will come out the bottom, install new bushings, lube it up, and put it back

 

I should add you need to have the front end jacked up to do these diagnostics.

 

Well, given the OP's reply, it's sounding more and more like bad Idler Arm Bushings - which are a commonly replaced part due to the proximity to the exhaust heat which bakes out the grease in there and causes them to fail.

If you want a one-and-done solution, look at the Moog replacement which is bolt-on, extremely overbuilt, and Zerk-fitted for easier greasing. It's a far better-made part than the original, and I've had mine mounted for the past 30-40k miles without so much as a squeak. I doubt I'll ever have to change it again except grease it up when the front end is re-greased.

Mazdatrix sells it - MAZDATRIX for Mazda RX7, RX8, Rotary Engine Parts and Accessories - so have a look there,

 

I figured it was the bushings when I first felt it on Monday, and ordered them. Prothane grease and any ol cotter pin is all I need now?

 

Yep MOOG arm is worth the price. Especially if you have a header, it will bake the OEM bushings
fast.

 

Mazdatrix is a pit pricey..

 

RockAuto Parts Catalog carries them. Thats where I got mine.

 

Still digging for this cotter pin. What size does the castle nut use?
Thanks

 

It uses the same size as the one you pull out.

Go to Harbor Freight or you local big box store and buy a variety pack. They come in handy. Print off the 20% discount coupon on their home page and pickup a free goody also.

555 Piece Cotter Pin Storehouse

http://www.harborfreight.com/144-pie...ent-67564.html

 

Ball joint looks okay?





Tire rod looks not so Okay.

So I'm hearing a really bad klunking noise all of a sudden, could the possibly shot tie rod be worsening the effects of the bad bushings?

 

Here's a video of the noise, bear with me over my exhaust note lol. Going to replace the steering bushings tomorrow after school. Then order tie rods and ball joints. Thanks for all of your help guys.

 

Yaknow, the video was entertaining but not really helpful because I could never hear the bumping over your exhaust. Also, your oil pressure gauge never moved off of the lower mark even at 5-6k RPM, which isn't normal (*not trying to scare you, just an observation).

If one ball joint in the front end is bad, you can expect that the rest of them aren't far behind. One of the best things I did for the handling on my -SE was a full tie-rod replacement along with the Moog idler arm and factory Pitman arm all at the same time. Clearly you're going from worst-case setup to best-case setup (new parts), but it's worth the hassle.

Pro-Tip: as you remove the tie rods, measure them with calipers between the centers of the attachment shafts to make sure your replacements are as close as possible to the aligned length. On mine, I didn't even have to get an alignment afterward as I was very careful to size them properly, then do the 'string-trick' to ensure straight alignment and minimal toe-in.

 

Thanks duck. Yeah I tried to coast so you can hear it, but no luck I guess. Oil pressure gauge in the cluster is wonky. Never goes above 45psi anda always seems to be at least 10-20 psi off and sometimes won't even come up past the lower mark. Thats why I installed another mechanical one when I did the RB plate(waiting for a front mount. Long story). Yeah, I'm going to get full adjustable lower control arms and tc rods eventually. Just going to do tie rods, ball joints and bushings for now to hold me over.

 

Is this a track-car? If not, I've never had an issue with the OEM lower control arms, and they're plenty pliable for anything except the most radical race setup with large offset wheels, big brakes, etc.

Fully adjustable lower control arms are likely overkill even if driven hard on the street. Just my opinion, as I'm sure someone will come along and explain the implications,