im driving my car around 80mph and when i speed up to 100 the car shakes violently.

im accelerating and my steering pulls right. im cruising and it pulls right.

i brake and it turns left.

i make a u-turn and it sounds like somethings about to snap. it does click when i make the u-turn but doesnt click around a normal turn.

what can it be??

 

Wheel bearings is my guess (since it clicks). But a tire balance and an alignment wouldn't hurt, either. Check to make sure your lug nuts are tight before you drive again, though.

-Max

 

1. check tire pressure. s/b 30front 28 rear cold.

2. high speed vibration is probably from a tire(s) out of round from mis-alignment and/or worn bushing at front of lower rear longitudinal link.

3. check alignment. s/b: a touch less than an eighth inch toe in front and rear. about 1 degree negative camber front and rear and zero rear thrust angle. (misalignment could be your main problem.)

4. worn wheel bearings make a grinding noise. if you have a bad wheel bearing you can isolate it laterally by driving 20 mph on a smooth road and darting right, then left. one side will make no noise. the bad wheel bearing will be the opposite side of the turn. if no noise change on either left or right no bad wheel bearing. probably not the problem...

5. it could be a bushing/bearing problem. a worn bushing in the front of the rear lower longitudinal link will cause longitudinal movement of the wheel which will respond like yours... one way under power and the opposite under braking. these bushings do wear out. (probably, along w misalignment your problem.)

6. next on the probability list is the lower 2 pillowball bushings on the lower lateral link. they make a clicking noise and need to be replaced about every 50,000 miles. they probably are not your directional problem. you can replace the pillowballs yourself if you wish. Max Cooper has a nice writeup. or use a press... make sure to get new rubber covers. order from ray crowe at malloy mazda 888 533 3400.

good luck,

howard coleman

 

Also vibration could be caused by a flat spot on the tires from a hard brake you did once.

 

Only if he locked them up hard (ie, no ABS).

 

guess i shouldve added this earlier but my left rear shock is blown and that caused my left rear tire to wear out prematurely.

have abs, abs isnt working though.

 

Exactly, didnt mention thought it was obvious, and looks like his abs doesnt work. Shouldnt the vibration go awar though after you wear away the flat spot?

 

If your shock is blown, start there.

Flat spots generally don't wear away -- they are just the start of a downward spiral of uneven wear, balance issues, out-of-roundness, and other tire delights.

-Max

 

If any of these are not the problem, check your calipers also. I had a problem where the car would dart to the side also. It was the rear caliper seized and sticking.......