Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting Intermittent Front End Vibration

i had a little bit of front end vibration on my car - i hope (knock-knock-knock) i solved it by tightening nuts on a front wheals.

Dan,

My car is in the shop as we speak for 2 new inside and 2 new outside ti-rod ends. The addition of the new Michelin X1's has made a big difference already.

I'll let you know what happens with the rods. I am expecting a dead-solid, no-shimmy ride now. If not, that car is history and I'm movin on.
Rob

i had this problem with my 95 i seemed to have solved the problem...i have 2 types of tires (dont ask) and i had a different tire on each axle so when i moved them to the same sides it seems to have fixed it...but all my vibration was at 60-70...check your tie rod's if this doesnt work

I have my car back from the tire shop now. 4 new Michelin X1's, 2 new inside and 2 new outside tie-rod ends and an alignment. Suuuweet tires. My car has never been so solid on the highway. I think the tires and the new rods REALLY made a big difference. I didn't think it was possible to get a smooth ride out of that car but I'm glad I was wrong.

So now that I'm on the fix-it path, there is a knocking at slow speeds over rough road in the rear end. Can someone give me an idea as to how to fix this? I think this is common but I can't remember what the problem was.
Rob

I again thought that I was the only one suffering from this issue. my shimmy occurs from 80 - 85mph and is intermittent, also my hood does this little hula dance at the same time.... thought that I was going to need an old priest and a young priest to exorcise this demon. I also have this annoying sound that comes from the dash area and it's as if there is something caught in the fan. That seems to kick in around the same time she starts dancing across the highway.
I am taking her in to the dealer for the dash recall so wish me luck. While she's there I'm having the tires balanced and rotated and the tie rod ends looked at. She was rock solid until 3 weeks ago and I just want my smooth high speed ride back.

Holly Would
1999 SVT Toreador Red
20% tint and attitude for days

I have just driven the car on an 11 hour trip, the first since I got the new Michelins and the tie-rod. Sweet - very nice. I've never felt my car so solid on the highway. One thing I am noticing though, at slow speeds on very bumpy roads I can hear a clunking noise. Could it be a loose strut or maybe the steering rack is a bit loose. Anyone else with this problem?
Rob

I had a similar problem, a vibration at 50 mph in 3rd or 4th gear under acceleration.
The dealer replaced the drive shafts under warranty but only after 2 previous visits when I was told the tires were worn out ( they were but I still got an extra 5000 miles out of them) Then they tried some new wheels because they thought they were bent.
Previous to this I had vibration under braking and the front rotors were replaced again under warranty

So I'm curious, how can the drive shaft become bent, is it expensive to fix and would this cause a constant shimmy or only at various speeds?

Rob

The clunk in the back is possibly a sway bar link or link bushing. You mentioned they bent your rear sway bar, and they have to remove and reinstall the links to replace the bar, so this is a likely suspect.

I do have squeeking in the back but most definately there is a clunk at very low speed over rough surfaces(like a gravel back alley). Up and down clunk... clunk. Weird. Any ideas?