Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting Front end wobble during hard acceleration

Hey guys I'm a long time CSVT owner. I had a 98 black CSVT, but sold it when I went overseas back in 2001. I just picked up a 98 Silver CSVT a couple of weeks ago. It has it's share of problems and I plan on documenting all of my work and rebuilds on the forums.

Here's the first; bad front end wobble during acceleration. The car doesn�t wobble when it's at constant speeds or when I accelerate slowly, just at WOT or close to it.

Before someone says it; I've already search. I'm posting more for the benefit of others to explain what I've done, show the results and get feedback. If you feel there's something I've missed, PLEASE let me know. I'm great at taking constructive criticism.

Step 1. I bought brand new tires, had wheels balanced and front end aligned. No problems with the rims and the alignment was not far off before correction.
Results: No change, I still have wobble

Step 2. Replace Engine and transaxle mounts. All three were shot!
Results: Wobble not as pronounced but still there under acceleration.

What's next: (1) Wheel bearings, (2) CV Joints

With the first two steps, is there something I should look at again?

Anyway, I'm glad to be back in the community and look forward to sharing info!

Mikey

To check wheel bearings, do the 12 and 6 o'clock test.
http://www.contour.org/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=trouble&Number=1285671&Forum=trouble&Words=o%27clock&Match=Entire%20Phrase&Searchpage=0&Limit=25&Old=1week&Main=1285070&Search=true#Post1285671

Got it! Thanks! I'll try it tomorrow. Now It's Rack time! 0400 comes so fast when you don't want it to.

Mikey

CV joints are very possible. The passenger side one on my car was starting to fail and it shook the car pretty violently on acceleration. Was especially noticeable on the highway or roads where I wasnt stopping and going. I could really get it to act up if I did 70 MPH or so for about 5-10 miles... then if I nailed the throttle... it shook the car around like a rag doll. Was perfectly smooth during steady cruise with throttle held in the same position. I think hitting the throttle caused the joint to flex and effectively threw it out of balance. Once the axle was replaced it was like a completely different car.

Hope this helps.. good luck!

I would put money on the shafts. Min wobbled for 6 months, before my driver's side shaft fell apart going thru my school parking lot! lol