Vibration at 75mph, Not rims or tires, no vibration in steering wheel
 

2002 Buick Lesaber 30K miles, vibration starts at 75MPH. Steering
wheel does not vibrate. I have replaced rims and tires from another
car that did not have this type of vibration. These wheels and tires
did not stop the vibration. I do not know how long/miles the vibration
has been there. Is the fact that the steering wheel is not vibrating
point to a mechanical problem in the rear of the car? Maybe a wheel
bearing. Alignment issue? Give me some idea what it could be?

wrote:
> 2002 Buick Lesaber 30K miles, vibration starts at 75MPH. Steering
> wheel does not vibrate. I have replaced rims and tires from another
> car that did not have this type of vibration. These wheels and tires
> did not stop the vibration. I do not know how long/miles the vibration
> has been there. Is the fact that the steering wheel is not vibrating
> point to a mechanical problem in the rear of the car? Maybe a wheel
> bearing. Alignment issue? Give me some idea what it could be?

If the vibration seems to occur only while accelerating, you most
likely have a bad inner CV axle joint, either left, right, or both
sides. If it occurs under any power condition above 75 mph, you may
have an out of round axle hub in front or stub hub in back. Check all
four hubs with a dial indicator for any type of runout - lateral or
radial. If one has clearly more runout than the others, ithat hub is
the most likely culprit.

Toyota MDT in MO

I forgot to add that the rear tires were replaced about 3K ago becase
of uneven wear.
The tires showed signs of cupping!

This might sound weird, but were your rear windows down? Leslobers had a
strange oscillation at speed with the rear windows down. ISTR it was at
a slower speed though.
KenG

wrote:
> I forgot to add that the rear tires were replaced about 3K ago becase
> of uneven wear.
> The tires showed signs of cupping!
>

I had a similar issue with a sunroof open and NO windows open. (not at 75
though)

On Thu, 22 Sep 2005 16:29:32 -0400 "ed"
> wrote:

> I had a similar issue with a sunroof open and NO windows open. (not
> at 75 though)

"Wind buffeting"

--
remove MYSHOES to email

) writes:
> I forgot to add that the rear tires were replaced about 3K ago becase
> of uneven wear.
> The tires showed signs of cupping!
>


A cupped tire isn't round and will definitely vibrate. However, a tire
that vibrates is likely to cup. (Sounds like Catch 22.)

Was there any suggestion as to why the tires were cupped? Are they rotated
regularly? (Rotation every 5,000 miles or so will reduce cupping.)
Is the rear suspension in good shape? No worn shocks? Has the car been
in an accident, or have one of the wheels hit a curb? Are the rear
wheels tracking true?

If the cupping was caused by vibration, it sounds like the problem was
never fixed, and you may soon be due for another pair of rear tires.

Dan

(This account is not used for email.)

> wrote in message
oups.com...
> 2002 Buick Lesaber 30K miles, vibration starts at 75MPH. Steering
> wheel does not vibrate. I have replaced rims and tires from another
> car that did not have this type of vibration. These wheels and tires
> did not stop the vibration. I do not know how long/miles the vibration
> has been there. Is the fact that the steering wheel is not vibrating
> point to a mechanical problem in the rear of the car? Maybe a wheel
> bearing. Alignment issue? Give me some idea what it could be?
>
Yes, it would indicate a rear vs. front--if one end is the culprit.
Assuming so, check the rear tires for *out of round*; remember, a box can
be installed onto an axle, spin-balanced, and rotate smoothly--and yet it
definitely won't ride smooth!
Check them yourself by raising them just an inch or so above ground.
Lay an oil bottle squarely on its side and up close to a tire. Carefully
spin the tire, by hand, and watch how close the tire approaches the
stationary bottle as it rotates. High spots will narrow the gap, and low
spots will widen the space(DUH!). If found out of round, have them trued
and then balanced, and enjoy the quiet, smooth ride Lesabres are capable of.
HTH, s