Intermittent vibration problem---SOLUTION!

[Brutus]

Greetings, I have a 2004 AWD base Vibe (140,000 miles with auto transmission, A/C) that has an intermittent vibration problem mostly felt in the steering wheel. Below is the details of what has been done so far. I'm having a rather difficult time figuring this out.I first brought the car maybe 6 months ago. Had a slight vibration. I thought it just needed a wheel balance. Brought it to Discount Tires. I was told one tire had a severe bulge. Since it was AWD and tires had 5/32" ALL tires had to be replaced or it would damage transfer case. Replaced all tires with new Pirelli tires (sp?). Still had a vibration. Brought it back a week or two later. Now I was told that not one, but TWO wheels (aluminum factory wheels) are bent. Why didn't they tell me the first time I was there?! Replaced the two wheels with used factory wheels.Got the car back. Still vibrates. Bring it back to Discount Tires a third time. Now the excuse is our balancer was out of calibration. It's now fixed, so we promise to get it right. After the third visit, it still vibrates.I've had enough of them, so I went to a local shop I trust. They checked/did a lot. Here's the list:Checked Ball joints...fineChecked Tie rod ends...fineChecked Brakes (front & rear...I just did the brakes myself...new pads & rotors) Rear brakes fineCHecked Rack...fineAlignmentRebalance of front wheels with roadforce balancerThey appear stumped now. So do I. It still has an intermitent vibration. Specifically, the vibration exists in the steering wheel, but it is intermittent. I took a 70 mile drive a couple Sundays ago...NO vibration. Other days, I can leave work, it may or may not start vibrating. The steering wheel will move slightly back and forth about 1/8" to about 1/4". Sometimes it is VERY noticeable. It seems to do it 95% of the times I drive it, but it may vibrate for maybe a mile or two, then stop. The steering wheel will not vibrate ALL the time.I'm out of ideas....

[Houston]

Did they check to see whether all bolts connected with the steering column itself are to torque and if there might be something near the column that could be bumping into it? This is a shot in the dark, because I'm guessing they did.Do you notice this only on certain road surfaces, or does it happen on pretty much all of them?

[meidou]

Do you have hubcaps? Try driving the car without them

[djkeev]

Check the upper struts mounts for bad bearings or deteriorated rubber.Also might consider new shocks. Depending upon the highway surface they could react differently and if worn would sometimes set up a vibration, other times, not.Axle shafts, worn? torn boots? slop into the transaxle?Dave

[B14CK_H4WK]

check the lower control arm bushings, or maybe a wheel itself is bad

[Brutus]

WOW! Thanks to everybody for the quick responses. I will do my best to answer completely.I do not think the steering column bolts have been checked. The car will do the vibration on any/all roads.The upper strut mounts look okay. I might have to bring it to a shop for proper evaluation. Same for the lower control arm bushings.The struts up front perform properly when a bounce test is done. If anything, they seem a little stiff.. In other words, not a lot of bounce...pretty stiff, but they do stop bouncing after one push down.RE: axle shafts...They don't click or make noise when turning. Boots are good. Since it's AWD, I don't know about the driveshaft. I looked at the U joints. They didn't move and all seemed tight. Didn't notice any grease zerks though.The car has OEM aluminum wheels...no hubcaps. My wife has a 2007 Vibe with steel wheels. One of these days I'll need to switch out the wheels/tires and then drive mine to see if her wheels eliminate the vibration.

[djkeev]

Quote, originally posted by Brutus »....... My wife has a 2007 Vibe with steel wheels. One of these days I'll need to switch out the wheels/tires and then drive mine to see if her wheels eliminate the vibration.That is the absolute FIRST thing I would do.... tomorrow! It's easy, it's cheap and it will completely eliminate any question of it being the wheel / tire set up 100%.Do not pass GO, do not collect $100, go directly to tire swap!!!Dave

[Brutus]

I honestly don't think it is a wheel balance issue though, simply because it is intermittent.

[djkeev]

Well, yes and no.Wheels spin and depending upon their exact path they spin a different speeds from one another. If you are turning left, the Right wheel has much farther to travel than the Left wheel does so it spins more. IF and this is a big IF tow tires hooked to the same issue have spots where they play well together and spots where they don't, those spots will be random and come and go. They set up a harmonic balance in contrast to each other.It's a long shot but hey, you've got known good wheels to install for FREE!! Do it, eliminate the wheels 100% as a possibility.Dave

[northvibe]

did you check the brake caliper pistons? I would get that when 1 caliber piston would intermittently seize up.

[Brutus]

I'll have to put caliper replacement on my "to-do" list. Thanks

[ou.grizzly]

If the Axle Shafts are out of balance they will cause this issueDiscount Tire should be giving you money for not fixing the issue.... I would management/headquarters and request them to reimburse you since they did not fix the issue. Also, have them put on a different type of tire n see if that fixes it

[Brutus]

As of 2011 September 17 I have a solution!My wife has a 2007 Vibe. Mine is the 2004. I switched wheels/tires on the cars finally. In other words, I put her wheels on my car, drove 110 miles and NOT a bit of vibration!So, most likely, the extra two wheels I bought from Discount Tires did NOT fix the problem, or the new Pirelli tires I bought from them are bad.On Monday, it's off to Discount Tires to get to the bottom of this. Either they are gonna give me a new set of tires, or a H@#$% of a good deal on a brand new set of wheels.

[djkeev]

Quote, originally posted by Brutus »As of 2011 September 17 I have a solution!My wife has a 2007 Vibe. Mine is the 2004. I switched wheels/tires on the cars finally. In other words, I put her wheels on my car, drove 110 miles and NOT a bit of vibration!So, most likely, the extra two wheels I bought from Discount Tires did NOT fix the problem, or the new Pirelli tires I bought from them are bad.On Monday, it's off to Discount Tires to get to the bottom of this. Either they are gonna give me a new set of tires, or a H@#$% of a good deal on a brand new set of wheels.I had a strong feeling that you might find this to be the problem. It's good to have an answer!Dave

[ehoff121]

Quote, originally posted by Brutus »On Monday, it's off to Discount Tires to get to the bottom of this. Either they are gonna give me a new set of tires, or a H@#$% of a good deal on a brand new set of wheels.Insist that they "road force balance" the tires. This places a wheel against the surface of the tire as it spins. It takes more time than regular balance, so a tire shop has no incentive to do it this way the first (or second) time.

[Brutus]

I have had that done...it made some improvement, but I think either tires are bad or wheels need replacement because it didn't solve the problem completely.Having just switched tires/wheels from my wife's car to mine made a GREAT difference. It was like having a new car.