Tire rods causing vibration?

[AkWolf]

So I just got a 73 Hardtop a couple months ago, and it has a vibration from about 45-65mph. Kind of a bad vibration too. When I took the car in to get new rear tires, and the front tires balanced I checked the side-to-side play, and the up-down play in the tire. My ball joints seem fine, but there is definitely a lot of play side-to-side so Im pretty sure my tire rods are shot. But I've never heard of tire rods causing a vibration. Think this could be my problem?

On a side note, how do I check to see if my bearings are good, and is there anything else I can check that would cause a vibration?

 

[guys72Mach1]

Tie rods would not cause a vibration. Tie rods are used for adjusting the toe angle of your wheels. Like pigeon toed(toed in). This cause the inner edge of the tire to wear. If it's toed out, the outer edge wears.

A bad ball joint cause's a pop in the front end, usually when you are turning all the way, or in or out of a driveway, kinda like a CV joint sound.

Intermittent high speed vibrations are caused only by something being out of balance, whether it's a bent rim, flat spot on tire(from locking tires up) or the tire guys didn't do a very good job balancing it.

Take it back and tell them you have a high speed vibration and they need to balance it again. If your tires are the same size, you should always put the new tires in the front.

To check the tie rods, jack the car up, and grab the tie rod with you hands, roll it back and forth. If it is really easy to move them, they need to be replaced. You said you had top and side to side play on the wheel, that is indication that the tie rods are bad. You will need to align it after repalcing the rods.

 

[marks73]

+3 On guys72mach1 post. Tie rods will not cause a certain speed vibration. If they're wore slam out, they will make the tires shimmy from side to side aftre hitting a bump. This is an indication that you are about to lose all steering capabilty should 1 break. If it's a higher speed when the vibration starts it's like guys72mach1 said. check the balance and rims. Either way, have a reputable person do front end work. YOU SHOULDN'T GO IF YOU CAN'T STEER OR STOP!!

imho :sleepy:

 

[don29163]

Universal joints. pull the driveshaft and see if they bind when you move them. you can feel it.

you must pull the shaft to check them, no shortcut.

 

[machman_73]

A worn transmission mount seem to be causing most of my vibration.

 

[AkWolf]

When I took my car in to get the tires balanced and bought new rear tires, I stood right there and the machine said 0.00 on both sides. Meaning they were balanced perfectly. So the vibration has to be something else. I definitely need new tire rods but if that not causing the vibration what the hell is...

Don you said my Ujoints could be causing the vibration? How is that possible?

And Machman how would I check for worn transmission mounts?

Im interested in hearing everyones opinions. Im still learning at this point so anything anyone can tell me would be much appreciated.

 

[droptop73]

Do you feel the vibration more through the seat or the steering wheel? If more through the seat then it would be from the rear suspension or driveline, if more vibration comes through the wheel it is steering or front wheels. If you are running Magnum 500 wheels they MUST be balanced off the lug holes. If they are balanced from an adapter on the center hole and the shape on the back of the wheels they WILL NOT balance properly. Shops that have the proper adapter and know how to balance them properly are far between in my experience. On the tie rods they will and must rotate freely, there should be no up and down or side to side movement. If in doubt replace them they're relatively inexpensive.

 

[AkWolf]

I believe it's vibrating more through the seat. I had some pretty worn tires on the rear and had them replaced and it helped a bit with the vibrations but didnt eliminate it completely. I'll take it for a spin tomorrow and really feel and listen for it and let ya'll know. I have centerline rims (I was told they were the original rims too, and they dont make them anymore). And ya I will definitely be replacing the tie rods soon.

 

[machman_73]

If the trans mount is original I would replace it. I would assume a worn mount would let the trans sag throwing the driveshaft angle (pinion) off slightly. A local shop balanced my driveshaft and it didn't seen to help. Then they put in a new trans mount and It got rid of 90% of my vibration. It would vibrate between 45-60+ mph

 

[Jeff73Mach1]

driveline vibration is usually worse under load. U joints allow the transmission youke to turn the driveshaft and the driveshaft to turn the pinion yoke, even though the relationship between those parts is changing as you r rear suspension moves up and down. When the ujoints are worn, they have slack and a harmonic vibration can set up in the driveshaft. we think our driveshafts are rigid, but they have a fair amount of flex in them to help absorb shock. A bad u joint will cause serious vibration, or it may just fail, drop your driveshaft and leave you stranded at best or . . . pole vaulting if it is the front joint that fails. BTW the shaft will come through the floor of the car in a worst case scenario.

 

[guys72Mach1]

When I took my car in to get the tires balanced and bought new rear tires, I stood right there and the machine said 0.00 on both sides. Meaning they were balanced perfectly. So the vibration has to be something else. I definitely need new tire rods but if that not causing the vibration what the hell is...

Don you said my Ujoints could be causing the vibration? How is that possible?

And Machman how would I check for worn transmission mounts?

Im interested in hearing everyones opinions. Im still learning at this point so anything anyone can tell me would be much appreciated.

Just cause the machine said 00 doesn't mean that the wheel is balanced at higher speeds.

I used to run a tire shop and many times people would bring back cars that had noo vibration before and a vibration after we balanced their wheels. We had a high speed balancer, but some balancers are better then others, dynamic, static, etc. The really good balancers are very expensive and not many shops have them.

If the vibration is felt in the front end or steering wheel, it can only be generated from the wheels.

If you can feels it in the center of the car, under your seat, or the back of the car shakes, but not in the steering wheel, it could be in your driveshaft, u joints or harmonic balancer.

But, if it didn't do it before they balanced the tires and now it does, that would lead me to believe that they need to balance it again.

 

[Wolverine]

I agree that just because a machine says balanced doesn't mean it is balanced. All machines have to be recalibrated at some point.

Perhaps a weight fell of soon after installation.

Other tips:

1. Make sure your lugs are tight.

2. A REAL BALANCING MACHINE will balance the wheel on the hub. Rotors are not necessarily balanced, although being closer to the center of rotation will have less of an effect that a smaller unbalance at the radius.

3. Taking proper precautions, have someone observe your wheels/tires while you are driving on the freeway.

4. Why do you think your tie rods need to be replaced?

5. You may not be aware, but the connection between your steering wheel and your front end is based on a RAG JOINT. A RAG JOINT...and no this isn't something you smoke.

The rag joint is about a 3" diameter by 1/2" high piece of galvanized and plied rubber as shown in the image above. You can find it inside the engine bay pretty close to the fire wall at the end of your steering column. If you have never replaced this piece, give it a shot. This replacement will probably tighten up your steering more than any other modification.

 

[justimagine]

Have you checked your tail shaft bearings that normally causes a vibration around those speeds[

 

[wwhite72]

i have been chasing vibrations for last 2+yrs....but im guessing converts are more prone than coupes. I recall when i had the trans rebuilt that i put in a urathane pad on the cross member. bad idea. put in a new rubber replacement and stay original style if possible. replace the tie rod ends. Rock Auto is having their MOOG march madness sale with 20% off. Brand new replacement tie rod end ball joint is $25 bucks for example. fits '69-73 mustangs. I believe MOOG was the OEM supplier to Ford for our cars. replace the parts and get an alignment. you will be surprised how well our cars handle.