disgruntled

iTrader: (7)

(long post, sorry)

I had to go to work on Saturday, which is gay since its snowing like a ****
outside, when I finally got done risking my life on the highway with cars
fishtailing all around me, the boss THEN let all the worker knows that the place is closed , so when I pull out of the parking lot, there was a virtual wall of snow right there in the way because of the plow truck, so I had to plow through it (poor max). Any how, my car got stuck midway since I did not have enough traction to speed up through it, and ended up having to dig
myself out.

As I drove to school this morning(20+ miles each way), I noticed that at

lower speed, there is no problem, but as soon as I get to around 40 mph,

my steering wheel will vibrate alternatively left and right, and I can hear the

front wheel wobbling, which scares the **** out of me. So the question is,

can I leave it as it is and get home for today, and what part of the front

suspension should I be looking at to trouble shoot?

Thanks in advance.

This is important, please do not post any comments that does not relate to

the problem, thanks.

Wiking

Frozen partial ice rings on wheels causing off-balance vibrations? If so, scrape ice off both sides both wheels.

disgruntled

iTrader: (7)

I checked, and the clearance is right, and there is no snow on the wheels, and the vibration is severe, I'm afraid to go over 55 since the vibrations gets worst, maybe a ball joint , this had happened to my mom's BMW before, still haven't gotten around to diagnose it, so maybe this is the right time to also.

Wiking

Maybe youre right, points anyways to your snow adventures. The joint must have been goner anyway... Thats cheap to change/verify. Just drive slowly until...

internetautomar

iTrader: (30)

first have your wheels balanced.
you may also have a bad tire, I had that problem

disgruntled

iTrader: (7)

thanks for the input so far, internetautomart, I thought that when I have a bad tire, it will progressively gets worsen, what worries me is that this problems seems to just pop out of the blue, and the vibration is quite bad. Also, I think my camber angle is wrong, since ALL 4 of my tires have uneven tread wear, like the outside tread is still like new, while the inside is mostly worn away, but haven't noticed the problem before, just this morning. I guess I'm dead meat, then again, maybe not.

Mizeree_X

iTrader: (9)

That happened to me. I had frozen snow on the inside of my wheels and it caused horrible vibrations at highway speeds. This new storm is probly gonna cause the same

Bman

Just checking here... you actually got down on your hands and knees and looked at the back sides of your wheels, right?

Might be time to take it to a garage to check the suspension for bent/broken parts.

Maybe see if any wheel weights got knocked off on the front or back of the wheels too.... it could be as simple as that, since it does sound like a balance problem, which usually shows up at higher speeds.

Wiking

The joints have been maturing for long, now ripped real loose on your exercise.

A tire and/or shock might also go at once, typically not, causing vobbling. Also worn shocks, low press, cause uneven wear.

Every mile 'has to be paid', no free pass for anyone on maintenance. No miracle cars there, joints, tires blow by the mileage, load, driving habits, road conditions...

disgruntled

iTrader: (7)

I will be doing a closer reinspection this evening when my classes are done, also, this problem had never shown up before, and I have been driving for over 10k miles in 6+ months, and then bang! this problem out of the blue.

Also, what is that bar underneath the front end of the car that extends to both front wheels? I think its a sway bar or something like that, and since it extends lower than all the other parts of the car, I'm worried that it might have been bent or something like that, if that is the culprit, what are the symptoms? and how much is it to fix (ball park figure)?

Wiking

Typically needs to be stuck deep and have 'some' R-FF exercise. Did u?


Have to tell one snowy his tory:
Was speeding on left lane as a girl jumped in front (makeup mirror -type). The road is ice ! I found out too late as I hit the mid section snow bank. All snowblacked out in the very local 'snowstorm', my rambler rotated for eternity, stopping on the mid section. No real harm... Tested, engine started, but did not run. Went out, opened hood to check engine. Engine gone!?! Only hard snow with the hood imprint on the ice-snow, engine bay full packed by the 60mph direct snowbank hit... no engine on sight just snow.

Governor

Better recheck for snow/ice packed in one of the wheels or around cv joint....tires didnt wear out on your way home also...jack it up and see if one of the wheels has alot of play in it you might have knocked ball joint loose..but RECHECK FOR ICE/SNOW IN WHEELS!!!!!

disgruntled

iTrader: (7)

Thank you for your prompt replies guys, yeah, all of you were right, when I finally opened the wheel, obstructed from view was a chunk of snow/ice the size of several baseballs were wedged in the wheel, took them off, and it seems well now, still vibrates a bit, but not as badly as this morning when I drove it to school. You guys rocks!!!!