Himura357

Hey guys,

I had my car diagnosed at 4 different shops all saying something different. I'm no closer to finding the issue. Wondering if anyone has a fresh idea.

The car vibrates excessively after 30km/h. This vibration is not in the steering wheel like when you have a wheel balance issue, but more throughout the front end. You can feel it in your feet and legs, in the seat and in the dash/doors. It can range anywhere from slight to very annoying. seems worse at 40km/h and 80-100km/h but it's pretty much constant throughout the range.

In a probably related issue, it also vibrates/pluses when in park. The RMPs do not fluctuate and idle seems normal. When put into drive it smooths out until you pas 30km/h. Also if the throttle is pressed while in park, it also smooths out. If left running in park and the AC is turned on it jerks a bit and feels worse. AC turning on seems louder than in any other car I have owned.

I feel like both vibrations are connected. I could be wrong. The car seems to shift ok. It doesn't slip and it shifts and accels normally as far as I can tell. This is only my second automatic car. Sometimes I think I hear a slight whine, but the car is pretty quiet to be honest. I changed the transmission fluid myself and it was dirty. I'll attach pics.

Here is what the shops diagnosed:

Georgetown Honda: Serpentine belt and tensioner replacement
Dubois Honda: CV axles, replace right wheel due to bend (how could it be axles if I get vibrations in park?)
Misc shop 1: CV axles (replaced axles with new aftermarket, I drove them for a day, problem still there, old axles put back in and refunded)
Misc shop 2: Motor mounts (unknown which)

All shops said there was no visible damage on the motor mounts. Someone also said it may be related to the transmission via the torque converter. The car is not throwing a code.

Any comments would be appreciated. Thank you.

Trans fluid





This is the "bend" in the wheel that the dealer though I should replace the wheel over:

starchland

Does the wheel balance out ok?
i would move that wheel to the back and see what happens

Himura357

Thanks for the reply. I will try that as well.

I have a small update. Another shop took a look and found play, but not in the CV axles but either in the differential bearing or the transmission housing itself, where the axles enter. The reason was he said he could move one axle and the other moved on the other side when it should not move.

I will keep updating as I know more in case someone else has a similar issue.

Himura357

Wheels were re-balanced and rotated. The vibration is still there. As before, the vibration is not really in the steering wheel, more a vibration from the lower front half of the car.

deanob

Your process of elimination is leading towards the trans my mind.

Does problem go away when the A/C is turned off?

Himura357

When I turn on the AC, I find that the jerk from the compressor starting is a bit louder and more fierce than normal, especially if the car is in park. Either way it doesn't seem to affect the vibration too much while in motion.

A transmission shop took my car for a very long test drive. He says the tranny shifts perfectly. If it is the tranny, its in the area where the CV axles connect. The thing is, he also said if there is excessive play in that area, it should also leak from the seal, but the seal is ok and there are no leaks.

Himura357

As I mentioned before the worst of the vibrations are at around 30-40km/h and 90-100km/h. The other weird thing is the vibrations are not constant in terms of how bad the shake is. Sometimes its just slight, other times it is pretty bad.

The transmission shop rebuild (Milton Transmission) said a rebuild is like $2000+ so that is not an option. He also said he would not recommend it for this problem.

I still have the feeling that there is no conclusive diagnosis. This is easily the most tricky car problem I have had in the 20 different cars I've owned.

hawkman199

The only time I have had a similar issue, it was due to scalloping of the tires. If your drivetrain is OK and the shocks aren't seized, I'd take a good look at the tires.

Himura357

I've changed over to winter tires, and the shake is still there although much less violent. It feels like the bulky winter tires absorb more of the vibration than the thinner low profile summer tires.

1DarkChaos

if u mounted the winters on these same wheels. i am willing to bet its the wheels that are bad or out of spec. did u try roadforce with the summers? if not it could be a lower a arm bushing but most mechanic wouldnt have missed that. Try to hold the brakes and step on the throttle in drive, see if you feel the same vibration. narrow it down.