Malibu 3.1 2001

Mar 27, 2008 8 Replies
D

Hoping someone can point me in the right direction



Have the above with about 185k miles on it, and at 65+ mph I get a bad vibration through the steering wheel. Had the wheels balanced and the vibration still exists. Wheel bearings have been replaced about



100,000 miles. I am thinking it could be the ball joints. Steering doesn't feel vague. I am thinking of replacing both the lower control arms they seem cheap enough from Autozone and I get all the bushings and ball joint included in the price. Are Dorman products any good?

Any advice appreciated.



David


Vote
Twitter Facebook LinkedIn
M

At 85,000 miles, another bad wheel bearing would not be out of the question. Ball joints don't show up the way you describe. They clank over bumps. I think you should have the car looked at before throwing all those parts at it indiscriminately.

Vote
Twitter Facebook LinkedIn
M

Should have said that ball joints clunk - not clank.

Vote
Twitter Facebook LinkedIn
A

My "vibration at 50" turned out to be a patch of tread separation on my tire.

Replaced tire, problem gone.

Vote
Twitter Facebook LinkedIn
M

Check for a tire with broken belts or a bent wheel or hub.

Wheel bearings have been replaced about

Neither wheel bearings or ball joints would cause a vibration.

Steering

It would be cheaper to figure out what the problem is than just throwing parts at it. You should only replace parts that you know are bad.

Vote
Twitter Facebook LinkedIn
M

That sucks. Shouldn't be experiencing such a thing with a car with such low mileage. Have you taken it to the dealer for warranty work?

Vote
Twitter Facebook LinkedIn
D

Turned out to be the track rod end. Thanks for your input.

Vote
Twitter Facebook LinkedIn

Join the Discussion

Have something to add? Share your thoughts — no account required.

Didn't find your answer?

Ask the community — no account required