stumped on 50-60mph shimmy

[winfred]

aint gotta mask but i do gotta ak or two

withoud an AK and a mask I'm blessed with discount tires warranty till I burn the tires to the cords.

[Javier]

half of the tire were a bump over about 60 degrees of the tire circumference. When I got it out of the car, I made it run over the place and it was balancing from side to side when rolling. The car was not in a shimmy, no, it was more like a shake, earthquake, who knows, and was worse at about 50 mph. At very low speeds, you can feel in the steering wheel the front tires bouncing from one side to the other. Now that I replaced the tires, car is smooth all over the speed range, even with the fact that I got my drivers side trust arm bushing f.. up.

[winfred]

forget the what you wanted to type?

[jplacson]

Ok, do I have this right? Shimmys caused by tire/wheel or propeller shaft problems do NOT go away when you exceed 60mph? (I'm trying to narrow down the problems)

My shimmy starts at exactly 50mph, and dies out when I hit 60mph. Beyond 60mph, no shimmy, shakes, or vibrations at all. Braking doesn't cause my car to shimmy anymore (the brake shimmy stopped when I changed my thrust arm bushings)

I hear a slight 'clunk' when turning my steering wheel (it clunks about an inch off-center) ... stabilizer links and tie-rods were changed.

Could this be the ball-joints? Upper or lower control arms? Or the steering box mounting bolts?

Hmmm... seems I might have a control arm & subframe bushing replacement scheduled soon. :s Oh well... as long as it gets rid of that damn shimmy... very annoying. :P

[Unregistered]

I have a really nice 530 touring 1995. Same probs as every one else. New discs pads shocks, tie bar, track rods, tyres, stearing box! but I also get a thud as I go over a 1 inch kerb to my drive. It feels horid. any Ideas?

[Unregistered]

I have a really nice 530 touring 1995. Same probs as every one else. New discs pads shocks, tie bar, track rods, tyres, stearing box! but I also get a thud as I go over a 1 inch kerb to my drive. It feels horid. any Ideas?

I Have a set of lower arms, after re reading all the above , would they make any difference, there is no play in them? Oh forgot to add, also after the sterring box was put in had the tracking done, sterring wheel was stright now 200miles later s/wheel is quart inch down the the left again? Ahhhh Im 36 now starting to look 66!

[MO525]

Ok, do I have this right? Shimmys caused by tire/wheel or propeller shaft problems do NOT go away when you exceed 60mph? (I'm trying to narrow down the problems)

My shimmy starts at exactly 50mph, and dies out when I hit 60mph. Beyond 60mph, no shimmy, shakes, or vibrations at all. Braking doesn't cause my car to shimmy anymore (the brake shimmy stopped when I changed my thrust arm bushings)

I hear a slight 'clunk' when turning my steering wheel (it clunks about an inch off-center) ... stabilizer links and tie-rods were changed.

Could this be the ball-joints? Upper or lower control arms? Or the steering box mounting bolts?

Hmmm... seems I might have a control arm & subframe bushing replacement scheduled soon. :s Oh well... as long as it gets rid of that damn shimmy... very annoying. :P

I had a light "clunk" in the steering wheel after having thrown all the normal worn-out E34 parts on my wife's 525.
Turned out to be the nut on the column needed a tightening.
That cured that problem.

AND.....after replacing all the front end components on her car, I STILL had the 50-60 shimmy.
What was it? The goons at the tire shop did not install my hubcentric rings in the wheels....they stabbed them onto the rotors where they were on so far that the tires did not contact them properly.
Removed the wheels, reset the rings and VOILA!
No more shimmy.

Again....that is what worked for ME but it's all stuff YOU can check.

Front end issues are a pain in the a** unless you're independently wealthy and just drop off your car with a Visa number at your local dealer or indy shop.
THEY'LL fix it.....a few thousand dollars later......

[632 Regal]

That sounds like your strut collar might be loose or strut itself may be shot. In reading your posts you havent mentioned replacing the front struts (shocks) if those are loose or bad it could cause a vibration that has not been mentioned in this thread.

[MO525]

That sounds like your strut collar might be loose or strut itself may be shot. In reading your posts you havent mentioned replacing the front struts (shocks) if those are loose or bad it could cause a vibration that has not been mentioned in this thread.

With the MESS of parts I've replaced, it's EASY to forget things.
As part of the deal when we bought the car, the previous owner had the struts replaced and provided proof in paperwork of having done so.

I no longer have a clunk and I THINK I have the shimmies licked....for now, that is.

[jplacson]

It's more of a mild 'clink' than a 'clunk' really. It might be the collar nut, I haven't checked that one yet... could it also be a ball joint, or the steering box moutning bolts?