Can't figure out this vibration issue

sarjxxx

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I've been plagued for a few months now with a rather serious vibration in my steering. All the troubleshooting I've done so far has not panned out so hopefully somebody can help.

Specifically what is happening is that when I reach highway speeds, it varies - usually between 60-80 mph - I develop a serious back-and-forth vibration/deflection in the steering wheel that kinda tends to come and go as it pleases.

So far I've had the tires re-balanced 3x, rotated twice, and an alignment done, and nothing has gotten rid of the problem. I've had the tires checked by 3 different shops, once at the dealer, once by a local shop in town, and again by another very reputable shop in town. I had that shop actually check balance agian a week later after I explained to them the issue did not go away after the first time but they were unable to find any balance issues the second time. I thought it was the tires at first since the problem is very similar to out-of-balance tires but that has not solved it. I had them rotated once again after this shop checked balance and the problem did not change at all after the rotation, leading me to believe the issue was not tire/wheel related since putting different tires on the front didn't stop it, but apparently somewhere in the driveline.

Also, given that the symptoms tend to be worse when slightly turning at speed, usually the amount of turn that is made for a lane change or really wide curves, my research led me to believe it must be the wheel bearings. Last night my new set arrived, I installed the new hubs, and all that turned out to be was a waste of time and money. The problem has not improved at all, in fact maybe I'm just imagining it but my drive to work this morning it feels as though it may have gotten worse by some degree. This issue has been getting incrementally worse over time and at this point I'm at a loss for what is causing it or what might be in danger of breaking...

I should also mention I did a complete brake job on the front end about 20,000 ago so I don't think it's rotor related either. Also the issue doesn't seem to present itself any differently when braking than when driving.

Somebody help, please:(
 

frank s

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Shot in the dark: Whatever links there are that govern toe alignment might have worn bearings or bushings?
 

Juice

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1 If tire related, and it is not a balance problem, that would leave a shifted belt tire no longer round (doesn't take much) I would think the guy spinning the balancer would watch for any runout on the tires. Probably not the issue since you tried rotating tires and it does not help or atleast change the vibration.

2 Next best possibility is brake related, but, with what you described so far and no braking complaints. So, I have 2 questions regarding the brake job:
How many miles on the car? And did you change or rebuild calipers, and replace flex lines to the calipers?

And one silly thought, maybe there is a piece of debris between the rotor and hub, or oxidation buildup on the wheels not letting everthing bolt together true (hub, rotors, wheels) making the front wheels "wobble".
 

sarjxxx

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Shot in the dark: Whatever links there are that govern toe alignment might have worn bearings or bushings?

I had considered that myself as well, but I would have though the tech would have let me know when he did the alignment if that were the case, and he said everything was fine. In fact he said everything was so good that I really didn't even need to have an alignment done when I brought it to them:confused:

1 If tire related, and it is not a balance problem, that would leave a shifted belt tire no longer round (doesn't take much) I would think the guy spinning the balancer would watch for any runout on the tires. Probably not the issue since you tried rotating tires and it does not help or at least change the vibration.

2 Next best possibility is brake related, but, with what you described so far and no braking complaints. So, I have 2 questions regarding the brake job:
How many miles on the car? And did you change or rebuild calipers, and replace flex lines to the calipers?

And one silly thought, maybe there is a piece of debris between the rotor and hub, or oxidation buildup on the wheels not letting everthing bolt together true (hub, rotors, wheels) making the front wheels "wobble".

I was thinking about out-of-round tires too but like you said, unless I have a problem with all 4 tires (entirely a possibility with my luck...) the rotations would have confirmed that I think. Also I don't seem to notice a problem from the rear, it seems to be exclusive to the front end. I say this because up until this morning - which is why I feel it may have gotten worse - I don't really feel vibration from the *car* so much as just in the steering, if that makes any sense.

As for the brakes, I'm currently at 110K. I did the rotors and pads somewhere between 15-25K ago due to what was at the time a warped rotor. The symptom I am experiencing now is very different from what that issue gave me. I did not do anything to the calipers or lines other than clean the brackets before reinstalling.

As for the possibility of buildup between the components, I think I eliminated any chance of that when I did the hubs last night, I thoroughly cleaned all mating surfaces with brake clean and a light wire brush before reinstalling anything.

I did find a ton of buildup on the hubs that I removed and I noticed that as of this morning I had cured an issue with some kind of "tension" metallic sound when I let off the brakes while coming to a stop, that I think was related to those hubs. So I guess they weren't a complete waste of time but I'm still annoyed lol
 

sarjxxx

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EPAS or no? Could be an EPAS concern starting to develop.

Yikes I hadn't thought of that. It's a 2011 so I suppose it is a possibility... Any ideas what to look for to troubleshoot that? Could that be a steering angle sensor malfunction to cause that?
 

86GT351

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Yikes I hadn't thought of that. It's a 2011 so I suppose it is a possibility... Any ideas what to look for to troubleshoot that? Could that be a steering angle sensor malfunction to cause that?
Absolutely. First thing is to scan and see if there are any trouble codes. Remember not every code can cause a light to come on. What is your vin and I can check if you have it or not?

Also when you say they were balanced do you know if they did a Road Force Balance?
 

sarjxxx

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I have an OBDii smart device that hasn't pulled anything up, but I haven't had it checked with a reader. I can swing by A-Z tonight see if they pick up anything...

To my knowledge all balancing has been standard method. I am not sure what's involved in a road force balance actually.
 

86GT351

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I have an OBDii smart device that hasn't pulled anything up, but I haven't had it checked with a reader. I can swing by A-Z tonight see if they pick up anything...

To my knowledge all balancing has been standard method. I am not sure what's involved in a road force balance actually.
Road Force is a different type of balancing that simulates driving while spinning it. Try and get is scanned and see if there are any codes.
 

nawagner

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You've ruled out tires as you mentioned because it happens no matter which tire(s) are on the front.

Did you have the rotors turned or replace them at any point?

If it is not a rotor or tires, then you have to move to all the of things that are fixed to the front and don't move with the tires. Could be a tie rod. Note there is an inner and outer tie rod on the Mustangs. Could also be a ball joint.

Something is allowing movement when getting enough force at higher speeds.

I'm putting my money on a tie rod.
 

RLF9409

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This sounds like a wheel bearing to me...

Have you jacked up the wheels and try and wiggle the wheels to check for play?

2006 Saleen SC #409 MMR 1000S stroked 4.6 3.0 pulley 1 piece driveshaft
 

sarjxxx

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Try and get is scanned and see if there are any codes.

I took it yesterday to have the codes checked but nothing came up...

You've ruled out tires as you mentioned because it happens no matter which tire(s) are on the front.

Did you have the rotors turned or replace them at any point?

If it is not a rotor or tires, then you have to move to all the of things that are fixed to the front and don't move with the tires. Could be a tie rod. Note there is an inner and outer tie rod on the Mustangs. Could also be a ball joint.

Something is allowing movement when getting enough force at higher speeds.

I'm putting my money on a tie rod.

I put brand new rotors sometime last year, about 15-25K miles ago, hard to remember bc I put about 30K/yr on this car

At this point I'm starting to feel like tie rods could be the only thing left, unless it's a ball joint issue. I'm not noticing any slop or play in the steering though and no unusual pops or cracks when going over bumps etc, so nothing to point very obvious in that direction, but process of elimination is...

This sounds like a wheel bearing to me...

Have you jacked up the wheels and try and wiggle the wheels to check for play?

As mentioned in the OP I've replaced the wheel bearings just a few days ago but it didn't fix anything.

I have checked for play before and after replacement, but I can't see any.
 

Juice

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A code reader can only check the pcm for codes. All other modules need IDS or Forscan to access codes (if any are present). From what I been reading on the EPAS, if it has a fault code, power assist is turned off so the driver knows there is an issue with the PS.
 

sbeen78

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I have the same issue on my 10 GT after new tires were put on, Nitto G2 285/35/19. they are over sized but fit. No issues before new tires. Sound like a EPAS issue for me as well.?
 

sarjxxx

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A code reader can only check the pcm for codes. All other modules need IDS or Forscan to access codes (if any are present). From what I been reading on the EPAS, if it has a fault code, power assist is turned off so the driver knows there is an issue with the PS.

AFAIK power assist is still active, I haven't noticed any changes in steering response.

Really hoping I don't have to take this to Ford to get it diagnosed :/
 

eighty6gt

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Here's an idea:

Unplug the high current wires to the EPAS

see if the problem still exists

I bet it goes away.


I have an epas I grafted on to my car and get some steering shake at slight input at speed. I just ignore it. It comes and goes, feels like a tire out of round. Could also be a tire out of round.

I just DRIVE. Will get a porsche some day where when this happens a skinny guy in blue coveralls drops the engine out to fix it.
 

JEWC_Motorsports

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Stock or aftermarket wheels? Hubcentric rings? How about the clips that hold the rotors on, still have those with aftermarket wheels?
 

sarjxxx

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Here's an idea:

Unplug the high current wires to the EPAS

see if the problem still exists

I bet it goes away.

What exactly would you recommend I unplug? The sensor connection? Or something else? Admittedly, I know basically nothing about the EPAS system...

I have an epas I grafted on to my car and get some steering shake at slight input at speed. I just ignore it. It comes and goes, feels like a tire out of round. Could also be a tire out of round.

Yeah, that sounds basically exactly like what I am experiencing

I just DRIVE. Will get a porsche some day where when this happens a skinny guy in blue coveralls drops the engine out to fix it.

yep, that'd be nice.... I think we all would like to be there one day ;)

Stock or aftermarket wheels? Hubcentric rings? How about the clips that hold the rotors on, still have those with aftermarket wheels?

I am using factory S550 wheels/tires, afaik they are matched to the hub same as S197 factory. Not sure what you mean about the rotor clips... I've never seen anything like that, mine are held on by the pads/calipers, then clamped down between the wheel and hub after install. Was like that since the first time I had the wheels off.

Once you confirm it is the EPAS, there is a rack for sale on Ebay to fix this:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/FORD-PERFO...ELECTRIC-RACK-PINION-M-3200-EPAS/371079236179

Intersting, will look into this

...edit: I looked into it, for $1000 I might have to deal with some steering shake for a while lol
 
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