Car question where does it belong?

[tw]

Originally Posted by footfootfoot

A new development is that when you come to a stop and make a left turn after complete the turn and you straighten out the vibration is noticibly lessened. After making a right turn it is noticibly worse.

That symptom is characteristic of improperly seated and now failing bearings - as but one example. A sharp turn seats the bearing temporarily in a fixed position.

Worn CV joints cause noise, especially during a turn. Noise is the usual symptom; not the only one.

Tech suspected tires even after balancing them? Why? What were his reasons or was he just wildly speculating?

Balancing tires would not affect these reasons for failures. One, a tread that is not straight and true all the way around the tire (which is determined with a pencil carefully held against the tire as the tire is rotated). Two, a hard spot (lump) beneath the tread typically created in manufacturing such as a belt that was not flat, how the end of a belt terminated (ie folded over), or maybe the belt was skewed during assembly. Of course, this is not likely also with a second set of tires. (Possible with all tires from one defective batch.) Three, somehow the tire is not mounting flat on the disc (wheel) assembly (which is obvious by rotating the entire wheel assembly while holding a pencil at the tread).

When were brakes and other suspension work performed? Was wheel alignment performed? If alignment was necessary on a Hyundai, then what defective part was replaced that caused misalignment?

Struts - driving will only detect struts that are so bad as to have been long and obviously defective (ie long ago caused scalloping tires). The traditional way to know a defective strut (or shock absorber) long before any driver knows it: fluid stains where a stainless steel rod enters the strut/shock body. A defective shock is rarely apparent to a driver even when adjacent cars can even see that tire bouncing excessively.

Struts should never fail on any car. Yes they fail just wiper motors burn out and rear seats collapse. Strut failure is that rare when the car is properly designed and not run off road at high speeds.

If previous tires were scalloped, then what was fixed / changed to eliminate that suspension problem? Scalloping is typically not a tire problem; typically a symptom of suspension defect.

Also possible are worn bushings or other suspension parts that sway only when underway and under load. For example, bad ball joints may be not obvious due to internal spring loading. Forces necessary to identify an excessively worn ball joint can involve a crow bar and full body muscle while the other mechanic feels or measures for fractional ball joint movement. How to inspect your ball joints? Consult the shop manual. It can vary with vehicles.

Of course, any broken ball joint rubber boot would also be obvious.

Another less useful symptom. How fast must a left and right turn be to cause tire squealing?

Bent axle - there is no axle on engineer designed cars. However a severely worn CV joint wobbling is the performance equivalent of a bent axle. Yes, the spline that includes bearings can be bent. But then wheel alignment would have detected that bent part. Again, don't align to bent parts as too many mechanics do. An alignment problem is a message to a good mechanic - find and replace that bent part.

Steering should be a rack and pinion system. A worn rack means the toe in would change / vibrate as both tires vibrate in and out simultaneously - not held in parallel by a worn steering gear or ball joints on that steering gear.

Back to point number one. Notice the large number of possible reasons for vibration. Any mechanic that says "it is this" or "it could not be that" without supporting reasons why has said nothing useful.

Scalloping is the symptom of bad struts / shocks which are quickly identified by inspection. CV joint failure is often indicated by noise and often created because a CV boot has / had failed. Most likely reason for a wandering and therefore vibrating steering is failures in the wheel bearing, bushings, or ball joint (on suspension or steering).

Back to important facts still not provided. Was any wheel alignment performed? When were brakes replaced, by who, and how? Were rotors turned down while on the vehicle or in the machine shop?

The best mechanics would be asking these questions and consider all those items. Of course, a mechanic who only works on Hyundais would also have experience with what parts tend to fail more often. Asking damning questions and providing detailed information (as if you know rather than from a list provided by another) may get the shop manager to assign your car to his better man.

Good luck and report back.

[lumberjim]

so you can get more participle free badgering

[TheMercenary]

I poke badgers with spoons.

[footfootfoot]

New tires. The ride is as smooth as a, well, a very smooth thing.

So it was the tires after all.
Go figure.

[glatt]

huh.. Did any of the drivers in your family ever use that fix-a-flat canned spray stuff on the old set?

[classicman]

lol - I guessed at that and got lucky! Ahhh

[footfootfoot]

Originally Posted by glatt

huh.. Did any of the drivers in your family ever use that fix-a-flat canned spray stuff on the old set?

no.

[tw]

Originally Posted by footfootfoot

So it was the tires after all. Go figure.

So Dunlops and Nokian hakkapeliita (sp?) were both defective? I seriously doubt that. More likely is that something was changed when new tires were installed. Or were two Dunlops left on when two Nokians were installed? Not learning what was wrong is so anti-climatic.

In old time radio, the hero is thrown from the top of a skyscraper. Next week, the radio episode continues. Suddenly the hero has a parachute. Equally anti-climatic.

Next week, bring a better problem such as the car moaning a hyberian death chant only when driven at midnight.

[TheMercenary]

Yea, stop letting t-dub down, he is not down with that.

[ZenGum]

Well, TW, I used to have a Datsun 120Y (lol @ me, I know) and sometimes when I turned on the headlights, the left one would only come on at half-brightness, until I gave the horn a beep, which would make it work properly.

Debbil magic, obviously.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Sticky/burnt relay.

[jinx]

Not exactly the type of car question that fits here but Zen's Datsun reminded me... have you seen pics of the 370z? It's my favorite 'retro' car so far, I think... looks like a 240z all spiffed up - and has the 3.7L v6 from the Infinity g37 or maybe even a 4.5L v8.



me want

[elSicomoro]

It doesn't look much different than the current Z to me, though I like that car.

[lumberjim]

there are lines on the 370 that are TOTALLY 240z. something around the hood and windshield.....

the ass end looks like the 350, i guess.

[lumberjim]