[pballer98c]

my sister was driving on the highway the other day (65ish) and she said her 94 wagon started shaking like crazy. it only stopped when she dropped below 45. we took the car out and tried to duplicate it but it would not shake. any ideas? i know the rear suspension is real bad and it needs to be replaced but i dont think that was it. thanks guys (and gals).

 

[zzyzzx]

my sister was driving on the highway the other day (65ish) and she said her 94 wagon started shaking like crazy. it only stopped when she dropped below 45. we took the car out and tried to duplicate it but it would shake. any ideas? i know the rear suspension is real bad and it needs to be replaced but i dont think that was it. thanks guys (and gals).

It could be so many things. Start out by replacing every suspension related things thatyou already know are bad. Then check the tie rod ends, ball joints, alignment, wheel balance, struts, and bushings on sway bars.

How many miles does this wagon have on it?
Have the tie rod ends been replaced?

 

[pballer98c]

its a 95 wagon (accidentially typed 94). it has 80,000 miles and im not sure about the tie rods. on the rear tires you can rub your hand over them and feel it more worn down in some spots 8O . ill take a closer look at it tomorrow and hopefull get some pics. thanks

 

[siragan]

It's the rear struts. Replace the struts and the tires and you'll be golden. I had this exact same problem with my mom's 95LX wagon in january.

It's due to oscillation of an underdamped system (i.e. strut is shot)

 

[Beaverboy]

I'm willing to bet you've got a broken rear spring (or two) as well. Been there.. done that. I was told the rear bushings were shot by the tire shop when the rear tires were getting scalloped.. and the bushings are fine... it was the broken springs and crappy shocks.

 

[pballer98c]

took a pic of the driver side rear spring and strut.
What do ya guys think?

(Incase the image doesnt show up...)
http://www.geocities.com/rigottidesign/P1010481.JPG

 

[pballer98c]

grrrrrrrrr.... my geocities account is suspended. lets try it on cardomain....

 

[Beaverboy]

BROKEN. No doubt... that bottom coil (the rubber-wrapped, brownish one) is not attached very well to the upper coils. Plus there's the way it's aligned with the perch. Looks like the bottom of the spring jumped towards the inside when it cracked.

If she ever wanted to install lowering springs, now is the time

 

[pballer98c]

ya, i was thinking it was broken. i gotta check out the front suspension still but if the rear is the only one needing replaced then i wont lower. but if it needs new suspension up front, then possibly. thanks

 

[zzyzzx]

on the rear tires you can rub your hand over them and feel it more worn down in some spots

Then you definately have bad alignment. I also suspect that you might have worn or bad suspension parts causing the bad alignment (which means that you need to check everything, replace anything if necessary, then get an alignment). No sense in just getting an alignment if you have loose parts. My point being is that you really shouldn't just replace the spring and align and assume everything else is OK; check everything.

And thanks for the pic!

<runs outside, and checks springs>

 

[siragan]

Argh! listen to ME!!!!

I had this EXACT same problem with my mom's wagon. Just replace the strut/spring, AND the tires, and you'll be golden. It is not your alignment, it's not your bearings, it's not your ash tray...

you replace the springs and struts because they no longer dampen vibrations. You replace the tires because you will still feel the shake (even with good struts/springs) naturally because your tires are "wavy".

Trust me... I had this exact same problem. Replace the tires and struts/springs and you'll be golden. Wouldn't hurt to align at the same time, but that isn't the source of the problem.

And I highly recommend the yokohama avid touring tires for the 95LX. They're cheap, handle well in all conditions, and are super super quiet and smooth riding.

 

[pballer98c]

thanks man... do you think i need the mounts that go on the strut to hold the spring?

 

[Beaverboy]

I'm with both of these guys. I'm 95.8% certain that the problem will end once you get new shocks and springs on the back. But there's always a chance you do have some other bushing/swaybar related problems and alignments are always a good thing when you replace suspension components.

Usually the rear strut mounts will be a bit rusty, and now would be the best time to replace them. I should have replaced mine when I rebuilt my suspension The lower perches come as part of the shocks.

KYB GR-2s are really good shocks for a decent price on stock springs. They should last for as long as the car does. They'll also help to stiffen up the rear just slightly to aid handling and load capacity. You can buy them individually, so just getting the rears isn't a problem :wink: :wink:

 

[siragan]

You may be 95.8% certain. I'm 100.1% certain. Get new rear struts/springs and tires (wouldn't hurt to get all four yokohamas) and you'll be golden. We had this EXACT same problem. If you want to waste money putting on new mounts, that's your choice. I personally wouldn't waste my time with the mounts. My mother's car had this exact same problem and we troubleshot it for about 2 weeks before we figured out that it was the struts and springs. We just got the garden variety cushy-mushy piece of crap strut/springs and I got a new set of yokahama avid touring tires. It rides really smoothly. Before, you couldn't take it over 75mph. The car would shake so violently it felt like the wheels were going to spin off. Now you can bring it up to 110 (heh heh heh I've actually done this) and it rides like a benz. Well not like a benz... but it doesn't shake.

Out of curiosity, what's the best suspension you can get for an EGT?

 

[95EsortSittinLo]

a free one

 

[93EGTinLR]

I have to agree with Siragan, I've been through the same issue...except I didn't have any broken springs but did find a strut mount that was separating...prob due to the fact that I waited a bit before replacing the struts. as for the best suspension setup...I'm not sure what to say except that I am very happy with my Weapon R coil overs....although I have heard people complain that they are too bouncy...the only time I notice that being bad is when my struts are.....so draw your own conclusions...it may very well be that I am just more willing to sacrifice ride quality for the handling I get...who can say for sure? :wink:

 

[sethxtreme]

well this is somewhat off topic, and what everyone has said sounds right, my springs are worn in the rear, so now im gonna lower the whole car...just seems like the right time.