anotha knicks fan
01-25-2006, 05:41 PM
Hi to all, this is my second posting, would like some help from anyone that can. Basically, the front passenger end of my vehicle has been making noise for a while now, and now it is getting louder. It seems like it is a clicking/thudding noise, with perhaps a little grinding. I took the 2003 Alero GL, V6 manual, to a reputable mechanic, that owns a Do it Yourself shop. We put it on a lift , and revved it up, we saw the tire wobble, and you could distinctly hear the grinding noise, as well as the clicking noise. We then proceeded to a test drive, and he came out with hub bearings and the struts. Does this make sense? I was asking a fellow poster from this site in the chat, (Great tool btw), and this knowlegeable poster was going through a series of questions, in which we determined it may not be the struts afterall. I would like some feedback, and advise if possible.
Here is the excerpt of our chat...
pretty long though... so please scan for your sanity.
elcome! You have entered [Chat Lounge] at 1:36 pm
[anotha knicks fan] 1:36 pm: sup bro
[natedawg9640] 1:36 pm: hey
[natedawg9640] 1:37 pm: wow... first person i ever saw in here
[anotha knicks fan] 1:37 pm: gotta question, you know if the chiltons is out for 2003 aleros?
[anotha knicks fan] 1:37 pm: yeah im new to the site, and I saw this function
[natedawg9640] 1:37 pm: lol... what the hell's that?
[anotha knicks fan] 1:37 pm: figured i give it a try
[natedawg9640] 1:37 pm: welcome aboard
[anotha knicks fan] 1:38 pm: its the manual that does step by step rebuilding enginges
[natedawg9640] 1:38 pm: ohhh... no idea... why? rebuilding?
[anotha knicks fan] 1:38 pm: no im trying to replace the struts and the hub bearings
[anotha knicks fan] 1:39 pm: dont know exactly how
[natedawg9640] 1:39 pm: aren't there two different manuals that offer that info?
[natedawg9640] 1:39 pm: the bearings should be easy
[natedawg9640] 1:39 pm: 3 bolt/studs
[anotha knicks fan] 1:39 pm: nah, i had the manual for an old jeep i had, and it showed even the basic things
[natedawg9640] 1:39 pm: off with the wheel, the rotors and then 3 bolts on the back side of the hub
[anotha knicks fan] 1:40 pm: they are no machine pressed?
[anotha knicks fan] 1:40 pm: *not
[natedawg9640] 1:40 pm: not to my knowledge
[anotha knicks fan] 1:41 pm: ok, sounds easy enough, you know more or less how much each goes for?
[natedawg9640] 1:41 pm: it should be the same setup as the cavis... they might be stuck on a bit but i don't
think it's neccesary to have a hub puller
[natedawg9640] 1:41 pm: a hub?
[natedawg9640] 1:41 pm: bout 120
[natedawg9640] 1:41 pm: mabye a tiny bit less
[anotha knicks fan] 1:41 pm: cavi?
[natedawg9640] 1:42 pm: cavilier
[natedawg9640] 1:42 pm: err... cavalier
[natedawg9640] 1:42 pm: whatever
[anotha knicks fan] 1:42 pm: thanks
[anotha knicks fan] 1:42 pm: how bout the struts?
[natedawg9640] 1:42 pm: why you replacing em?
[anotha knicks fan] 1:43 pm: because they are bad, which in turn has meesed up the bearings
[natedawg9640] 1:45 pm: hold on
[anotha knicks fan] 1:45 pm: are they involved? and what all should I get to replace them? Ive gone online for pricing,
and there's three separate parts... ok
[natedawg9640] 1:47 pm: k... back
[natedawg9640] 1:47 pm: umm... what are your bearings doing?
[natedawg9640] 1:48 pm: are you sure you need struts?
[anotha knicks fan] 1:48 pm: k, the front driver side tire makes noise while driving
[natedawg9640] 1:48 pm: what kind of noise?
[anotha knicks fan] 1:48 pm: we tok it on a lift and revved it up and saw it, and it doesnt turn properly
[anotha knicks fan] 1:49 pm: its like a clicking noise?
[anotha knicks fan] 1:49 pm: and it wobbles I guess is the right description
[natedawg9640] 1:49 pm: hmm...
[natedawg9640] 1:49 pm: i had a clicking problem and it was tyerod ends
[natedawg9640] 1:49 pm: but anyway... how do you know your struts are bad?
[anotha knicks fan] 1:50 pm: Im in the military, and we have an onpost mechanic who is reliable (the shop is onpost)
and he took a look at it. took it for a test drive and looked at it on the lift
[natedawg9640] 1:50 pm: oh... how many miles on it?
[anotha knicks fan] 1:51 pm: its a do it yourself type of place, and he gives help, or he can do the job for a
"nominal" fee
[anotha knicks fan] 1:51 pm: about 74,000
[anotha knicks fan] 1:52 pm: I have a towing package on it as well, (cross country driving) and it hasnt driven the
same as when we first got it.
[anotha knicks fan] 1:52 pm: dont usually tow stuff, but had to in order to move
[natedawg9640] 1:52 pm: hmm... well an easy way to tell if your shack really are bad is go try to bounce the
corners of the car... if it quickly comes to a seat after you bouncing it... they are fine... if it sits there and
going boing boing... then it's all sping and the shock is dead
[natedawg9640] 1:53 pm: what's included in the towing package?
[natedawg9640] 1:53 pm: just a hitch or did they modify other stuff too?
[anotha knicks fan] 1:53 pm: just the frame connected to the chassis, and the end coming out the rear of the vehicle.
(not much of a package)
[natedawg9640] 1:54 pm: i have never done the struts on the alero... but i did do them on a gsx eclipse to
put coilovers in it... and they were relatively easy...
[anotha knicks fan] 1:54 pm: the car doesnt spring, however it never did much when we had bought it
[natedawg9640] 1:55 pm: on a guess i would doubt that it needs struts... i could be wrong but it's not very
common... bearings i wouldn't doubt at all... mine needs em right now... does your traction control and
abs still work?
[anotha knicks fan] 1:55 pm: the thing that confuses me is all the parts that could be bought... what should I get in
order to replace them?
[anotha knicks fan] 1:56 pm: abs? traction control? how do I check?
[natedawg9640] 1:56 pm: and struts dont really have an affect on the bearing as far as my knowlege
[natedawg9640] 1:56 pm: well if it's not working you would have warning lights on in your dash
[anotha knicks fan] 1:56 pm: then they are all good
[natedawg9640] 1:57 pm: kinda like your change oil light... see... a common prob with aleros is that the ABS
sensors will die... and then the hub needs to be changed casue it's all one piece... and if the bearings are
shot... the sensors usually are too... but not all the time
[anotha knicks fan] 1:57 pm: you dont think if the struts are completely bad it could affect the hub bearings?
[anotha knicks fan] 1:57 pm: where and how do I check if the sensors are bad?
[anotha knicks fan] 1:58 pm: Im not a fan of these aleros btw... it was easier with my old jeep cherokee Â;-)Â;-)Â;-)Â;-)
[anotha knicks fan] 1:58 pm: I really appreciate all the info you are giving me, btw... it really helps
[natedawg9640] 1:58 pm: if the struts were completely bad then your car would bounce like hell every time
you hit a bump... casue the strut does nothing more than to dampen shock and keep it from going boing
boing boing... if you have no shock... it's just riding on springs...
[natedawg9640] 1:59 pm: if you have no warning lights by your speedometer than don't worry about your
abs... it is fine... if you really wanna see if its working go down a gravel road and lock up the front
wheels... you'll hear it work
[anotha knicks fan] 2:00 pm: then could it be the springs that need to be replaced? hold on let me bounce the car to
see how much give it has, and look at the springs
[natedawg9640] 2:01 pm: nah... the only time they need replacing is if they break... and you would know
without a doubt if that happened
[natedawg9640] 2:04 pm: have you ever seen a little civic or something like that roll up to a stoplight and it
kinda goes boing boing boing for a second when it's stopped... looks really bouncy.... that's because it's
lowered and most likely didn't upgrade the struts... that boingy-ness is what it looks like when the struts
are bad on the aleros... when you hit a bump the car seems to jump more than usual and it doesn't level
itself out as fast... ... if you push down on a corner a couple times it should come back up
[natedawg9640] 2:04 pm: and then settle and stop... it shouldn't keep bouncing without you pushing on it.
[anotha knicks fan] 2:05 pm: ok, back... the sides dont have any give...
[natedawg9640] 2:05 pm: if it does then the struts are in poor shape.
[anotha knicks fan] 2:05 pm: no theres no bounciness at all, not even over speed bumps, you could feel it throughout
the car
[anotha knicks fan] 2:05 pm: just like a hard thud, you know?
[natedawg9640] 2:06 pm: at what speed?... like... if you SLOWLY roll over a speed bump... does the car just
go up... then down... then stay smooth?
[anotha knicks fan] 2:07 pm: slow or fast... no bounciness, feels like there's no suspension
[natedawg9640] 2:08 pm: have you had a chance to compare it with a different alero?
[anotha knicks fan] 2:08 pm: no, I wish
[natedawg9640] 2:09 pm: hmm
[natedawg9640] 2:10 pm: i'm sure it has a suspension... lol
[natedawg9640] 2:10 pm: i don't know why it would be so rough though
[anotha knicks fan] 2:11 pm: lol, yeah, the car is not being dragged, but it doesnt have any give... its as if the struts
are shot, and there's no springs
[anotha knicks fan] 2:11 pm: doesnt make sense
[natedawg9640] 2:13 pm: you mean it actually feels like there's not a suspension?
[natedawg9640] 2:13 pm: it's that rough
[natedawg9640] 2:13 pm: like if you sat on the hood... it wouldn't go down?
[natedawg9640] 2:13 pm: or stood on the bumper it wouldn't drop any
[anotha knicks fan] 2:14 pm: yup, no bounciness, feels as if the body of the car is riding on the axles of the car... Ill
try standing on the bumper if youll hold on...
[natedawg9640] 2:14 pm: lol... aright
[anotha knicks fan] 2:14 pm: k, brb thanks
[natedawg9640] 2:16 pm: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2...257554&q=struts (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-212337799511257554&q=struts)
[anotha knicks fan] 2:16 pm: k back, the rear gives, and it makes a "whooshing" sound on the way back up, the front
only gives minimally on both sides
[natedawg9640] 2:17 pm: that is an example of a bad strut... but that would leave your car going up and
down and up and down quickly after each bump
[natedawg9640] 2:17 pm: that's becasue the front has bigger shocks to carry the wieght of the engine
[anotha knicks fan] 2:17 pm: ok, makes sense
[anotha knicks fan] 2:18 pm: so then what would contribute to the wheel "wobbling" as it does, and the "clicking"
sound?
[natedawg9640] 2:18 pm: the wheel itslef wobbles?
[anotha knicks fan] 2:18 pm: yep, only the driver front side
[natedawg9640] 2:18 pm: do you have alloy wheels or hubcaps?
[anotha knicks fan] 2:19 pm: stock
[natedawg9640] 2:19 pm: yeah... but some came with hubcaps and some with actual rims
[anotha knicks fan] 2:19 pm: I guess it would be alloy? nothing special. only cap is the one that covers the lug nuts
[natedawg9640] 2:19 pm: do you have a gx?
[anotha knicks fan] 2:20 pm: whats that?
[natedawg9640] 2:20 pm: oh ok... gl then
[natedawg9640] 2:20 pm: or gls
[natedawg9640] 2:20 pm: the model
[anotha knicks fan] 2:20 pm: hold on, lol, i think its gl
[natedawg9640] 2:20 pm: the gx's hav a 4 cylinder stick shift
[anotha knicks fan] 2:20 pm: its a v6, yes its a gl
[natedawg9640] 2:20 pm: gl's have either 4 or 6 cylinders... autos
[natedawg9640] 2:20 pm: k... if there any scuffs on the rim?
[natedawg9640] 2:21 pm: casue if the whold rim is wobbling that's not good...
[natedawg9640] 2:21 pm: whole
[natedawg9640] 2:21 pm: means it could be bent
[natedawg9640] 2:21 pm: or possibly a bent axle
[anotha knicks fan] 2:21 pm: its not the rim itself, no scuff marks, axle looks good
[natedawg9640] 2:22 pm: hmm... do you know how to start a post on this site?
[anotha knicks fan] 2:22 pm: I could give it a whirl... shouldnt be too hard
[natedawg9640] 2:22 pm: hold up
[anotha knicks fan] 2:22 pm: k
[natedawg9640] 2:23 pm: http://invision.aleromod.com/index.php?act=SF&s=&f=11
[natedawg9640] 2:23 pm: there... click start new
[natedawg9640] 2:23 pm: and explain that the wheel is wobbling
[natedawg9640] 2:23 pm: and ask peoples opinions
[anotha knicks fan] 2:23 pm: k
[natedawg9640] 2:24 pm: there are peoploe more knowlegable than me that might be of more help
[natedawg9640] 2:24 pm: lol... mabye they can type better too
[anotha knicks fan] 2:24 pm: hahaha... ok thanks
[natedawg9640] 2:27 pm: umm
[anotha knicks fan] 2:27 pm: typing away...
[natedawg9640] 2:27 pm: are the tires balanced?
[natedawg9640] 2:27 pm: and who put the wheels on last?
[anotha knicks fan] 2:28 pm: no, got the tires apr of last year from costco, so not since then
[natedawg9640] 2:28 pm: and how did you notice that the wheel wobbles?
[natedawg9640] 2:28 pm: when did it start wobbling?
[anotha knicks fan] 2:29 pm: you could feel it while driving, and when on the lift, it confirmed it. For a while now, just
more noticeably now. The noise has been on and off, and I personally could not distinguish where the noise came
from till now. (its louder and constant)
[natedawg9640] 2:29 pm: is it a howl or a grind?
[anotha knicks fan] 2:30 pm: grind
[natedawg9640] 2:30 pm: and are you sure that the lugnuts are tight and the wheel is properly seated?
[natedawg9640] 2:30 pm: yeah that sounds like bearings... how are the brakes?
[natedawg9640] 2:32 pm: if nothing is bent then the only thing that can really make it wobble like that is
either extreme unbalance of the tire... a separated tire... mabye low tire pressure... loos lugnuts... and the
rim isn't on all the way
[anotha knicks fan] 2:32 pm: yes, but no doubt I will recheck it. We replaced the rotor and pads in april, then we
replaced the passenger side a couple of months ago
[natedawg9640] 2:33 pm: just make sure that the rotors are seatead and that when you put the rim on that it
seats evenly against the rotors
[anotha knicks fan] 2:33 pm: the car hasnt been aligned since 2004, should we redo that too?
[natedawg9640] 2:34 pm: unless it pulls bad one way or the other its not neccessary
[anotha knicks fan] 2:34 pm: it is starting to pull a little bit, but not grossly
[natedawg9640] 2:34 pm: make sure the tires are all the same pressure first
[anotha knicks fan] 2:34 pm: ok
[natedawg9640] 2:34 pm: sometimes that makes a big difference
[anotha knicks fan] 2:35 pm: makes sense. I did that last a couple of months ago as well, perhaps I should check it
too.
[anotha knicks fan] 2:39 pm: Im gonna post this chat on the thread, you mind?
[natedawg9640] 2:40 pm: go for it
[anotha knicks fan] 2:40 pm: thanks man
Here is the excerpt of our chat...
pretty long though... so please scan for your sanity.
elcome! You have entered [Chat Lounge] at 1:36 pm
[anotha knicks fan] 1:36 pm: sup bro
[natedawg9640] 1:36 pm: hey
[natedawg9640] 1:37 pm: wow... first person i ever saw in here
[anotha knicks fan] 1:37 pm: gotta question, you know if the chiltons is out for 2003 aleros?
[anotha knicks fan] 1:37 pm: yeah im new to the site, and I saw this function
[natedawg9640] 1:37 pm: lol... what the hell's that?
[anotha knicks fan] 1:37 pm: figured i give it a try
[natedawg9640] 1:37 pm: welcome aboard
[anotha knicks fan] 1:38 pm: its the manual that does step by step rebuilding enginges
[natedawg9640] 1:38 pm: ohhh... no idea... why? rebuilding?
[anotha knicks fan] 1:38 pm: no im trying to replace the struts and the hub bearings
[anotha knicks fan] 1:39 pm: dont know exactly how
[natedawg9640] 1:39 pm: aren't there two different manuals that offer that info?
[natedawg9640] 1:39 pm: the bearings should be easy
[natedawg9640] 1:39 pm: 3 bolt/studs
[anotha knicks fan] 1:39 pm: nah, i had the manual for an old jeep i had, and it showed even the basic things
[natedawg9640] 1:39 pm: off with the wheel, the rotors and then 3 bolts on the back side of the hub
[anotha knicks fan] 1:40 pm: they are no machine pressed?
[anotha knicks fan] 1:40 pm: *not
[natedawg9640] 1:40 pm: not to my knowledge
[anotha knicks fan] 1:41 pm: ok, sounds easy enough, you know more or less how much each goes for?
[natedawg9640] 1:41 pm: it should be the same setup as the cavis... they might be stuck on a bit but i don't
think it's neccesary to have a hub puller
[natedawg9640] 1:41 pm: a hub?
[natedawg9640] 1:41 pm: bout 120
[natedawg9640] 1:41 pm: mabye a tiny bit less
[anotha knicks fan] 1:41 pm: cavi?
[natedawg9640] 1:42 pm: cavilier
[natedawg9640] 1:42 pm: err... cavalier
[natedawg9640] 1:42 pm: whatever
[anotha knicks fan] 1:42 pm: thanks
[anotha knicks fan] 1:42 pm: how bout the struts?
[natedawg9640] 1:42 pm: why you replacing em?
[anotha knicks fan] 1:43 pm: because they are bad, which in turn has meesed up the bearings
[natedawg9640] 1:45 pm: hold on
[anotha knicks fan] 1:45 pm: are they involved? and what all should I get to replace them? Ive gone online for pricing,
and there's three separate parts... ok
[natedawg9640] 1:47 pm: k... back
[natedawg9640] 1:47 pm: umm... what are your bearings doing?
[natedawg9640] 1:48 pm: are you sure you need struts?
[anotha knicks fan] 1:48 pm: k, the front driver side tire makes noise while driving
[natedawg9640] 1:48 pm: what kind of noise?
[anotha knicks fan] 1:48 pm: we tok it on a lift and revved it up and saw it, and it doesnt turn properly
[anotha knicks fan] 1:49 pm: its like a clicking noise?
[anotha knicks fan] 1:49 pm: and it wobbles I guess is the right description
[natedawg9640] 1:49 pm: hmm...
[natedawg9640] 1:49 pm: i had a clicking problem and it was tyerod ends
[natedawg9640] 1:49 pm: but anyway... how do you know your struts are bad?
[anotha knicks fan] 1:50 pm: Im in the military, and we have an onpost mechanic who is reliable (the shop is onpost)
and he took a look at it. took it for a test drive and looked at it on the lift
[natedawg9640] 1:50 pm: oh... how many miles on it?
[anotha knicks fan] 1:51 pm: its a do it yourself type of place, and he gives help, or he can do the job for a
"nominal" fee
[anotha knicks fan] 1:51 pm: about 74,000
[anotha knicks fan] 1:52 pm: I have a towing package on it as well, (cross country driving) and it hasnt driven the
same as when we first got it.
[anotha knicks fan] 1:52 pm: dont usually tow stuff, but had to in order to move
[natedawg9640] 1:52 pm: hmm... well an easy way to tell if your shack really are bad is go try to bounce the
corners of the car... if it quickly comes to a seat after you bouncing it... they are fine... if it sits there and
going boing boing... then it's all sping and the shock is dead
[natedawg9640] 1:53 pm: what's included in the towing package?
[natedawg9640] 1:53 pm: just a hitch or did they modify other stuff too?
[anotha knicks fan] 1:53 pm: just the frame connected to the chassis, and the end coming out the rear of the vehicle.
(not much of a package)
[natedawg9640] 1:54 pm: i have never done the struts on the alero... but i did do them on a gsx eclipse to
put coilovers in it... and they were relatively easy...
[anotha knicks fan] 1:54 pm: the car doesnt spring, however it never did much when we had bought it
[natedawg9640] 1:55 pm: on a guess i would doubt that it needs struts... i could be wrong but it's not very
common... bearings i wouldn't doubt at all... mine needs em right now... does your traction control and
abs still work?
[anotha knicks fan] 1:55 pm: the thing that confuses me is all the parts that could be bought... what should I get in
order to replace them?
[anotha knicks fan] 1:56 pm: abs? traction control? how do I check?
[natedawg9640] 1:56 pm: and struts dont really have an affect on the bearing as far as my knowlege
[natedawg9640] 1:56 pm: well if it's not working you would have warning lights on in your dash
[anotha knicks fan] 1:56 pm: then they are all good
[natedawg9640] 1:57 pm: kinda like your change oil light... see... a common prob with aleros is that the ABS
sensors will die... and then the hub needs to be changed casue it's all one piece... and if the bearings are
shot... the sensors usually are too... but not all the time
[anotha knicks fan] 1:57 pm: you dont think if the struts are completely bad it could affect the hub bearings?
[anotha knicks fan] 1:57 pm: where and how do I check if the sensors are bad?
[anotha knicks fan] 1:58 pm: Im not a fan of these aleros btw... it was easier with my old jeep cherokee Â;-)Â;-)Â;-)Â;-)
[anotha knicks fan] 1:58 pm: I really appreciate all the info you are giving me, btw... it really helps
[natedawg9640] 1:58 pm: if the struts were completely bad then your car would bounce like hell every time
you hit a bump... casue the strut does nothing more than to dampen shock and keep it from going boing
boing boing... if you have no shock... it's just riding on springs...
[natedawg9640] 1:59 pm: if you have no warning lights by your speedometer than don't worry about your
abs... it is fine... if you really wanna see if its working go down a gravel road and lock up the front
wheels... you'll hear it work
[anotha knicks fan] 2:00 pm: then could it be the springs that need to be replaced? hold on let me bounce the car to
see how much give it has, and look at the springs
[natedawg9640] 2:01 pm: nah... the only time they need replacing is if they break... and you would know
without a doubt if that happened
[natedawg9640] 2:04 pm: have you ever seen a little civic or something like that roll up to a stoplight and it
kinda goes boing boing boing for a second when it's stopped... looks really bouncy.... that's because it's
lowered and most likely didn't upgrade the struts... that boingy-ness is what it looks like when the struts
are bad on the aleros... when you hit a bump the car seems to jump more than usual and it doesn't level
itself out as fast... ... if you push down on a corner a couple times it should come back up
[natedawg9640] 2:04 pm: and then settle and stop... it shouldn't keep bouncing without you pushing on it.
[anotha knicks fan] 2:05 pm: ok, back... the sides dont have any give...
[natedawg9640] 2:05 pm: if it does then the struts are in poor shape.
[anotha knicks fan] 2:05 pm: no theres no bounciness at all, not even over speed bumps, you could feel it throughout
the car
[anotha knicks fan] 2:05 pm: just like a hard thud, you know?
[natedawg9640] 2:06 pm: at what speed?... like... if you SLOWLY roll over a speed bump... does the car just
go up... then down... then stay smooth?
[anotha knicks fan] 2:07 pm: slow or fast... no bounciness, feels like there's no suspension
[natedawg9640] 2:08 pm: have you had a chance to compare it with a different alero?
[anotha knicks fan] 2:08 pm: no, I wish
[natedawg9640] 2:09 pm: hmm
[natedawg9640] 2:10 pm: i'm sure it has a suspension... lol
[natedawg9640] 2:10 pm: i don't know why it would be so rough though
[anotha knicks fan] 2:11 pm: lol, yeah, the car is not being dragged, but it doesnt have any give... its as if the struts
are shot, and there's no springs
[anotha knicks fan] 2:11 pm: doesnt make sense
[natedawg9640] 2:13 pm: you mean it actually feels like there's not a suspension?
[natedawg9640] 2:13 pm: it's that rough
[natedawg9640] 2:13 pm: like if you sat on the hood... it wouldn't go down?
[natedawg9640] 2:13 pm: or stood on the bumper it wouldn't drop any
[anotha knicks fan] 2:14 pm: yup, no bounciness, feels as if the body of the car is riding on the axles of the car... Ill
try standing on the bumper if youll hold on...
[natedawg9640] 2:14 pm: lol... aright
[anotha knicks fan] 2:14 pm: k, brb thanks
[natedawg9640] 2:16 pm: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2...257554&q=struts (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-212337799511257554&q=struts)
[anotha knicks fan] 2:16 pm: k back, the rear gives, and it makes a "whooshing" sound on the way back up, the front
only gives minimally on both sides
[natedawg9640] 2:17 pm: that is an example of a bad strut... but that would leave your car going up and
down and up and down quickly after each bump
[natedawg9640] 2:17 pm: that's becasue the front has bigger shocks to carry the wieght of the engine
[anotha knicks fan] 2:17 pm: ok, makes sense
[anotha knicks fan] 2:18 pm: so then what would contribute to the wheel "wobbling" as it does, and the "clicking"
sound?
[natedawg9640] 2:18 pm: the wheel itslef wobbles?
[anotha knicks fan] 2:18 pm: yep, only the driver front side
[natedawg9640] 2:18 pm: do you have alloy wheels or hubcaps?
[anotha knicks fan] 2:19 pm: stock
[natedawg9640] 2:19 pm: yeah... but some came with hubcaps and some with actual rims
[anotha knicks fan] 2:19 pm: I guess it would be alloy? nothing special. only cap is the one that covers the lug nuts
[natedawg9640] 2:19 pm: do you have a gx?
[anotha knicks fan] 2:20 pm: whats that?
[natedawg9640] 2:20 pm: oh ok... gl then
[natedawg9640] 2:20 pm: or gls
[natedawg9640] 2:20 pm: the model
[anotha knicks fan] 2:20 pm: hold on, lol, i think its gl
[natedawg9640] 2:20 pm: the gx's hav a 4 cylinder stick shift
[anotha knicks fan] 2:20 pm: its a v6, yes its a gl
[natedawg9640] 2:20 pm: gl's have either 4 or 6 cylinders... autos
[natedawg9640] 2:20 pm: k... if there any scuffs on the rim?
[natedawg9640] 2:21 pm: casue if the whold rim is wobbling that's not good...
[natedawg9640] 2:21 pm: whole
[natedawg9640] 2:21 pm: means it could be bent
[natedawg9640] 2:21 pm: or possibly a bent axle
[anotha knicks fan] 2:21 pm: its not the rim itself, no scuff marks, axle looks good
[natedawg9640] 2:22 pm: hmm... do you know how to start a post on this site?
[anotha knicks fan] 2:22 pm: I could give it a whirl... shouldnt be too hard
[natedawg9640] 2:22 pm: hold up
[anotha knicks fan] 2:22 pm: k
[natedawg9640] 2:23 pm: http://invision.aleromod.com/index.php?act=SF&s=&f=11
[natedawg9640] 2:23 pm: there... click start new
[natedawg9640] 2:23 pm: and explain that the wheel is wobbling
[natedawg9640] 2:23 pm: and ask peoples opinions
[anotha knicks fan] 2:23 pm: k
[natedawg9640] 2:24 pm: there are peoploe more knowlegable than me that might be of more help
[natedawg9640] 2:24 pm: lol... mabye they can type better too
[anotha knicks fan] 2:24 pm: hahaha... ok thanks
[natedawg9640] 2:27 pm: umm
[anotha knicks fan] 2:27 pm: typing away...
[natedawg9640] 2:27 pm: are the tires balanced?
[natedawg9640] 2:27 pm: and who put the wheels on last?
[anotha knicks fan] 2:28 pm: no, got the tires apr of last year from costco, so not since then
[natedawg9640] 2:28 pm: and how did you notice that the wheel wobbles?
[natedawg9640] 2:28 pm: when did it start wobbling?
[anotha knicks fan] 2:29 pm: you could feel it while driving, and when on the lift, it confirmed it. For a while now, just
more noticeably now. The noise has been on and off, and I personally could not distinguish where the noise came
from till now. (its louder and constant)
[natedawg9640] 2:29 pm: is it a howl or a grind?
[anotha knicks fan] 2:30 pm: grind
[natedawg9640] 2:30 pm: and are you sure that the lugnuts are tight and the wheel is properly seated?
[natedawg9640] 2:30 pm: yeah that sounds like bearings... how are the brakes?
[natedawg9640] 2:32 pm: if nothing is bent then the only thing that can really make it wobble like that is
either extreme unbalance of the tire... a separated tire... mabye low tire pressure... loos lugnuts... and the
rim isn't on all the way
[anotha knicks fan] 2:32 pm: yes, but no doubt I will recheck it. We replaced the rotor and pads in april, then we
replaced the passenger side a couple of months ago
[natedawg9640] 2:33 pm: just make sure that the rotors are seatead and that when you put the rim on that it
seats evenly against the rotors
[anotha knicks fan] 2:33 pm: the car hasnt been aligned since 2004, should we redo that too?
[natedawg9640] 2:34 pm: unless it pulls bad one way or the other its not neccessary
[anotha knicks fan] 2:34 pm: it is starting to pull a little bit, but not grossly
[natedawg9640] 2:34 pm: make sure the tires are all the same pressure first
[anotha knicks fan] 2:34 pm: ok
[natedawg9640] 2:34 pm: sometimes that makes a big difference
[anotha knicks fan] 2:35 pm: makes sense. I did that last a couple of months ago as well, perhaps I should check it
too.
[anotha knicks fan] 2:39 pm: Im gonna post this chat on the thread, you mind?
[natedawg9640] 2:40 pm: go for it
[anotha knicks fan] 2:40 pm: thanks man