Steering vibration
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my civic has no boost
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From: Toledo, Ohio
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Steering vibration
I know this belongs in vehicle problems forum but this is where more people look so i'm sure it'll get moved. anyways, when i go over 60 my steering wheel as been vibrating very bad. The CAR does NOT vibrate, just the steering wheel and column. The steering also kinda tightens up...Stiffins if u will. Is it a balancing issue or what i'm not sure.
Joined: Dec 2001
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From: Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US
Rep Power: 400 
1 of 2 things is going on here.
A. you lost a balance, and will need to get your front wheels balanced again (doesn't cost much)
B. and this is what more LIKELY is going on. you have ice and snow built up on your rims and tires that's causing the vibration.
Same thing happened to me today (i notice you are in ohio where you guys probably got as much snow as we did). i pulled off at the next exit, took my scraper and my hand, and cleared all the snow and ice off my wheel wells, and on the inside of my rims. worked like a charm, and no more vibration.
A. you lost a balance, and will need to get your front wheels balanced again (doesn't cost much)
B. and this is what more LIKELY is going on. you have ice and snow built up on your rims and tires that's causing the vibration.
Same thing happened to me today (i notice you are in ohio where you guys probably got as much snow as we did). i pulled off at the next exit, took my scraper and my hand, and cleared all the snow and ice off my wheel wells, and on the inside of my rims. worked like a charm, and no more vibration.
Thread Starter
my civic has no boost
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 1,424
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From: Toledo, Ohio
Rep Power: 0 yeah possibly the snow ...but it has done it with no snow on the gorund at all....today it just was horrible, before it would vibrate.........go away completley.......then come back......then go away like a cycle. TODAY it vibrated the entire time going over 60
Joined: Aug 2001
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From: Gaithersburg, MD
Rep Power: 413 The tires aren't balanced on the rim anymore. Maybe a weight fell off. Go get them rebalanced with a good machine. Not at firestone, bridgestone, etc, but a good place that puts the exact weight on there.
Joined: Dec 2001
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From: Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US
Rep Power: 400 gah you guys need to listen to me. it's either a weight fell off (they balance the tires) or you have snow/ice built up on the rims.
it is LEAST likely to be your alignement, though it's possible. but again, 95% of the time since you didn't hit anything, it's going to be that a weight fell off or it's snow/ice buildup on your rims.
it is LEAST likely to be your alignement, though it's possible. but again, 95% of the time since you didn't hit anything, it's going to be that a weight fell off or it's snow/ice buildup on your rims.
Thread Starter
my civic has no boost
Joined: Dec 2004
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From: Toledo, Ohio
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Originally Posted by 01civicexboy
Same thing happens to my car. My steering column vibrates up to about 65 and then it stops. My tired are alligned perfectly so I dont know whats going on.
Registered!!
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From: New York
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I was gonna brought up this topic but since few peoples here mentioned about snow or ice can cause that problem, I guess that's the problem with mine. It snowed hard yesterday out here in NYC & today, when I drove my car, the whole car was vibrating like crazy, it was just so extreme, felt like sitting on a massage chair or something while I was going about 50-60mph but after driving about 10 miles, the vibration was less. This time the steering wheel is just starting to vibrate whenever I go 60mph or above. The faster you go, the worse it gets.
I'm gonna go get a car wash maybe later today & clean up all the ice/snow around my inner fender & rims. Let see if it solve the problem. I'll let you guys know.
I'm gonna go get a car wash maybe later today & clean up all the ice/snow around my inner fender & rims. Let see if it solve the problem. I'll let you guys know.
Thread Starter
my civic has no boost
Joined: Dec 2004
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From: Toledo, Ohio
Rep Power: 0 well i got my vibration fixed. turns out the balance weights on both my front tires were completley gone so they put them on. however, my tight turning seems to be due to somethin going wrong in the control are/pinion area. so i'm gonna get that checked out, alone with my transmission slip which i hope gets fixed under warranty. i dont know why they wouldnt.
"mmmBAHHHH" - vtec y0
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From: northern ky
Rep Power: 336 yeah that happened 2 me the day b4 x mas eve i was on the highway goin like 50 and the whole damn car was shaking i got off at the next exit and kicked as much snow and ice away as i could...most of the vibrating went away
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From: Tri-State New York
Rep Power: 0 I am experiencing the same in North NJ. On the hwy at speeds above 65 mph the steering wheel starts to shake. the car stays true to a straight line but the vibration is a bit concerning.
The other night i was pulling a u-turn in the snow and the car slid very lightly into the curb. very small curb rash on my 04 ex front right wheel. Could this bump mess up my alignment?
Some of my freinds agree with the consensus here that it could be the snow/ice built up in the back side of the wheel in this figid crappy blizzard here in the north east. Not sure what to do. I guess i wil lget a thorough car wash wit underbody wash. then drive to work tomorrow. if it still does that i will have to go in to honda, since i am due for my oil change anyway.
The other night i was pulling a u-turn in the snow and the car slid very lightly into the curb. very small curb rash on my 04 ex front right wheel. Could this bump mess up my alignment?
Some of my freinds agree with the consensus here that it could be the snow/ice built up in the back side of the wheel in this figid crappy blizzard here in the north east. Not sure what to do. I guess i wil lget a thorough car wash wit underbody wash. then drive to work tomorrow. if it still does that i will have to go in to honda, since i am due for my oil change anyway.
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Rep Power: 0 My steering wheel has a slight vibration that starts at about 50mph and does it eratically. I had the wheels spinned and balanced, aligned, and everything else checked. Tried 2 different sets of wheels and the mechanic cannot find any problems. What else could it be or can be done? 
I too have a vibration on my '01 EX. Stock suspension, just had new front tires installed and balanced - made no difference in terms of vibration. I'm in L.A., so I can say with confidence that it is not a snow and ice problem. This just goes on the long list of other problems that makes me wonder why I decided to buy the one model year of Civic in the last 20 years that seems to have the quality control of a Cavalier.
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From: Rockville, Maryland
Rep Power: 0 same goes for mine too.. i've just had them balanced and mounted and i get the vibration thing.. ive heard that its because of the how low profile tires they are because with my stock tires i had no vibration except in snow but with my 205/40 17 ..well.. yeah it explains itself O__O just think of it as a massage
The ONLY thing I can think of is the fact that the car has cheap aftermarket wheels that were on it when I bought it, but tires are Dunlop SP Sport A2s in 195/60R15, so they shouldn't be the problem. I am considering looking for a stock Honda wheel to swap the tires to in order to see if it might be the current wheels, though the car did not do this when I bought it, so I have a hard time beliving that they are the problem.
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 51,241
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From: NV
Rep Power: 812 My wheel just started vibrating over 65mph after my accident when someone rear ended me hard. Do you think it's a balance issue or alignment. I had just gotten the alignment a few days before the accident.
Loose tie rod? Interesting.
I was rear ended a few months ago as well, but the car was doing it before the accident, although I think it has gotten worse since. The car was repaired at a Honda dealer and was realigned after the repair. Before the accident, the alignment was slightly off (left pull), but since the repair, despite the vibration, the car runs straight as an arrow down the highway. I have been needing to get the car back to the shop for a follow-up visit, need to do it before they tell me to take a hike because it has been too long.
I was rear ended a few months ago as well, but the car was doing it before the accident, although I think it has gotten worse since. The car was repaired at a Honda dealer and was realigned after the repair. Before the accident, the alignment was slightly off (left pull), but since the repair, despite the vibration, the car runs straight as an arrow down the highway. I have been needing to get the car back to the shop for a follow-up visit, need to do it before they tell me to take a hike because it has been too long.
Loose or worn tie rod can cause a vibration.
Wheel Balance is the most common cause of higher speed vibe.
Problems with the front CV axles can cause a lower speed vibe.
We get a lot of people requesting an alignment with a vibration problem. It is a common misconception. It is generally always traced back to a tire/wheel issue, but there can be other reasons.
Wheel Balance is the most common cause of higher speed vibe.
Problems with the front CV axles can cause a lower speed vibe.
We get a lot of people requesting an alignment with a vibration problem. It is a common misconception. It is generally always traced back to a tire/wheel issue, but there can be other reasons.
Right - that was my first guess when the vibration started - wheel out of balance. However, when I took the car in for a rebalance, front tires were pretty well worn so I went ahead and replaced them. After replacement and rebalance of the front tires, the vibration is still present and still happens in the exact same speed range. The other strange thing is that on occasion it will almost completely disappear for a moment, then return as if nothing had happened. I'll be taking a look at the tie rods this weekend. I suppose I am just looking for play in the endlinks?
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 51,241
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From: NV
Rep Power: 812 I had honda examine my entire suspension. All fine, so I got a balance. Two wheels were off balance, but this didn't fix the problem. So now I'm getting an alignment check. Only other thing is my broken sway bar end link, but I don't know if that matters.
