Hi everyone,
It’s been a while since I’ve had time to work on my '87 El Camino (Elsie) or post in this forum (although I have lurked from time to time.)
I have a situation that baffles me, so I am asking for your thoughts.
Quite some time ago, Elsie developed a shake in the 60 -65 mph range. At first I assumed it to be a front suspension issue and didn’t give it much thought as I was about to change almost everything.
Now that I have completed swapping out the stock front suspension for UMI Upper and lower A-Arms and springs, new ball joints, Bilstein shocks, ProTech steering linkage, and a Lee power steering gear, the shake persists. It feels more like a side-to-side shake than a something bouncing up and down shake.
The only front suspension parts that have not been replaced are the spindles and wheel bearings, which have been checked multiple times by multiple shops. Previously the alignment specs were stock. The new alignment specs are:
-- Caster (Driver Side): +5 degrees
-- Caster (Passenger Side): +5.5 degrees
-- Camber: -1/2 degree
-- Toe-In: 1/16”
I tried swapping out the wheels/tires with another set and found no difference. The tires show no signs of abnormal wear.
I found that engine rpm has no effect on the shake, so I don’t think it would be related to a bad engine or transmission mount. The driveshaft and rear axle are all the same as before the shake started.
So, my question is what can cause a car to shake in a specific MPH range that is not related to the front suspension or engine RPM?
Thank you and I look forward to you insightful and creative ideas.
Tim
It’s been a while since I’ve had time to work on my '87 El Camino (Elsie) or post in this forum (although I have lurked from time to time.)
I have a situation that baffles me, so I am asking for your thoughts.
Quite some time ago, Elsie developed a shake in the 60 -65 mph range. At first I assumed it to be a front suspension issue and didn’t give it much thought as I was about to change almost everything.
Now that I have completed swapping out the stock front suspension for UMI Upper and lower A-Arms and springs, new ball joints, Bilstein shocks, ProTech steering linkage, and a Lee power steering gear, the shake persists. It feels more like a side-to-side shake than a something bouncing up and down shake.
The only front suspension parts that have not been replaced are the spindles and wheel bearings, which have been checked multiple times by multiple shops. Previously the alignment specs were stock. The new alignment specs are:
-- Caster (Driver Side): +5 degrees
-- Caster (Passenger Side): +5.5 degrees
-- Camber: -1/2 degree
-- Toe-In: 1/16”
I tried swapping out the wheels/tires with another set and found no difference. The tires show no signs of abnormal wear.
I found that engine rpm has no effect on the shake, so I don’t think it would be related to a bad engine or transmission mount. The driveshaft and rear axle are all the same as before the shake started.
So, my question is what can cause a car to shake in a specific MPH range that is not related to the front suspension or engine RPM?
Thank you and I look forward to you insightful and creative ideas.
Tim
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