Vibration that comes and goes???
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 870
Likes: 7
From: Andreas Pennsylvania
Vibration that comes and goes???
I finally put some miles on my Corvette last year. It was out of commission for almost 3 years (a story for another time). It is running well and everything seems to be working well except for a vibration that comes and goes. I didn't notice anything at first, but when I went on a long cruise I noticed a vibration that would happen. The car vibrates for 1/2 second to a second then drives smooth for 1/2 second to a second, and continues like that. I checked the wheels and tires and am not seeing anything there. I was thinking the wheels weren't tight to the hub, but they are very tight. I am not sure where to look. I have never had a vibration like this. I was thinking maybe the couplers on the torque tube? It happens with the clutch in or out, and you feel it more at speed than when moving slower. Give me some ideas where to look guys. Thanks.
Drifting
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 1,895
Likes: 84
From: Darien IL
Check your wheel balance. Slightly different tire diameters will cause the anti-sway bar to absorb the imbalance when the forces are 180 degrees apart. When the forces line up the anti-sway bar is taken out of the equation and the vibration is maximumized. The effect is a vibration that comes and goes in a straight line. Turns will change the frequency of vibrating or not.
Racer
Joined: Aug 2016
Posts: 310
Likes: 25
From: Edmonton AB
Pete W, that is such a hard question to answer.
Any vehicle that I have owned that has a vibration problem, the first thing I do is get the tires road force balanced. It has worked 3 out of 4 times to fix the problem.
I got it done on my 1996 Z-28 as it has a slight vibration at highway speed and it didn't help and I think it is the steel driveshaft so I am replacing it with an aluminum one.
Got it done on 2 SUV's and a Hyundai Genesis and it stopped the vibration issue on all 3 of them. I do the re-balance first as it is probably the cheapest thing to try if you are going to trouble-shoot yourself. Just make sure they are road force balanced if you decide to go that route.
Any vehicle that I have owned that has a vibration problem, the first thing I do is get the tires road force balanced. It has worked 3 out of 4 times to fix the problem.
I got it done on my 1996 Z-28 as it has a slight vibration at highway speed and it didn't help and I think it is the steel driveshaft so I am replacing it with an aluminum one.
Got it done on 2 SUV's and a Hyundai Genesis and it stopped the vibration issue on all 3 of them. I do the re-balance first as it is probably the cheapest thing to try if you are going to trouble-shoot yourself. Just make sure they are road force balanced if you decide to go that route.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 3,146
Likes: 203
From: Edmonton Alberta, Canada
I had a vibration on my C3 Corvette. After many months of trying to figure it out, it was the water pump bearings piling up (no leaks) My suggestion is don't dismiss engine driven components eg water pump, alternator, air pump, idler pulley. The vibrations can telegraph thru steering and brake pedal. Good luck.
