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shimmy problem need advice

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Old May 14, 2005 | 05:14 AM
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Default shimmy problem need advice

brought car to dealer from.. 1st to 2nd at standstill while letting out the clutch the car would shimmy a few times then take off they told me it was a warped clutch rotor "i think" while in the shop i had them put on chrome rims however after they did the rims they noticed they got the wrong part to fix the clutch so i took car back until part came in. Never noticed any problems. brought it back the next week and they did the clutch. 1st they didn't put the center consul back in correctly and there is lots of rattling behind it and it doesn't fit correctly "they'll solve that" . but the REAL issue is that at speeds above 60 I feel a shimmy in the steering wheel and at 80 I was looking through the rear view mirror and the shaking was huge. Although I didn't notice anything when they put the rims on a week earlier I may have not gone fast enough. pls. help with any advice and suggestions re: the shimmying thanks..
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Old May 14, 2005 | 06:31 AM
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It sounds like the wheels were not balanced properly. A good balancing machine like a Hunter can also tell you if the wheels are "true".

My car just went in for clutch work also. The car would shake as you let the clutch out in first gear. They believe the factory put the wrong fluid in the hydraulic system as it appears crystalized. They are going to flush the system and replace the fluid. If that doesn"t work, the clutch will be replaced. While they have it in the shop, they are checking for parasitic draw on the battery as my car keeps going dead.

And the beat goes on. 52 grand and I can't drive the car. Very frustrating! Good luck with yours.
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Old May 14, 2005 | 04:29 PM
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Originally Posted by SteveFL
brought car to dealer from.. 1st to 2nd at standstill while letting out the clutch the car would shimmy a few times then take off they told me it was a warped clutch rotor "i think" while in the shop i had them put on chrome rims however after they did the rims they noticed they got the wrong part to fix the clutch so i took car back until part came in. Never noticed any problems. brought it back the next week and they did the clutch. 1st they didn't put the center consul back in correctly and there is lots of rattling behind it and it doesn't fit correctly "they'll solve that" . but the REAL issue is that at speeds above 60 I feel a shimmy in the steering wheel and at 80 I was looking through the rear view mirror and the shaking was huge. Although I didn't notice anything when they put the rims on a week earlier I may have not gone fast enough. pls. help with any advice and suggestions re: the shimmying thanks..
Are these aftermarket rims? If so, and this may sound stupid...but I've seen it from dealers twice, they probably did not remove the aluminum shipping rings from around a couple of the studs. Pull off a wheel and see if there are two small thin metal rings around 2 of your studs...the factory wheels have an inset for them, but aftermarket wheels usually do not...result, uneven spacing and wheel shimmy at speed.

If they are there, just get some needle-nosed pliers and get them off. Do that before the balancing act, or check both at the same time. Again, only if they are aftermarket wheels.
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Old May 15, 2005 | 04:44 AM
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yes they are after market, and I will take a look thanks, can the actual rim be, ( how do I say) unbalanceable. I believe I have herd it called....not TRUE?
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Old May 15, 2005 | 09:43 AM
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Originally Posted by SteveFL
yes they are after market, and I will take a look thanks, can the actual rim be, ( how do I say) unbalanceable. I believe I have herd it called....not TRUE?

SteveFL,

I had a bad shimmy on my C6 OEM rims and it was cused by improper bal. The casue of the improper bal was due to how the weights were applied. The original weights on my C6 were affixed in-line (width of wheel...left to right) and after the weights were removed and placed on radially all was ok... no shimmy. What direction are your weights attached? Maybe this is worth looking into.
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Old May 15, 2005 | 10:52 AM
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Originally Posted by SteveFL
yes they are after market, and I will take a look thanks, can the actual rim be, ( how do I say) unbalanceable. I believe I have herd it called....not TRUE?
Every wheel can be balanced, unless it has an inherent defect in it's manufacture which balancing can't cure. Some places use single weight placement and others multiple, depending on their equipment, but almost all are placing the weights radially (as noted in the next post), meaning the weight width runs with the roll of the wheel, and not with the width... -- vs. | (not trying to be an *** like you don't understand, just illustrating).

If removing the shims and re-balancing don't cure the problem, then it's likely something you can't cure. I'm assuming not, but are these universal wheels that have multiple bolt patterns? If so, the milling on the lug insets could be off as well, not allowing proper seating to the hub with the lug nuts.

Make sure your lugs are all torqued properly as well...Johnny Air Ratchet may not have your best interests at heart!

Good luck.
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Old May 15, 2005 | 02:14 PM
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Originally Posted by SteveFL
yes they are after market, and I will take a look thanks, can the actual rim be, ( how do I say) unbalanceable. I believe I have herd it called....not TRUE?
Sure. The rim can be out of round, or more commonly the hub hole can be machined eccentric to the center. It is also possible for the wheel to be warped. None of these things are likely with a wheel from a name manufacturer, but any of them are possible.

It is simple to check for any of these conditions. Just jack up the offending corner of the car until the tire clears the ground. Set up a pointer so it just lines up with the bottom edge of the rim. Now turn the wheel by hand noting if the gap between the pointer and the rim changes. It shouldn't. If it does, your wheel is out of true.
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Old May 15, 2005 | 03:22 PM
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If you didn't notice the vibration after the rim installation and think it began when the clutch was changed, try this: Put the trans in neutral, release the clutch, and slowly bring up the RPM's to 3000 or 4000 RPM. If there is serious vibration at any point it would indicate a problem with the clutch installation; if not, its the wheels/tires.
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