Desperate! Very odd problem.....

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90crx_si

Junior Member
Ok....I hope someone here can help me. I have a 1990 Honda CRX Si. I will try to describe it to the best of my ability. :huh:

There seems to be a shaking/vibration problem....here are the facts...

*Doesnt shake at low rpm
*Shakes mildly at mid rpm
*Shakes almost violently at high rpm :eek:
*Seems to do it more at slower speeds (under 50mph and less shaking above 50 mph)
*Shaking FEELS LIKE a severely bent rim
*Steering wheel does not shake (just vibrations from the front of the car shaking)
*Only shakes when accelerating
*Lug nuts are not loose :blink:
*Motor mounts are old, but not torn
*No clicking in the axles

If it were a bent axle or a bent rim, it would shake no matter the speed or acceleration, right? CV joints maybe?

The problem used to be very mild, then when my car got lowered (springs) it became 100 times worse.

Any ideas gentlemen (and/or ladies)?? :worthy: HELP!
 
I think your tire is statically unbalanced...........

meaning, a tire is round right ? Well hit the brake at a high speed without ABS, your tires will lock up, and you're circular tire then becomes (not circular) a flat spot in your tire, if you know what I mean....... Stuff like that acts up in the weirdest senarios........

You may not be able to visually notice, but, if you can change your tire...
 
does it shake when your just crusing like 5th gear? I dont think a flat spot on a tire can do that much--to shake violently. My friend parked his F250 illegaly and he left it in 4x4 hubs locked e-brake on in 1st gear. the thing has 38 inch swamper tires on it and they towed that thing for like a mile, dragging the tires. the flat spots were pretty bad, but it didnt drive too bad. it was pretty funny cause the night before said he would pay 400 dollars to anyone who could tow the thing. then we're standing on a street and we see they drag the thing down the street. the kid was just like holy shit
 
so would I...this kid got his truck back after paying 280 dollars(which is a 97 F250 Diesel with a 8 inch lift) and sat infront of the tow truck and power braked it it a rock parking lot. the rocks were flying everywhich way. luckily the citys tow truck was parked for the night and no one saw it(needless to say the towtruck had about 1000 dings in it and a pretty much useless windshield.)
 
Back on topic...

Check your alignment and wheel balance, then check to see if your rotors are warped- yes, that's a possibility too with your symptoms, even though it only happens on acceleration. One of the major things I would check are your axles and your ball joints and tie rod ends- the joints could be worn out, and your axles may be out of balance. Axles don't always click when it's time to replace them.
 
First, I would like to thank you for the responses. I tried getting some help on another site (which will remain nameless) and in one day I got more help here than I did over there in a week. :)

It doesn't shake at all when just cruising in any gear. It is only upon acceleration.

Ok, so I will check:

Tires - I'll try putting my spare on...first on the right, then on the left
Alignment - Which part of the alignment will cause these symptoms? (the car is lowered without camber kits, but this shouldn't cause the shaking right?
Rotors - I will just replace (time for a brake job anyway)
Axles - How do I check this?
Ball Joints - How do I check this?
Tie Rod Ends - How do I check this?
 
The F250 is going to have a solid rear axle no matter what... not that it matters any.

Tires- you can try using a spare, but if it's a compact spare- you could end up with other symptoms too. Try to borrow some tires from a friend that also has a Civic, if that's possible. Get your tires balanced at Discount Tire or wherever you bought them from- usually you can get someone to do it for free if you convince them that you bought your tires at one of their stores.

Alignment won't directly cause a vibration problem... but if you lowered the car without putting in camber kits, and your toe was off- you could start wearing your tires in a really weird way (out of round, feathered, cupped etc) that could cause vibration. Some places will check your alignment for free (NTB), so get it checked out so you're not adding more to the problem. If your alignment is out, you'll have to correct it AND whatever else has been screwed up from your alignment being off.

Brakes- if you have severely warped rotors, you could be rubbing against your pads/calipers even when you're not on the brakes. That's one of the disadvantages of slide style calipers. If you're doing a brake job, replace both the pads and the rotors together, and make sure you bed your pads in properly.

Axles- get your car up on a lift (or get under it after you jack it up on stands), then grab the axle shaft and try to move it up and down (against rotation axis, not along it). If there's any play in it, your joints are probably screwed and you should replace your axle as soon as you can. Check to see if the balancers on the axles are intact. Some axles have them, some don't. They typically look like thick rubber discs that are just sitting in the middle of the axle shaft somewhere. If these are damaged or missing, then you could have an unbalanced axle and have vibration that way.

Ball joints and tie rod ends- there's a specification in your service manual (go buy one if you don't have one) telling you what the allowable limit is for play in your joints. If/when you go to get your alignment checked, you can ask the tech to check your joints for play. Make sure you go to a place you can trust, and watch the tech while he checks for play. You don't want someone telling you that you have to replace your joints when they're not really bad.
 
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