car feel off balance

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car feel off balance

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Camry >> Your Ride >> Suspension, Brakes, Tires & Wheels >> car feel off balance

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car feel off balance - 2/11/2008 1:27:44 PM

erod

Posts: 14
Joined: 2/11/2008
Status: offline

hi there, i have a toyota camry 2002 with 139k miles. the other day i was driving and the road was bumpy. after a few mins of driving in bumpy road, i felt like if i have a flat tire. i stopped and check the tires and it was ok. still i feel like a flat tire. so i went to gas station and put some air in all tire and drive away. i still feel the same coming from the back tire on the driver side. it just feel like the back tire is flat but it isnt.
the car feel unbalance.
any ideas what could be the problem?

Post #: 1

RE: car feel off balance - 2/11/2008 5:34:03 PM

toyomoho

Posts: 1332
Joined: 1/24/2008
Status: offline

Jack up the rear drivers side tire. Check for bending when rotated, watch the tire as it rotate to make sure it is not wobbling, grab the tire at 3 and 9 oclock and shake it to check for play. Make sure the tire alignment is still good and that the tire has not shifted in or out. Remove the tire and check the suspension. If you need to, compare your findings with the wheel on the other side.

Could be a suspension part, rubber bushing, , dragging brake, wheel bearing or a tire going bad.

(in reply to erod)

Post #: 2

RE: car feel off balance - 2/12/2008 10:29:24 AM

erod

Posts: 14
Joined: 2/11/2008
Status: offline

thanks for your suggesstions. how about the ball joint? can this be the problem?

(in reply to toyomoho)

Post #: 3

RE: car feel off balance - 2/12/2008 11:02:23 AM

toyomoho

Posts: 1332
Joined: 1/24/2008
Status: offline

Only the front lower suspension arm has a ball joint. The rear uses a strut rod and suspension arms having bushing type joints.

The issue may be a rear wheel is dragging a little because a suspension part has shifted. The rear bushings can wear out and end up with excessive play, you should be able to see and feel this.

Also view the car at a distance and see if the front and rear tires are lining up.

You can test the ball joint by using a pry bar to check for play.

(in reply to erod)

Post #: 4

RE: car feel off balance - 2/12/2008 11:24:00 AM

erod

Posts: 14
Joined: 2/11/2008
Status: offline

thank you this is very helpful. i will follow your step.

1. i will jacked up the car and rotate tire to make sure if doesn't wobble.
2. i will check for play by grabbing at 3 and 9 oclock and shake up side way, up and down and pull toward me
3. if it doesnt wobble or if there is no play, i will replace tire with the full size spare that i have
4. if the problem persist, then it could be one of the problem you listed

when you say to check for play and i shake the tire up, down, sideway, there shouldnt be any play at all? correct?
i am just assuming that when you shake the tire, it will move a little bit at least which could be normal. so dont know if that is consider play if move a little bit. what do you think?

now, if a suspension part has shifted, will a wheel alignment fix this problem or do i have to replace some parts?

(in reply to toyomoho)

Post #: 5

RE: car feel off balance - 2/13/2008 3:59:53 PM

toyomoho

Posts: 1332
Joined: 1/24/2008
Status: offline

Good question. The bearings can have some very slight play such as 0.002-0.003 inch which is very small. The suspension may have some wear and thus play but it should be nil.

The issue here is flat tire feel. For a symptom this major would suppose the suspension has a problem that is readily apparent by look or feel.

The rear knuckle is supported by a strut rod and two arms all fitted with bushings. Owners have had issues with the strut rod bushing wearing out resulting in a the tire actually shifting in and out of position. This strut rod connects to the side knuckle and the frame. The two arms come out from the back of the knuckle and bolt to the center of the cars frame.

The knuckle is also supported at the top by the shock and spring which bolts to the cars chassis. Must add to be sure to also check the shock and spring setup. It is possible the spring may have broken (this does happen) or there is some damage to the shock or where the shock bolts to the frame.

Where the shock bolts to the frame there is another bushing, as such there may be some play in this area. It is common for this bushing to wear out but typically its starts to make noise before getting too bad.

The lower part of shock bolts to the knuckle and should have a solid connection. Check the shock rod, the rod shinny rod that comes out of the shock absorber body. Make sure it is not damaged as this is what connects the shock (and knuckle) to the upper frame.

Also check the bearing, if bad enough this can cause problems. With tire off grab the bearing hub which has the studs bolts on it. See how much play the hub as you rock it in and out (same as you did with the tire). Normally this is done with a dial indicator as the play is very small but you may be able to determine if the bearing play is too great just by feel.

One other thing is to check for bent or broken parts. You stated you were going over bumps when this happened. Again if you need to know what the suspension should look and feel like go to the opposite side and check it out (assuming it is OK).

The suspension does not normally shift on its own. The cause would be a worn, damaged or broken part. Any parts would need to be fixed before an alignment was done. Having an alignment down would depend on what part was replaced and how. The rods and struts are adjustable, if this adjustment gets off by changing out the part, so will the alignment.

Replacing something like a wheel bearing would not require realignment or (if possible) only a bushing was replaced on a strut or rod and not the complete rod, or something like a sway bar bushing. Unfortunately some parts are sold only as a complete unit and one can not get just the bushing.

(in reply to erod)

Post #: 6