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73-87 Chevy _ GMC Trucks => Wheels & Tires => Topic started by: Chadwick717 on November 19, 2014, 06:01:22 pm

Title: Shake caused by wheels?
Post by: Chadwick717 on November 19, 2014, 06:01:22 pm
Hi guys.  I've been chasing a shake in my truck (more of a shake than a vibration) it comes on around 55 then starts to get a little better above 70. It also comes and goes within that range. Sometimes it will be smooth and then start shaking, but most of the time it shakes in that speed range.

Anyway. I put brand new tires on it and got the wheels balanced. I had two separate shops go over the driveline and suspension.  Everything is tight, the u joints look good.  I have a little bit of backlash going to the rear diff but not terrible.  The wheel bearings are tight and don't make any noise that I can tell.  I get no vibration at all under braking, so I've been assuming the front rotors are good.

Could this shaking be caused by a bent or damaged  wheel, even thought I got them balanced?  Any other ideas?  It's not an uncontrollable shaking, but it is really really annoying.
Title: Re: Shake caused by wheels?
Post by: zieg85 on November 19, 2014, 06:19:17 pm
Put the rear end up on jack stands and see how true everything runs
Title: Re: Shake caused by wheels?
Post by: Dan75k20 on November 19, 2014, 06:40:52 pm
C or k series ?
Title: Re: Shake caused by wheels?
Post by: VileZambonie on November 19, 2014, 07:14:58 pm
Balancing will not take care of a bad wheel. When you had your tires installed it made no difference?

More detail about your truck please. Does it matter what gear range you are in? 3rd, 4th, N?
Title: Re: Shake caused by wheels?
Post by: Chadwick717 on November 19, 2014, 07:57:21 pm
Sorry guys I know better, shoulda provided more info.  It is a 79 k10 with a 350.  It has a th350 and a np203 with the part time kit installed and manual hubs.  It only vibrates in 3rd gear at highway speeds.  The shaking did seem to get slightly better after the new tires were installed, but the tire shop did say that the wheels were pretty beat up and needed a lot of weights on a couple to balance them out. I took it to a local transmission shop that I trust because I thought the backlash at the rear diff was to much, but after driving it and putting it up on the rack the transmission guy was convinced it was a front end problem and not a driveshaft issue. 
Title: Re: Shake caused by wheels?
Post by: pholliday1 on November 19, 2014, 08:21:03 pm
Is it more of a shake or wobble?
Title: Re: Shake caused by wheels?
Post by: Chadwick717 on November 19, 2014, 08:30:03 pm
Hmmmm. I would say more of a shake. The whole hood shakes.
Title: Re: Shake caused by wheels?
Post by: VileZambonie on November 19, 2014, 08:52:47 pm
So it only happens in 3rd gear and if you shift into N goes away? What if you lock the hubs? What if you shift the transfercase into 4X4 or low range?
Title: Re: Shake caused by wheels?
Post by: Chadwick717 on November 19, 2014, 09:34:00 pm
It still shakes with the hubs locked, but with the part time case I'm only driving in hi, not hi loc on the roads, so when I'm in hi loc I'm usually going slow on dirt roads or snow, to slow to feel the vibration.  I'll have to try shifting into N, hadn't thought of that.
Title: Re: Shake caused by wheels?
Post by: ackland3 on November 19, 2014, 10:01:49 pm
Sounds like your wheels after i wrecked a car i had the same issue but the tire shop had no issue on not telling me!
Title: Re: Shake caused by wheels?
Post by: Irish_Alley on November 19, 2014, 11:06:44 pm
does the shaking let off if you let off the gas? also if shifting to "n" shows no improvement you could also remove the rear drive shaft and try it it hi lock, then remove the front and put the rear back in.
Title: Shake caused by wheels?
Post by: Chadwick717 on November 20, 2014, 06:58:33 am
Letting of the gas does not help.  If I am going 55/65 mph it shakes no matter what position the throttle is in, although as I said before it is not all the time.
Title: Re: Shake caused by wheels?
Post by: Chadwick717 on November 20, 2014, 09:53:59 am
Quick update:  at the shop to get an alignment and my mechanic showed me the printout. The toe and camber are good, but the caster (I think) is negative 2 where it is supposed to be negative 6-8. I think.  There is a shim under the front leaf springs. It is causing this caster.  His suggestion is that the shim should be reversed.  Thoughts? Here is a pic of the shim

(http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/11/20/6545ac94bc38df45abe12e56ee8fcae9.jpg)(http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/11/20/30316dd4b342469881e28833421bc0df.jpg)
Title: Re: Shake caused by wheels?
Post by: VileZambonie on November 20, 2014, 08:31:06 pm
Remove it
Title: Re: Shake caused by wheels?
Post by: Chadwick717 on November 20, 2014, 08:32:39 pm
Remove the shim entirely?  I had that thought as well. He suggested flipping it around, so I wasn't sure.
Title: Re: Shake caused by wheels?
Post by: VileZambonie on November 21, 2014, 05:04:54 pm
Why do you think the caster should be negative? It should be positive 8°

Title: Re: Shake caused by wheels?
Post by: Chadwick717 on November 21, 2014, 11:46:48 pm
I actually wasn't sure if it was positive or negative 8. My bad.
Title: Re: Shake caused by wheels?
Post by: Chadwick717 on November 22, 2014, 04:50:22 pm
I had the shake with my old tires and now with week old brand new tires. It gets worse as I drive, not better.  We put the truck up on a lift and put it in 4 wheel drive running through all the gears and rpms.  Right now the main culprit seems to be a bent wheel on the front right side.  It wobbles pretty good while on the lift.  I ordered some new wheels and I'm going to throw them on when they get here. Fingers crossed this fixes it!  It was really driving me nuts on the way to work today. Smooth right up to about 55 and then shakes pretty bad smoothing out again around 70, still shakes s little at that speed, but not as bad as the 55-65 range.  I tried throwing it it neutral while it is shaking and it didn't change a thing.
Title: Re: Shake caused by wheels?
Post by: VileZambonie on November 23, 2014, 11:23:57 am
Is the steering wheel shaking or do you just feel the truck shaking in general? Have you done a dry park check of the front end yet?
Title: Re: Shake caused by wheels?
Post by: Chadwick717 on November 23, 2014, 01:08:48 pm
Just feel the truck shaking in general.  Have not done a dry park check yet.
Title: Re: Shake caused by wheels?
Post by: Chadwick717 on December 06, 2014, 05:19:28 pm
Just wanted to update you all. Got two of the new wheels I ordered in and put them on the front. No more shaking! It was turns out that the old wheels were pretty bent.
Title: Re: Shake caused by wheels?
Post by: Captkaos on December 09, 2014, 07:30:41 pm
Glad you got it figured out and fixed