Back of my car rattles and vibrates like a mofo.

deep1ca · Post by **deep1ca** » Sun Mar 15, 2009 7:00 pm

So i'm gonna be selling the car the soon so I just wanted to make a few repairs to get it in good shape.

The back of my car rattles and vibrates like a mofo when going highway speeds.

The car has been rattling for awhile now because my rear struts are blown and i need to change out the wheel bearings. But lately the rattles have gotten stronger and now there is a significant vibration too, im sure its in the back. At highway speeds, when I look over I can see the passenger side seat vibrating like crazy.

When going slow or just driving through the city it just rattles, but the faster I get louder the rattles and it starts to vibrate alot in the back too.

What could it be?

mopar4life · Post by **mopar4life** » Sun Mar 15, 2009 7:22 pm

Its cause the bearings are gettin worse Im sure. Id get that fixed ASAP, they could lock up the wheel turnin.

Nutmeg · Post by **Nutmeg** » Sun Mar 15, 2009 9:45 pm

Start simple. Did you check to see if your spare tire is secure?

deep1ca · Post by **deep1ca** » Mon Mar 16, 2009 1:13 am

Nutmeg wrote:Start simple. Did you check to see if your spare tire is secure?

I'm gonnna be trouble shooting tomorrow... im gonna completely empty the trunk tomorrow including spare wheel, get my buddy to drive while i fold down the seats and poke around the back.

I'll be changing the wheel bearings soon to see how that helps.

Donkeypuncher · Post by **Donkeypuncher** » Mon Mar 16, 2009 1:43 am

After hearing about the wheel bearings I would imagine that's what it is.

I know my little car seat hook covers rattle all the time, the ones on the rear speaker deck. That wouldn't account for the vibrations at high speeds though.

BigMac · Post by **BigMac** » Mon Mar 16, 2009 2:34 am

Have the rear wheels been off for any reason? maybe the lugnuts have come loose.

Don't laugh -- when you work on cars you eventually see just about everything.

Post by **occasional demons** » Mon Mar 16, 2009 7:03 am

deep1ca wrote:The car has been rattling for awhile now because my rear struts are blown. What could it be?

At highway speeds with blown struts/shocks the rear tires will bounce pretty bad. I have seen cars going down the road with the tires actually leaving the pavement they bounced so bad. The driver tooling along without a care in the world. I would have your friend follow to see what the tires are doing also. If the tires a cupped in the rear it would be a good sign of that.

supermike · Post by **supermike** » Mon Mar 16, 2009 11:13 am

If your bearings are bad AND your struts are blown, try fixing that first. Things will naturally get worse over time, so that could be all that's wrong. Not to mention driving around like that could cause other issues.

Paul56 · Post by **Paul56** » Mon Mar 16, 2009 5:29 pm

Given the shape of the roads in the Ottawa area right now what with potholes and other nonsense just about everything on wheels is rattling around here.

lilnicko11 · Post by **lilnicko11** » Mon Mar 16, 2009 9:46 pm

Nutmeg wrote:Start simple. Did you check to see if your spare tire is secure?

and yeah check bearings.

jgs11 · Post by **jgs11** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 4:16 pm

my sxt had the exact same problem and i just fixed it a couple days ago, it was a bad wheel bearing. pull the drums and spin each wheel hub by hand and you should be able to tell which one or both are bad. mine had a dead spot in it. i would definately try this first since they are easier to do than the struts and dont require an alignment afterwards.

Boyscoutgonebad · Post by **Boyscoutgonebad** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 4:43 pm

sounds similar to a problem I had recently, took it to the shop and they said it was the bushings going out on the rear lateral arms. just something to add to the list of things to check.

asanti · Post by **asanti** » Fri Mar 20, 2009 11:16 am

Also check for bent rims. Even something as simple as making sure the tire pressures aren't off by an ungodly amount too.

Later
Allex

latief · Post by **latief** » Fri Mar 20, 2009 12:41 pm

Boyscoutgonebad wrote:sounds similar to a problem I had recently, took it to the shop and they said it was the bushings going out on the rear lateral arms. just something to add to the list of things to check.

+1 on this, had this problem before and it rattles and causes all kinds of problems

deep1ca · Post by **deep1ca** » Fri Mar 20, 2009 4:42 pm

The majority of the vibration has been fixed, i was riding around with a bent wheel

...didnt even notice...i think I might have bent it while getting abit too side ways and kissing the curb with the back end this winter

Put the summer wheels on, its much more bearable now, rattle and vibration has reduced to like 50%

Im hoping the wheel bearings will take care of the rest of it.

2GN.ORG

Back of my car rattles and vibrates like a mofo.

Back of my car rattles and vibrates like a mofo.

Re: Back of my car rattles and vibrates like a mofo.