Chevy86 IROC-Z

iTrader: (17)

I was told that my bearings inside the strut mount could be going bad. I have this bad vibration when I'm turning left and or when my Camaro is at a decline such as leaving an elevated parking lot. So could the strut mount be going bad?

rick90gta

iTrader: (3)

usually when a strut mount fails it will make a snapping or popping noise and will either be hard to steer or the wheel wont return to center properly

Chevy86 IROC-Z

iTrader: (17)

So the the vibrating sound that occurs when my Camaro is the I g left is not a bad mount? Even at a dead stop, in a dip with the Camaro leaning forward into the dip, the vibration appears.

sofakingdom

iTrader: (1)

THINK.... how would a strut mount - the piece that holds the top of the strut to the car - create a vibration when the car is sitting still?

Right.

Whatever the cause of such a vibe might be, it's not the strut mounts.

See if it still vibes if you turn the engine off. If so, something is rubbing somewhere. Suspect things like bad mounts letting the engine move, loose exhaust hitting something, etc.

See my signature for a helpful mental discipline.

Chevy86 IROC-Z

iTrader: (17)

Some attitude you have there. Found my problem. But to save your rude comments, I'll keep it to myself. Have a good day.

sofakingdom

iTrader: (1)

I'm appealing to you to use your INTELLIGENCE and LOGIC; and that's "attitude"? "rude"? Iunno; maybe in this day and age of "entitlement" and "no losers only alternate winners", maybe appealing to intelligence IS rude?

w/e

So, what (besides your own rude attitude) was your "problem"?

Chevy86 IROC-Z

iTrader: (17)

I found the cause of the vibration. There's nothing more to say.

sofakingdom

iTrader: (1)

Why sure there is...

Someone else some day might have the same problem, and could benefit from knowing the cause. That's one of the benefits of forums, after all.

Chevy86 IROC-Z

iTrader: (17)

Okay sofakindom. I just wanted to avoid a conflict. But you are 110% correct.

sofakingdom

iTrader: (1)

I'm with you there: I avoid conflicts too, and don't go looking for ways to bait people just to start them. However if I can't avoid them, I do tend to finish them.

But all that aside, I'd like to know the cause of your issue, as others no doubt do too.

Chevy86 IROC-Z

iTrader: (17)

This morning I went into a coulda sac to test out the steering and suspension. I made a hard right turn and made a couple rounds with no problems. Then I began to make some donuts but in a counterclockwaise direction. Sure enough I had that vibration feeling and sound. I stopped and turned the steering wheel hard left and turned off the IROC. I looked into the fender well and saw no rubbing. Then I looked at the boot of the ball joint. It was torn and all the grease was gone. It was obvious that it had been sometime that the ball joint had lost all it's grease due to the dirt and condition of the ball joint boot. So I firmly believe that the vibration is caused by the bad ball joint. I'll upload a picture later on for all to see.

Chevy86 IROC-Z

iTrader: (17)

Here is the picture of the torn boot on my ball joint.

sofakingdom

iTrader: (1)

Somehow I doubt that's going to be the cause of a "vibration"; same reason as the other. Namely, when the car is sitting still, it's not moving.

But, easy enough to test.... the boot does ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WHATSOEVER except keep the grease IN and dirt & water OUT. You can just grease the joint and see if it makes any difference. You can also check the BJ itself for being worn out and having play, by jacking the car up by the lower control arm on that side to where the tire is about 2½" off the ground, put about a 4' 2x4 under the tire, and use it as a lever to raise the tire... if the BJ is bad, you'll be able to see the 2 halves of it visibly move with respect to each other when you do that, because with the car in that position, all of the force is taken off of it except the unsprung weight (rotor, spindle, hub, etc.), and you'll simply be raising and lowering it against the slop in the BJ with the 2x4. If the BJ is tight, it's not the "problem". Just make a point of keeping it well-greased until you change it out.

Chevy86 IROC-Z

iTrader: (17)

Cool. Thanks for the tip sofakingdom. I'll take your advice and test it out. Thanks. I'll let you know what happens when I get the test done.

83 Crossfire TA

iTrader: (2)

I don't see how a torn ball joint boot could cause vibration, don't think a worn out ball joint would cause a vibration under most conditions

Chevy86 IROC-Z

iTrader: (17)

Its not the torn boot that concerns me. It's whether or not the grease is gone. I remember back about a year ago, there was grease coming out the bottom section of the BJ (outer ring surrounding the nipple). Mechanic said that the grease was squeezed out with pressure when the grease gun was applied. So I'm thinking the grease has seeped out. Then with the torn boot, well it caught my attention. But like sofakingdom advise, I'm gonna test the BJ when I get a chance.

89_RS

Define vibration. What is it that is vibrating??? My car vibrated all the time, but I'd attribute that to worn out motor mounts as you could feel a change in the vibration of the car when the the RPM's changed. I got a real funky vibration once that turned out to be a broken transmission mount, but that was also linked to transmission problems as well.

This sounds more like a typical old car thing than a something has gone horribly wrong thing. Could be your power steering pump & box is low on fluid. The pump will cavitate if its low on fluid and that might cause a vibration.

I agree with sofa, if you're at a dead stop and the only things that are moving are being moved by the engine and you're having a vibration, its not a ball joint or anything in the suspension that is causing you a problem.

Chevy86 IROC-Z

iTrader: (17)

Update. I changed the ball joint today (lifetime warranty) for free. did a test drive by doing a hard turns in a cul dasac. Again the mysterious noise was present. So now there is 1 of 3 things that may be occuring, a bad motor mount, bad strut mount bearings, or a bad spindle. Any other suggestions?

naf

iTrader: (7)

Pull the dust covers off of the mounts and observe them while someone else turns the wheel. Inspect them for tears and rips that don't allow smooth movement.

The bearings in them should not cause much of an issue. The strut rod will still spin within the strut even if they don't allow it.

Chevy86 IROC-Z

iTrader: (17)

Cool. I'll check that out later on today. Thanks for the tip.

rick90gta

iTrader: (3)

any result with your vibration? im curious to know what it is too. maybe we're all overlooking something... power steering? usually the p/s will whine if theres somethig going on but its possible, considering absolutely nothing in the suspension/steering linkage will cause a vibration when the car is at a dead stop.
and remember guys, there are no stupid questions. not everybody has built the skills some of us have.

Chevy86 IROC-Z

iTrader: (17)

Nope. Had lifetime in the bad ball joint so I replaced it. Same results. I'm honna cut off about .5" from control arm bolt. Seems like its rubbing up Agianst the oem y pipe. Possibly tomorrow I'll get it done and I will post up the results.

LeadFoot88

iTrader: (1)

I would think that might just make a squeaking noise if anything.

Also, have you still not checked the driver side motor mount? Sadly I saw a kid in high school at a car show that had his motor ratchet strapped down because of his motor mounts I believe . His motor would wobble and I suspect if your turning left then the weight of the motor is shifted towards the passenger side and you can feel the little imbalance in the motor (vibration).

Can you explain how small/large the vibration is? Kind of have me curious with this one...

Chevy86 IROC-Z

iTrader: (17)

The motor mounts are only 2 years old. I did inspect them and they look fine. I suspecting the issue occurred when I lowered the tranny while still connected to the engine. I lowered the tranny to be able to install a torque arm mount. So I believe that's where the problem came to be.

Chevy86 IROC-Z

iTrader: (17)

Oh. The best way I can explain the vibration/sound is pretty similar to a worn brake pad. Have you ever been in a car with brakes that are so worn that you hear and feel the slight "grrrrrrr" sound of metal to disk grind? That's more or less what Im experiencing.

Chevy86 IROC-Z

iTrader: (17)

Okay fellow members. I found the issue. I took my camaro to my uncles shop and we raised up the front end. As we searched left and right, I found what the problem was. Here is a quick recap of what caused the vibration. A few months ago I replaced the badly torn exhaust hanger strap that hangs from the cat. So now that I put in the new strap, the plumbing now is a bit higher and more snug agianst the undercarriage. So now that the plumbing is more snug, the passengerside rear control arm bolt began to rub agianst the y-pipe. Now depending on the angle or load that placed on the passengerside, the vibration would get louder as the y-pipe pushed harder against the bolt. So to remedy the issue, I gave the y-pipe a few good impacts with a oversized punch and hammer. The y-pipe isnt a concern because Im gonna install an aftermarket exhaust system. So now there is no more vibration.

sofakingdom

iTrader: (1)

Cool!!

Glad you found it.

Did someone somewhere at some point mention something like....


Naaaaaaaaah..... ,,,,,, ........ ,,,,, ......

Not that it would have much to do with this of course; but, while I freely and openly acknowledge that I am FAR FROM the sharpest knife in the drawer - some might even say the dullest, but I'm not smart enough to know why - is it possible that earlier attention to this potential source of vibes might have led you to a cure LONG ago?

Please don't think I'm being mean or anything like that; only, that if you post stuff on the Internet and get an answer, a more .... humble ..... and receptive ....... attitude might save you some time effort and money in the future.

And likewise, when someone else posts a question like this, that you graciously and without animosity offer helpful solutions, as were offered to you 2½ months ago. You can be a valuable resource here too if you want to be.

Chevy86 IROC-Z

iTrader: (17)

Of course you mentioned it earlier. I took your advice and applied it. Sure enough, it was one of the things you mentioned. Thanks for the tip man.