Chevy86 IROC-Z

iTrader: (17)

I guys. I just replaced my wheel bearings today and I still have the thumping feel and it increases with speed. What could be the issue? 2 weeks ago I verified that the thumping was in the front end by pulling the IROC with a front end dolly (front wheels up).

Guest

My suggestiom would be to ut a jack under the front ball joint/a-arm area and jack each front wheel off the ground at a time keeping the front suspension loaded and at aprox normal ride height---just enough off the ground barely so that you can spin the tires by hand. Now check for any contact of tire to chassis or suspension parts.

Inspect your tires very well, you could have a defective bulge in one of them.

duckmanquacker

Also are the tires balanced properly?

Chevy86 IROC-Z

iTrader: (17)

Tires are balanced, just replaced all the suspension because a ball joint was bad. I felt a thumping and decided to replace the whole front suspension and steering (center link, sway bar links, ball joints, inner and outer tie rods, bearings/races, struts). But thumping is still present. Im gonna put on my spare tire and switch from left to right to see if a defect in the tire is causing the thump. Thanks guys. Ill let you know what I find tommorow.

Chevy86 IROC-Z

iTrader: (17)

wait a minute!!! I do remember some abnormal wear on my passenger tire. Im gonna switch out that one first. I just thought that the wear was from the ball joint but the bad ball was on the driverside, not hte passenger side where the bad wear is. Here is the bad ball joint. Check it out.....

1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFPUc...eature=related

2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Aa7vcfN6IQ&NR=1

Chevy86 IROC-Z

iTrader: (17)

Found the problem guys. I have a flat spot on my passengerside front tire. IToday during my lunch break, I drove behind the movie theater, jacked up the IROC and removed the tire. Sure enough I noticed some wear. So I put on the spare and drove around the smooth parking lot with no thumping. After work I went to a tire shop and asked them what would cause such a thing. The dumb guy told me to stop slamming the brakes. I then told him why would I slam the brakes with a loose stereo amplifier in the back (dont want to be nailed in the back of the head by my amp). So I left with a pain in my neck because of the dumb comment the minimum wage guy told me. Any way, the wear does look like I slammed the brakes while stopping from 100 mph. There is the wear towards the front of the tread but on the end of the tread, there is the loose pieces of tread that are barely hanging on kind of like this

Chevy86 IROC-Z

iTrader: (17)

Is it possible that this is happening due to spinning my tires while holding the brake, and the passenger tire is being dragged and locking up while the driverside is rolling? To see what I mean by spinning tire while holding the brake while in motion , follow link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GiXkFqtwHNQ

built91Z28

As for the flat spot, I am a tech at a dealership (defiently not minimum wage) and I would have told you the same thing. Some other things to check though is the alignment and your struts. You said you had play in your ball joints, that could be one cause.

Chevy86 IROC-Z

iTrader: (17)

I hope you didnt take offense to my comment. The shop was a new/used tire shop and the mechanic was not even close to being a tire pressure checking specialist. Back to topic. In the 8 years that I have had my IROC, I never ever ever ever have slammed my brakes. Now is another story. Even before the thumping, I always had a hard type of clunk when I would hit a bump or dip. I just never cared to find the source (Which now I know it was the ball joint). My old tires never worn down abnormally like now. I bought the used tire about 6 weeks ago and into the 2nd week I felt the thumping after doing a power brake in front of a 2010 Challenger (just like in this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GiXkFqtwHNQ ) So after replacing everything, the thump was still there. Then just yesterday the shop guy tells me I slammed my brakes. I felt like giving him a for assuming my driving habits. Either way, everything is in tip top shape. I just dont understand how the thumping can appear in just after one power brake.

duckmanquacker

Well if it was a used tire you may have found a soft spot that got scrubbed off during your power brake routine. Thats why I always buy new and service the brakes each tire change whether needed or not.

Sonymaster20

iTrader: (3)

It could have been whenever you took it to service one time, A technician locked up the brakes on your car and created a flat spot. whilst he was speeding. A long shot but Technicians get to drive alot of things. Dont you think they dog the fast and sporty cars a bit?

Chevy86 IROC-Z

iTrader: (17)

I was thinking that my rotor was probably warped which would cause the intense (but not noticable play) braking just on that spot. So my bro n law told me to get an other tire and have the rotors turned. So that's on my agenda for this month. As for the tech test drive, nope. Nobody drives my IROC unless Im in the passenger seat. Im actually happy that my wife hates my Camaro. She doesnt want to drive it but that is perfectly ok with me.

Question for you guys. Am I able to drive the IROC to work (20 mile round trip) with the thumping, without damaging the new wheel bearings? Or should I just park it for now?

Norm Peterson

Flatspotted tire was the first thing crossed my mind. Anyway . . .

while I don't care for the shop guy's lack of tact, I don't blame him for suspecting locked wheel stops being the problem. For cars anyway, flatspots from being dragged aren't nearly as common (18 wheelers with worn or out of adjustment air brake mechanisms are another story).

I'd want to know why the pass side front was locking while the driver side front was still rolling. If anything, and for what you were doing, I'd have expected it to be the other way around.


Norm

Chevy86 IROC-Z

iTrader: (17)

I never said that the passengerside brakes where locking up. I quoted "Is it possible." I never said my wheel was dragging. It was an idea, a thought, a wild guess.

And for what I was doing,,,, Everyone does just that at some point. How many people do you know that pamper their 3rd Gens? How many do you know that lay down rubber every once in a while?

Norm Peterson

My comment was not directed at the fact that you were leaving some rubber, as I don't particularly care either way.

It was surprise over which tire was apparently still rolling. Engine torque reaction plants the right side tires and unloads the left front. If only one front tire was going to slide, I'd normally expect it to be the driver side.


Sure, I've laid down rubber before, but after raising big clouds of tire smoke in the high school driveway a couple of times in my Dad's 1964 Dodge it was like "OK, been there, done that, no big deal, time to move on". I was about 19 at the time . . .


Norm

Chevy86 IROC-Z

iTrader: (17)

Ohh. I feel . Appologies. So I got another tire and sure enough, that took care of the thumping. I went back to the alignment shop and luck was on my side. The alignment went bad because the mech. forgot to tighten down the strut tower brace on the passengerside. So he re-aligned the tires for free and told me I was good to go. I then told him that I was gonna talk to the shop owner about some kind of compensation due to poor mech skills. He asked for the tire shop number and he gave them a call. He asked about the Camaro and after he hung up, he paid me $80, a $55 gain for me. I asked what it was for and he told me to take it because he couldnt afford to loose his job. So I gave him back the difference of the tire I had just bought. So I ended up with a free tire after all is said and done.