Second time I thought my front wheels were going to fall off...

The first time I started braking quickly before a sharp turn and my front end started shaking violently. I thought one of my wheels were falling off. I've experience shaking because of warped rotors and this was nothing like it. Especially because it kept shaking even after I let off the brakes.

I pulled over looked the car over and everything looked fine. I continued on cautiously and everything seemed fine.

Two weeks later, I was on the freeway when I traffic stopped suddenly. I slam on my brakes and my front end starts shaking again. Luckily there was a huge shoulder. I let off the brakes, pulled off to the side and let the car coast down. The car kept shaking until it slowed down.

At this point, I suspect the suspension, the area I'm least knowledgeable in.

Here's is what I'm working with:

-My shocks are 14 years old.
-My tires are wearing really bad on the outside.
-I can rotate the tie-rod ends relatively easily, but I can't move them side to side. Nothing else moves easily.
-I jacked up the car and tried to move the wheel in and out. It wiggles with pushing and pulling at 12 and 6 o'clock. (The control arm bushings don't move, it's like the wheel bearings a loose.
-The steering has a lot of play. I had my kid move the steering wheel back and fourth and I could see the steering box "shaft" (the part connected to the pitman arm) wiggling around before anything else actually moved.

I would appreciate some help. I'd eventually like to fix everything, but right now, my priority is safety. It's difficult to slow down and steer when it's shaking so bad.

 

This sounds like a bad ball joint. If the bearings were loose then the wheel would likely move anywhere you push/pull

 

Sorry, I meant the ball joint (control arm bushing). It doesn't look like anything moves, but it could be.

It's difficult to tell if it's loose in any other direction because the wheel moves.

 

Sounds similar to death wobble, more common in trucks. Usually due to bad alignment or bad steering or ball joints.

With the forces of the suspension it's difficult to make the ball joints move with your hands. Definitely a good place to start.

Another thing you can do to check is drive up on some ramps and have someone turn the steering back and forth slightly. You will see any loose areas in the steering linkage.

 

Check ball joints by placing a jack under the center of the control arm, jack it up just enough to get a good length pry bar under the tire. Place one hand on top of the tire while pulling up and down on the pry bar.

If you have a loose ball joint you'll feel the movement between your two hands, also you can have a helper pull up and down on the pry bar while you look at the gap between the control arm and spindle at the ball joint for movement.....

 

I had it happen with bad Idler Arm

 

Have you checked your wheel bearings yet?
- remove tire
- remove dust cap
- remove cotter pin
Is the nut loose?

 

Any chance of a bad tire?