phdillard

Hello. So the other day my 1988 Olds Delta overheated suddenly. When I got it home the radiator was bone dry. I filled up the radiator and checked the oil level which was fine.


Since then the coolant and oil levels have not dropped. There appears to be no mixing of the fluids, no smoke, no smells, no loss of power. All seems fine except one issue.


The car is shaking horribly when I get around 50 mph. I've gone up to 70 and the shaking doesn't stop. It doesn't really get worse at high speeds but it doesn't get better either. There is no shake while idling or at any speed below 50, just over 50.


This tells me its a tire or suspension issue but it occurring immediately after overheating makes me wonder if its a head gasket issue, though a head gasket issue would cause the above mentioned symptoms which the car is not having. Also if it were a head gasket issue (or even a burnt spark plug issue) the shake would occur while idling or at lower speeds, right?


Anyone have an idea of what could be going on here? Thanks.


Also, if this helps, over the last year or so I have replaced the thermostat, water pump, alternator, belt, brake pads, rotors, and all 4 tires, so all those items should still be in good shape.

nater

i cant think of anything besides transmission internals and such that could have been hurt from overheating and only cause vibration at 50+ and i have never heard of it just a guess since the trans cooler is in the radiator stock(on a third gen, not sure about an olds). but if you were doing something that caused it to overheat, like running it real hard. or running hard/aggressive from freaking out about it over heating. unless maybe its your torque converter lockup amplifying a engine problem, but that problem should stand out otherwise. it also could just be a coincidence that something happened when it overheated. i know my camaro has just about always shook prety bad over 60 so it could just be a normal wear problem on cars this old. you might try a manual lockup switch for the torque converter and see if it amplifies a problem at other speeds or rpm. maybe try downshifting or bring the car up to 50 in a different gear(not od) and see if the shaking changes any. im not really sure on your definition of horribly shaking is so i dont know how to help as my car may seem horrible to some people but i can drive it just fine.