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Giant Buick LeSaber controversy *fixed Login/Join 
No Compromise
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My '03 Laysawbray has eleventy bazillion miles on it and the only suspension system that failed was the shocks. My buddy has a '02 with the same problem. For him it was the rear springs/shocks/struts/load leveler/whatever the heck is back there, that failed.

Could be the problem.

H&K-Guy
 
Posts: 3720 | Registered: April 08, 2002Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Picture of ShouldBFishin
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quote:
Originally posted by bendable:
here's the thing, w/o an exact fix remedy , the mechanic won't just start throwing new parts at it and charging me.

within the 7 pages of google problems, 8 different sets of fixes, did not actually work.

new tires ,rims, brake drums, shocks, struts, motor mounts , alignment, tie rod ends, cv joints, bearings


Your mechanic is unable to diagnose the issue?


Lots of things can cause vibration and uneven tire wear - Something of that vintage I'd be taking a close look at ball joints, tie rods, CV joints and wheel bearings...


Did the vibration stay up front after the tires were rotated?


If you were to put the front end up on jacks, is there any play in the wheels (Can you move the wheel up and down)?


Are there any tears or rips in the boots for the CV joints?


After a drive, are any of the center of the wheels too hot to touch?
 
Posts: 1799 | Location: MN | Registered: March 29, 2009Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Picture of mikeyspizza
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There are a limited number of things it could be. Start with the cheapest. Make sure both front tires are good and are balanced. You could have thrown a weight off.

Link to pdf of Vehicle Vibration Diagnosis Chart
 
Posts: 4006 | Location: North Carolina | Registered: August 16, 2003Reply With QuoteReport This Post
His diet consists of black
coffee, and sarcasm.
Picture of egregore
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Unless steering or suspension parts are loose, this kind of bad vibes is almost always tires out of round or imbalance. Find a tire shop with a balancer that measures road force. This is important because a tire might not be visibly out of round. Don't put liquid "fix-a-flat" in tires. And don't assume the problem is in the front tires. Rear tires out of balance/round can play tricks.
 
Posts: 27838 | Location: Johnson City/Elizabethton, TN | Registered: April 28, 2012Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Political Cynic
Picture of nhtagmember
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it sounds like the cheap and easy solutions have been looked at

also, this particular problem appears to affect more than one vehicle, so the odds of that happening are extraordinarily slim

the problem is more fundamental - what you're observing are simply the side affects of a deeper mechanical problem



[B] Against ALL enemies, foreign and DOMESTIC


 
Posts: 53086 | Location: Tucson Arizona | Registered: January 16, 2002Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Raptorman
Picture of Mars_Attacks
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I had a dead spot in my front shocks on my Frontier, remedied tire scalloping by replacing them with a set of nitrogen charged ones.

However Buicks are notorious for using copious amounts of rubber everywhere to make it quiet.

I am willing to bet the bushings, grommets, tie rod ends, etc have too much wear on them. Some mechanic somewhere has squished worn rubber parts with adjustment to take out the slop.

The overhaul kit is under $300.


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Posts: 34084 | Location: North, GA | Registered: October 09, 2002Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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How many miles on the Buick?
 
Posts: 1496 | Location: S/W Illinois | Registered: October 29, 2007Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Picture of usmc-nav
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Is this a front wheel drive car? If so I had a similar experience in a 2008 Ford Escape. None of the mechanic shops could figure it out. Was told it was the transmission, bent rim, tires worn, different brands of tires, etc.
I found a excellent mechanic who figured it out in just a few minutes. It was a bent front right inner axle.
 
Posts: 538 | Registered: August 05, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
stupid beyond
all belief
Picture of Deqlyn
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my wifes car had a similar issue. turned out they installed the wheel well plastic splash guard wrong and it was rubbing against the tire when the speed got up enough to move it. Probably not the issue but worth a shot.



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Posts: 8227 | Registered: September 13, 2012Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Picture of sourdough44
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Brand of tires? Miles on the car and that set of tires?

Maybe you do need new tires, maybe not. LaSaber's can go a good amount of miles, much of the time. Of course care and how driven would factor in.
 
Posts: 6132 | Location: WI | Registered: February 29, 2012Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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For a 100% sure fire remedy, find a real mechanic to diagnose this properly. Googling others problems that have the same symptoms, or replacing parts that might or might not be bad until the problem goes away might be cheaper, or not, depending on luck.

I've seen hacks replace parts until the 'problem' went away because they replaced enough worn parts to correct a pull or shimmy, but missed critical worn parts like tie rod ends, wheel bearings, lower ball joints, or brakes.

Losing a front wheel, tie rod end, or finding you only have working brakes on one wheel at 67 mph is a harsh way to find out the difference between a real mechanic and a parts changer.


________________________________________________________
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Posts: 278 | Registered: October 31, 2007Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Avoiding
slam fires
Picture of 45 Cal
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Probably will not help you but I will throw it out anyway.
My old 1989 econoline 350 van started the stuff you described.
Only has around 50-k original miles.
At highway speeds it was down right dangerous with the wandering .
I replaced all for shocks,cleaned all the problems right up.
 
Posts: 22407 | Location: Georgia | Registered: February 19, 2007Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Picture of Perception
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It might be hard to pinpoint an exact cause, because there might not be one. Most of the components in the front end can fail and cause issues, but it might not be any specific component. That car is 13 years old now. Even if no specific components have failed, a tiny bit of wear on all of your parts can add up to a big vibration. If you can't find a specific part that is bad, its likely that you have a lot of parts that just aren't what they used to be and that refreshing the whole front end may be what you need to do.

This comes up with Jeeps all the time. There is a list of about 10 parts that can cause "death wobble." It can be hard to track down because the issue frequently isn't the failure of a single one of those parts, but the combination of 3 or 4 of them being slightly worn and those effects adding up.




"The people hate the lizards and the lizards rule the people."
"Odd," said Arthur, "I thought you said it was a democracy."
"I did," said Ford, "it is."
"So," said Arthur, hoping he wasn't sounding ridiculously obtuse, "why don't the people get rid of the lizards?"
"It honestly doesn't occur to them. They've all got the vote, so they all pretty much assume that the government they've voted in more or less approximates the government they want."
"You mean they actually vote for the lizards."
"Oh yes," said Ford with a shrug, "of course."
"But," said Arthur, going for the big one again, "why?"
"Because if they didn't vote for a lizard, then the wrong lizard might get in."
 
Posts: 3509 | Location: Two blocks from the Center of the Universe | Registered: December 30, 2004Reply With QuoteReport This Post
delicately calloused
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I'm thinking Mars is barking up the right tree.



You’re a lying dog-faced pony soldier
 
Posts: 29608 | Location: Highland, Ut. | Registered: May 07, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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quote:
Originally posted by Perception:
It might be hard to pinpoint an exact cause, because there might not be one. Most of the components in the front end can fail and cause issues, but it might not be any specific component. That car is 13 years old now. Even if no specific components have failed, a tiny bit of wear on all of your parts can add up to a big vibration. If you can't find a specific part that is bad, its likely that you have a lot of parts that just aren't what they used to be and that refreshing the whole front end may be what you need to do.

This comes up with Jeeps all the time. There is a list of about 10 parts that can cause "death wobble." It can be hard to track down because the issue frequently isn't the failure of a single one of those parts, but the combination of 3 or 4 of them being slightly worn and those effects adding up.


This. A car that age may have lots of little problems that are combing to create a big problem. But, my first guess is the rack is starting to go. Good luck
 
Posts: 2044 | Registered: September 19, 2011Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Picture of JoeSig
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I have the same car and same year.

Have the tires re-balanced - I had a shake in front end only at 76-79MPH - They found a bent rim was the cause.

The front half-shafts from the trans to the wheels - there are universal joints that should be checked.

Believe it or not the engine mounts on this model of car have been prone to breaking - you may be witnessing an engine tilt dynamic in the sub-frame. I have replaced all the engine mounts twice on mine.

Just some areas to check, having been there...

JoeSig


Sola Gratia, Sola Fide, Solus Christus, Soli Deo Gloria, Sola Scriptura
 
Posts: 352 | Location: Michigan, USA | Registered: October 05, 2001Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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33,ooo miles, tire rotation did not help or make the vibration worse

This message has been edited. Last edited by: bendable,





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Posts: 54504 | Location: Henry County , Il | Registered: February 10, 2004Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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after I had the whole front end inspected , the man said he was 88% sure that new tires would fix the vibration.

got the new tires today and sure enough the vibration is gone gone gone.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YVRxAX6fwg





Safety, Situational Awareness and proficiency.



Neck Ties, Hats and ammo brass, Never ,ever touch'em w/o asking first
 
Posts: 54504 | Location: Henry County , Il | Registered: February 10, 2004Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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