[cherishzm7]

I've searched various threads regarding the steering wheel shaking issues at high speed but it seems there could be various factors contributing to the shaking symptom. My Ody has two Yokohama AVID TRZ tires in the front with about 15k miles and no name brand tires in the back with about 50k miles. When the Yokohama tires were mounted in the front, they were balanced at a local shop (They did not have the Road Hunter Balance Machine) and were never rotated with the rear ones.

It had a slight steering wheel shaking when I bought it used with 65k miles (It now has 118k miles) but it was not serious so I kept it as-is. However, I noticed the shaking is pretty bad during a 1k mile road trip last week.

Something to note about the shaking is that the steering wheel shakes ONLY WHEN ACCELERATING above 60~65 MPH and up. When I have my foot off the gas pedal even at the high speed, the shaking goes away.

I'm in need of replacing the rear tires that are almost worn out and I was wondering what I should try first to eliminate the steering wheel shaking issue. Also, when I put the Yokohama tires in the front, I noticed the Yokohama tires were little nosier and louder than the no name brand tires which were in the front (they are in the rear now).

Should I get a pair of new tires to put in the front, get them balanced at a shop with Road Hunter Balance machine first to see if it solves the issue? Should I do the 4-wheel alignment as well? I never done alignment since the ownership, but it never skewed to right or left.

Any inputs or suggestions are welcome!

 

[cherishzm7]

nobody??

 

[dadmobile]

I have a 2009 ex-l with 75,000 miles and have the exact same steering wheel shake. Just bought the van and took it through 2,500 miles on road trip. Shakes only under increased load at high speeds. Wheels and balancing cannot be the issue - a tire/wheel issue would vary with speed but be continuous. I'm thinking transmission - I thought at first maybe it was cylinder deactivation but that eco light on the dash goes on when the wheel isn't shaking. My dad always says they didn't even balance tires until the 60's and they were driving fast way before then. Balancing is mostly a mileage issue in my book.

 

[SteveOH]

Maybe dear old dad didn't balance his tires in the 60's, but it has been in use for decades before then. Also, balancing has little to do with mileage (not sure if you mean MPG or durability). It is to improve the ride by decreasing the vibration or shaking that would most likely occur due to slight irregularities in weight distribution around the tire itself.

 

[frogbite]

A few things I can think of. First of all, road force balancing actually balances the tire for the force against the road so it may help here. From talking to various service employees at my local stealership shaking when accelerating can be:

1) Road force
2) Front or rear motor mount
3) Axles (one or both)

It could be other things, but the motor mounts can be checked fairly easily. Road force needs to be done by someone with the correct machine and Axles from my experience unless they are leaking or obviously warn are harder to diagnose. I did have one service manager tell me that if it is with acceleration it is the transmissions (torque converter) but after talking to a few mechanics including one from the same dealership, they told me this was BS.

 

[cherishzm7]

Thanks for the replies guys. I've had the infamous tranny drone for a while and I always suspected it's due to a bad torque converter but I had never had it diagnosed at a dealership (but a local mechanic I used told the tranny is fine).

By the way, rear motor mount was replaced last year.

I'd probably buy a new set of tires, do the road force balance to see if it helps. But, how can I find a reputable shop that will be able to do it correctly? I'm located in Greensboro, NC.

 

[dadmobile]

Milestones:Merrill Wheel-Balancing System, 1945 - GHN: IEEE Global History Network

Dude relax. All I'm trying to say is that billions of high-speed smooth-riding miles have happened without the benefit of balancing - many thousand by me. Heck, I've driven clunkers with 4 different age/type tires on them and they rode great at highway speed. A quick look through this forum shows me that lots of people get their tires balanced in the hope that it'll smooth out their ride, but what they really need is a mechanical component replaced or adjusted.

 

[SteveOH]

We are all relaxed on this forum. Obviously balancing your tires won't cure a vibration that is caused by something else wrong with the vehicle, but balancing would be the first step to take in trying to cure a vibration issue.

Cherishzm7's- you said you need to replace your rear tires as they were worn out. The first thing I would do is replace those 2 tires (balanced, of course) and have them installed on the front and see how it goes. If the vibration is still present at least you have eliminated tires as the issue and, since you already needed tires, you haven't wasted any money chasing down the problem.

Hunter makes one of the most popular road force balancing machines. Their website has a dealer locator so you can find someone in your area.

 

[Quantumorbit]

Today I made my first road trip on my 05 EX-L. 6 passengers with luggage in a mountainous road. The van vibrates when accelerating. The more stress, more vibrations (ex: up hill) I'm now very disappointed with this purchase. I learned about the transmission weakness in this model after buying van.

The rear bushings in both front lower control arms are bad. Could this be causing the vibration? I'm about to order them, they're almost $600. I already bought new tires and don't want to spend more money if this vibration issue will cost too much to repair.

Any comments are appreciated.


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[SteveOH]

I think the rear bushings are replaceable and probably much less expensive than buying the whole A-arm assembly.

 

[Quantumorbit]

Already tried buying bushings. See http://www.odyclub.com/forums/showthread.php?p=776409#post776409

I'm interested in knowing Symptoms of bad bushings. Can it cause this vibration? In my case the vibration is felt in whole car, not just steering wheel.


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[paulieocean]

I had the same symptoms on my 06 Odyssey. I thought it was the trans at first, but it turned out it was the axles. I've had them replaced and the shaking is gone.

 

[Quantumorbit]

Is there a way to diagnose the problem to confirm its the axles?

I'm starting to think I should have purchased a more expensive van in better condition with lower mileage. The money spent is starting to add up. I'm surprised Honda has lowered quality of their vehicles (maybe just the Odyssey?). In the past I owned a 1994 accord and 1998 CRV and both were flawless cars. Never had ANY problems with them, just took care of maintenance.

Not sure which parts I would have to order to replace axles. There are two 4s and two 5s with different part numbers and prices.

 

[davedrivesody]

Take it to a good FWD drivetrain specialist. One or both axles could certainly cause a vibration, but on the other hand just throwing parts at it can be very expensive.

BTW, I looked at the diagram and can see only one 4 (right side) and one 5 (left side)?

 

[Quantumorbit]

Look at second image with parts details for order. Diagram shows one 4 and 5, but parts list shows two of each.

I'm thinking of attaching camera under car shooting at suspension to see what's happening. I have a good HD camera that I use with my RC helicopters that would be perfect for this job.


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[06 odessey]

I replace my tires on my 06 touring and the shake went away and that was 2 years ago.

 

[Quantumorbit]

I replace my tires on my 06 touring and the shake went away and that was 2 years ago.

I just installed 4 brand new tires, Yokohama YK580. It shakes only when accelerating hard or accelerating up hill. This is why I hadn't noticed this problem while driving in the city. If I lift foot off accelerator shaking stops immediately.


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[cherishzm7]

Thanks for the suggestions. Is it possible to find out if an axle(s) is bad by physical inspection?

I'm going to put two new tires in the front and hopefully the shaking goes away but I have a feeling it would still be there (it always had some level of shaking at high speed since purchased 5 years ago).

The van drives smooth and nice locally but shaking on highway makes the driving experience terrible.

 

[davedrivesody]

I just installed 4 brand new tires, Yokohama YK580. It shakes only when accelerating hard or accelerating up hill. This is why I hadn't noticed this problem while driving in the city. If I lift foot off accelerator shaking stops immediately.


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Even new tires can be defective. Maybe rotate them back to front and see if it makes a difference?

 

[paulieocean]

If there's leaking at the CV boots then that would be 1 indication. Mine just had the shaking and had leaking at the boots. Other than that, I don't know. Rock auto has good prices on the axles I think.

Good luck