2004 Honda Accord Vibration at 50-65mph

ACCORD04

MEMBER
2004 HONDA ACCORD
4 CYL
FWD
AUTOMATIC
50,000 MILES

My 2004 accord (50K mileage) vibrates a lot when accelerating at 50-65 mph. The vibration dies down beyond 70mph, and does not happen during deceleration. It started happening after I replaced all four tires, and of course the initial suspicion was tires not being balanced. Got it checked out twice, and in fact even changed the 2 front tires to another set of new ones, but the problem still exists. Tired replacing the axle, but with no luck.
Another mechanic is saying the problem could be with he transmission. I do not want to spend a lot of money for a transmission change so early, especially if the problem is not going to be that. Do any experts here have any suggestion as to what could be wrong here?

Thanks very much.

8 Replies

KHLOW2008

MECHANIC
41,814 POSTS

Hi accord04,

Thank you for the donation.

The problem seems to be a fault with the inboard CV joints or transmission and I need to confirm this.

You mentioned replacing the axles, were the CV shaft replaced as an assy?
Was there any significant difference after replacement?
Were the replacement parts new or used?

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Thursday, February 21st, 2019 AT 1:08 PM

ACCORD04

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4 POSTS

I am not sure whether the CV shaft was replaced. And there was no significant difference after the axle replacement, which also I am not sure whether they were new or used.

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Thursday, February 21st, 2019 AT 1:08 PM

KHLOW2008

MECHANIC
41,814 POSTS

Quite often when the word axle is used, it means the CV shafts but since you are not sure, I would suggest checking it out first.

Check if the CV in board joint boots are in good condition and also if there are excessive side clearance. If the joints are firm but the inboard joint has excessive side play, it could be a fault with the trans differential.

After the axle replacement, were the symptoms similar or were there any significant changes in frequency or vibration level?

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Thursday, February 21st, 2019 AT 1:08 PM

ACCORD04

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4 POSTS

I checked with my mechanic that the CV shafts were also replaced along with the axle, and all parts were new. The problem remained the same even after this change.

I would also like to mention that the whole problem started when my right front tire went flat (I had to drive like that for a couple of miles before putting the spare), and I then replaced all 4 tires as mentioned in my first post.

Thanks.

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Thursday, February 21st, 2019 AT 1:08 PM

KHLOW2008

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Is the vibration felt only at the steering wheels or whole vehicle is vibrating?

Were the rims checked for damage, especially the one that had a puncture?

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Thursday, February 21st, 2019 AT 1:08 PM

ACCORD04

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4 POSTS

The vibration is felt in the whole vehicle. Even though I feel it coming more from the right side pf the vehicle.

The rim on that side was found to be a little bent, and so we tried moving the good rim from the back to the front and the bent rim to the back. But the problem still persists. Its weird that the problem happens at 50-65 mph. Would not a bent rim always cause it to happen (even at much higher speeds)?

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Thursday, February 21st, 2019 AT 1:08 PM

KHLOW2008

MECHANIC
41,814 POSTS

Imbalance are mostly confined to a certain speed range depending on the condition. It would taper off after a certain speed and might come back at another speed range. This is similar to unbalanced tires, the vibration would disappear after a certain speed.

The best way to confirm if the rim is the cause would to get another rim to test.

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Thursday, February 21st, 2019 AT 1:08 PM

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