Steering wheel shake under load

BOA69

MEMBER
2004 HONDA CRV
2.4L
4 CYL
MANUAL
320,000 MILES

My car gets a bad shake in steering wheel when I accelerate doing over 70 kmh. When I turn to the right there's like a grinding noise coming from front left of car and when I hit bumps or even sometimes just the contour of the road at speeds upwards from about 40 kmh there's a loud knock that comes from the front of car somewhere (I just can't seem to pinpoint exactly where it's coming from).
I have so far replaced:
L+R Front Lower Control Arms
L+R Front Driveshafts
L+R Front Wheel Bearings
L+R Front Lower Ball Joints
L+R Front Sway Bar Links
L+R Front Brake Pads
I'v replaced all these and the wheel still shakes like crazy & knocks when going over bumps.
Should I have replaced wheel hub as well when I fitted the new wheel bearings?
Also there seems to be a lot of movement in my motor but i'v checked engine mounts and they seem fine?
It has gotten worse since I had my clutch replaced but the mechanic who done clutch told me that it's got nothing to do with the clutch he installed (he had to remove K frame, driveshafts etc, and drop engine as the clutch is on the side of engine and can't be accessed any other way

I have it booked in to get 2x new Front Tires + a Wheel Alignment + replacement of both Steering Outer Tie Rod Ends.
Has anybody else had these problems with their vehicle listed above AWD 2.4L (RD7)?
Any idea what else it could be because I'm running out of ideas? (Eg. Adjustments or anything)

7 Replies

JACOBANDNICKOLAS

MECHANIC
109,874 POSTS

Hi,

Wow, you have replaced everything. LOL When this happens, does it bang in the steering wheel? Have you checked the rack and pinion mounts? There isn't that much left. The only other thing I would suggest checking is if the steering shaft universal has excessive play. It is at the bottom of the steering column and connects the column to the rack and pinion.

Take a look at the two pics I attached. Check this and let me know what you find. Also, you mentioned replacing the tie rods. If there isn't play in them, chances are they are good. Have they been checked? (Both inner and outer)

One last thought. How did you check for engine mount issues?

Joe

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Friday, January 10th, 2020 AT 8:30 PM

BOA69

MEMBER
34 POSTS

Thanks for your reply Joe. I only visually checked the engine mounts for cracks or signs of wear and they looked okay.
Tie Rods have not been checked yet but for the sake of $50.00 I think I will replace them anyway, nearly everything else is brand new.
I'll check the Rack and Pinion Mounts + the Steering Shaft Uni Joint tomorrow sometime and i'll let you know how I go.
I had a mate sit in car and I got him to put it in first gear and slowly let the clutch out and rock back and forth using the clutch, I did this to see if there was any movement in the engine, the motor moves quite a lot more than I expected but all of the engine mounts look fine and I also went over all of the engine mount bolts to make sure they were all tight (they were).
Could it be something internal in my gearbox loose or something? Car changes gears pretty good but the gear stick selectors are a bit worn and sloppy sometimes.

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Saturday, January 11th, 2020 AT 3:01 AM

JACOBANDNICKOLAS

MECHANIC
109,874 POSTS

Hi,

A small amount of movement in the engine is normal. If it is jumping up more than a couple inches, either there is a badly worn mount or one is broken.

As far as the transmission, chances are that isn't the problem. Manual transmission, unless really abused, are really solid and don't fail too often.

Let me know what you find with the other things. Also, remember, there are a total of 4 tie rods, 2 outer and 2 inner. I wouldn't want you to replace the outer to find one of the inner ones is bad.

Let me know how it goes.

Joe

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Saturday, January 11th, 2020 AT 8:34 PM

BOA69

MEMBER
34 POSTS

Still can't work out where this noise coming from and steering wheel still shakes, I think i'm going to just have to turn the radio up and try not to go over 70 kmh, lol.
There's no movement in Steering Shaft Uni and all seems to be pretty snug, Rack and Pinion Mounts all look okay with no visual signs of damage.
Hopefully when I get new Tires through the week it'll go away.

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Saturday, January 11th, 2020 AT 9:01 PM

JACOBANDNICKOLAS