1993 Toyota Corolla Car Shakes at 55mph

1993 TOYOTA COROLLA
140,000 MILES • 4 CYL • FWD • AUTOMATIC
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BOSTON MIKE
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Recently my car started shaking when I accelerate past 50mph, especially so when under load like going up a hill. I first noticed this on a uphill highway ramp near my home.

I recently had a tune up and replaced the front tires. All the tires were balanced. It still shakes like it did before.

I brought it back to the tire place and they informed me that my left front bearing needed to be replaced. The were not able to confirm whether fixing this bearing would stop the shaking. They also mentioned it could axel rods?

Would worn bearings cause the shake or am I looking at some other issue?
Jun 2, 2010 at 6:47 PM
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CARADIODOC
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Hi Boston Mike. Welcome to the forum. This sounds typical of a worn inner cv joint housing. When under light acceleration, the torque on the joint's rollers prevents them from rolling back and forth smoothly through the worn areas. The problem is often more noticeable when turning slightly.

One thing that will sometimes verify the cause is to find which engine mount sets the position of the engine and loosen and shift it a little one way or the other. That will change the depth each roller assembly sits inside the housing. If the problem goes away, or more likely, if the problem gets worse, you can be sure the housing is worn. I have an inspection procedure that I can copy and paste, but it's on another computer that isn't working right now.

Most people just replace the entire half shaft but the trick is to figure out which one is causing the problem. Most of the time it's the right one but either one can be defective.

caradiodoc
Jun 3, 2010 at 5:50 AM