PontiacBonnevilleClub.com

Hi,

I posted before about vibrations related to a certain range of engine RPMs, but now I've got possibly a bigger problem, which I first noticed yesterday, with 4 other people in the car. Regardless of what gear the trans is in, AKA what RPMs the engine is running at, when you give it gas the entire car shakes, but not below 40 mph or above 50. Now, I know the front passenger's side control arm is shot, probably pretty badly, and that the engine mounts are questionable, probably bad too, and the MAF sensor is bad. Could either one of those be causing this issue?

See if your tires are torqued to spec. Check your tie-rods, cv axles, wheel bearings, sway bar endlinks, and subframe bushings for any movements. Had a similar problem, once i changed my tie-rods the problem went away. See if anyone else chimes in.

Def get that control arm fixed first. Thats probably what it is.

PLAGUE PHANTOM wrote:See if your tires are torqued to spec. Check your tie-rods, cv axles, wheel bearings, sway bar endlinks, and subframe bushings for any movements. Had a similar problem, once i changed my tie-rods the problem went away. See if anyone else chimes in.

Ah yes, the CV axle, that was one of the things Belle Tire told me was wrong with the Bonne. However I still have neglected to check if it's actually bad, I must have driven it 1500 miles since they told me that and I still haven't had any problems, clicking noises etc. Because of all the other things they told me were wrong(wheel bearings, front swar bar links) that are fine, I'm pretty sure they were lying to me, but I will check when I get a chance...

By torqueing, you mean just tightening them all the way? that's all I've ever known to check.

dreadpiratesteve wrote:

PLAGUE PHANTOM wrote:See if your tires are torqued to spec. Check your tie-rods, cv axles, wheel bearings, sway bar endlinks, and subframe bushings for any movements. Had a similar problem, once i changed my tie-rods the problem went away. See if anyone else chimes in.

Ah yes, the CV axle, that was one of the things Belle Tire told me was wrong with the Bonne. However I still have neglected to check if it's actually bad, I must have driven it 1500 miles since they told me that and I still haven't had any problems, clicking noises etc. Because of all the other things they told me were wrong(wheel bearings, front swar bar links) that are fine, I'm pretty sure they were lying to me, but I will check when I get a chance...

By torqueing, you mean just tightening them all the way? that's all I've ever known to check.

100 ft. lbs is the spec. It's best to do it with a torque wrench to prevent warping of the rotors.

100 lb ft for steel wheels and 90 lb ft for aluminum.

Also check your tire pressure. Even if the cv axles do not make noises and they are bad, replace them soon. I neglected replacing mine on my previous car and they snapped and did more damage than what i could pay for. Better safe than sorry is what i live by on parts that look bad or are rusted out

You could have cracks in the cv boots, leaking the grease out and letting in dirt and junk.

I always go 100 ft/lbs on my cars, never had an issue....

PLAGUE PHANTOM wrote:Also check your tire pressure. Even if the cv axles do not make noises and they are bad, replace them soon. I neglected replacing mine on my previous car and they snapped and did more damage than what i could pay for. Better safe than sorry is what i live by on parts that look bad or are rusted out

If I could afford to have that mentality, I would abide by it. I'm pretty poor though. Working part time will do that. Hopefully in the next 3 weeks I'll be able to afford the CV axle.

dreadpiratesteve wrote:

PLAGUE PHANTOM wrote:Also check your tire pressure. Even if the cv axles do not make noises and they are bad, replace them soon. I neglected replacing mine on my previous car and they snapped and did more damage than what i could pay for. Better safe than sorry is what i live by on parts that look bad or are rusted out

If I could afford to have that mentality, I would abide by it. I'm pretty poor though. Working part time will do that. Hopefully in the next 3 weeks I'll be able to afford the CV axle.

You can replace just the boot, if that's just what it is, takes more labor than just replacing the whole shaft. It's a PITA and takes time, a cheaper route.

To ensure it doesn't snap and cause more damage than you can afford, Drive the car like a grandma. My bonneville has had bad cv axles for a year and they are still holding up cause i do not drive it hard.

I had this problem with mine. If I was driving solo it was shake as soon as I hit the gas at driving speeds and when I had a passenger it was like it was never there. I ended up changing my passenger side CB shaft with a used one for 25 bucks and it was probably the best investment I made on this car so far. Make sure your trunk is clear because they will need a code from under your spare tire cover. I had the F36 CODE. Best of luck.

I have the same problem. I took it and dropped off at the dealer today to look into it. It has been doing a popping sound on the passenger side when i make a right turn. has been an off an on thing so I was waiting for it to get worse since the dealer could not locate it last time. My car was shaking and had the tires balanced and it was no good, so I thought tires were bad and bought a set of yokohamas last week. still no good at 50 or above it just bounces all over and more on the right passenger side. I sure hope they find out what it is and fixes quick. Just hate that I spent all that money on tires and that was not the problem.

When I got my 2002 Bonneville about 18 months ago, it was boarderline scary to drive at high speeds (re: shaking). I replaced parts every couple months when I had enough $ to do so. It gradually got better, but nothing has completely nipped the "shaking" issue in the bud.
1) two new tires - sep 2010
2) new front suspension - nov 2010
3) new rear suspension - mar 2011
4) four new pads/rotors - sep 2011
5) two new tires - sep 2011

The biggest improvements came after the first set of tires and the rear suspension, but it still shakes at high speeds. I'm used to the minimal amount of shaking that it does, but with my dad's 1994 Bonneville as a point of reference, my car drives like *shoot*. It's just not going to get any better. And if another major thing goes wrong on it, I'm selling it.

chuckk_ wrote:When I got my 2002 Bonneville about 18 months ago, it was boarderline scary to drive at high speeds (re: shaking). I replaced parts every couple months when I had enough $ to do so. It gradually got better, but nothing has completely nipped the "shaking" issue in the bud.
1) two new tires - sep 2010
2) new front suspension - nov 2010
3) new rear suspension - mar 2011
4) four new pads/rotors - sep 2011
5) two new tires - sep 2011

The biggest improvements came after the first set of tires and the rear suspension, but it still shakes at high speeds. I'm used to the minimal amount of shaking that it does, but with my dad's 1994 Bonneville as a point of reference, my car drives like *shoot*. It's just not going to get any better. And if another major thing goes wrong on it, I'm selling it.

00+ Bonnevilles have an inherent shake at highway speeds. Some think its transmission or CV related but no one has been able to truly zero it down to one item.