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Caravan/Voyager Suspension

89 messages,  Last post on Nov 10, 2010 at 7:44 PM

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What is this discussion about? Dodge Caravan, Chrysler Voyager, Plymouth Voyager, Van

Messages Page 7 of 9

#60 of 89 suspension vibration by windycity5

Jan 02, 2007 (7:49 am)

I have 2002 dodge Caravan, and am getting the shaking, has anyone helped you by answering the question.
 
thx
windy city5

#61 of 89 Suspension Vibration by new_to_dodge

Jan 03, 2007 (5:40 pm)

Windy City5,
 
I was messing around with the van the other day and found a couple loose lug nuts on the front wheels. Not loose enough to fall off or anything, but I guess enough to give me that vibration. I tighened them up (especially the locking wheel nuts - they were the worst) and so far so good.
 
I haven't felt it since, and I have been trying to duplicate it by taking sharp corners and accelerating harder through the corners.
 
Hope that helps.

#62 of 89 Shimmy in the passenger wheel area at 30 - 35 mph worsening? by iyar

Jan 09, 2007 (6:06 am)

I am here in the northwest of canada and am extremely frustrated.
My dodge caravan is a 1994 with a 3.3 engine with overdrive and over 175,000 miles.
I noticed a couple of months back that the right passenger wheel seemed to start to shimmy at about 30 - 35 mph and then would disappear as I speeded up.
I drive the highway daily in mountainous terrain and am becoming more concerned with this issue as the condition is worsening.
I have been to several garages and get so many opinions.
I have installed 4 brand new tires and no change. I have had the uv shaft replaced and still no change.
The garage then referred me to a transmission shop as the mechanic noticed a drip from the transmission.
I went to that shop and he said that it would be 600 - 700 dollars to take apart the transmission to see if there is a cracked torque converter, pump problem etc. that is causing the drip; however no guarantee that it will fix this "shimmy".
I went home and phoned BCAA who I have been a member of since 1962 and they referred me to another garage as they said that they only do visual checks and that this matter needed a drive by a mechanic with me to advise of the problem.
I drove with the mechanic and he noted that the "steering wheel" had no vibration but both he and I felt the shimmy in the seat.
I asked what that could be and he said something in the back although the shimmy is in the front passenger wheel area.
No one will offer to put the van on the rack and inspect any area and suggest what the cost of an hours examination would be.
I am totally frustrated and want to get the issue repaired as i don't like highway driving in the mountains with such a problem exacerbating. especially as the highway is known for bad accidents. it is the sea to sky highway in vancouver bc where the Olympics will be in 2010.
Has anyone experienced such a problem as I really want to go into a shop and have another test drive and see what the mechanic says and be able to have an intelligent discussion and get the mechanic to do an hours work to research the problem and then go from there.
BCAA said that the transmission drip is highly unlikely to be the culprit of such a problem.
I really would appreciate any and all suggestions. i don't want to take it into a garage and say here find the problem and get a 7 hr bill with an inspection and no resolution to the shimmy.
Thankyou. BTW, I would appreciate ball park areas of cost to fix this problem if anyone has ideas, thankyou again.

#63 of 89 Re: Suspension Vibration [new_to_dodge] by wcskjb

Apr 19, 2007 (5:49 pm)

Replying to: new_to_dodge (Jan 03, 2007 5:40 pm)
My 96 GC with 130K rides OK in around-town driving, but at highway speeds the front right starts to shake like I'm driving over rumble strips. Lasts for about 5 seconds and stops.
 
Suggestions?

#64 of 89 Re: Dodge Rack and Pinion Steering [viclip] by gmac5

Nov 26, 2007 (2:26 pm)

Replying to: viclip (Oct 10, 2005 7:22 pm)
You can get rebuilt steering rack for under $200.00

#65 of 89 Re: Shimmy in the passenger wheel area at 30 - 35 mph worsening? [iyar] by chdabren

Nov 27, 2007 (3:50 pm)

Replying to: iyar (Jan 09, 2007 6:06 am)
I don't know if this information will help you, seeing as how u had this concern back in January, but .....did anyone bother to check to see if you had any excessive brake rotor runout? did they check your tie rods (outer and inner)? Did anyone check your rims to see if they were bent? How about too much runout in your front hubs? You mentioned you got new tires so I really doubt the problem is in your tires. You can however, have a bad rim. You say the vibration goes away the faster you go. This is because of centrifugal force. Newton's law. I'd have the entire suspension looked at...CLOSELY....and have the brake rotors measured for runout as well as the front hubs. Also, have the rear suspension looked at for a possible bent traction (panhard) bar. Good luck if you haven't had it fixed yet.

#66 of 89 Re: Shimmy in the passenger wheel area at 30 - 35 mph worsening? [chdabren] by mattdurm

Dec 03, 2007 (3:00 pm)

Replying to: chdabren (Nov 27, 2007 3:50 pm)
I caught your reply researching the same problem in my '03 GC SE. I have had vibration since putting new tires on this summer and just had rebalance for 2nd time and still have vibration. The vibration is noticable at about 40mph and then gets worse at 60mph. It is obviously not the tires and I do have a damaged rim. Mechanic said rim was not the problem and when I described it to him he thought it was something in front end. No. It is definetly in the rear and shakes pretty good. I have drums in the rear that need serviced. Could the drum brakes cause some kind of vibration? My kids will be disappointed if I can get it fixed because they won't be able to play the "uhhhhhhhhhhhh--h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h" game anymore. I can live without it. Thanks for any advice.

#67 of 89 Re: Shimmy in the passenger wheel area at 30 - 35 mph worsening? [iyar] by phxmotor

Dec 08, 2007 (4:57 am)

Replying to: iyar (Jan 09, 2007 6:06 am)
This is true for all front wheel drive cars:
 
At this milage it is very likely the wheel bearing. A shop loves this because it turns out very costly UNLESS you do this: Replace the entire "spindle"* with one from a decent wrecking yard. It is a lot smarter than having a new bearing pressed into the old spindle.
 
* The "spindle" is the big heavy steel piece the driveshaft passes thru... it also has the shock-strut bolted to the top of it... it also has the suspension bolted to the bottom of it... it also has the steering "tie-rod" bolted to the side of it... believe it or not: replacing it is no big deal... 1-2 hrs max.
 
How to tell if yours is worn out? Raise the offending wheel like you are going to change the tire... grab the top of the tire and pull and push... is there any "play" at all?
 
There shouldn't be. (maybe a tiny tiny bit) But a bad wheel bearing also makes noise when it is off the ground and is being spun anround w/ the transmission in neutral. A good one makes almost no sound.
 
I do this all the time w/ vehicles w/ this amount of miles... and I always get another 10 years of use.
 
Don't start replacing a lot of things just because the shop says: "we're in there anyway". When you need a new bearing, a used spindle is the way to go.
 
They all wear out at about this many miles... it's normal.

#68 of 89 Re: 01 DGC EX Front Suspension Clunking Again [masterpaul1] by harpitect

Dec 13, 2007 (11:39 am)

Replying to: masterpaul1 (Dec 07, 2006 10:16 pm)
It's over a year since you posted this question, but the problem is common, so information will help others.
 
I just had this work done on my '01 GC. Cost of the sway bar links and bushings, done at a tire store, was about $235. That's a lot less than the dealer quoted you.
 
John

Messages Page 7 of 9

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