Still Trying To Solve Issues With My Car One Year Later

[Teegate]

All,

A little unusual post and I will delete eventually. Last year I discussed the many multiple car parts I had replaced while trying to eliminate a shaking/thumping with my car. Basically, I replaced, and had replaced, most everything I could think of and more, costing me thousands and thousands of dollars. The shaking and thumping persisted and I decided to just run the car until something went wrong. Well, a year later and it still is doing it and the car is still running.

So I decided to let Jessica's GoPro help me out by purchasing a super magnet and attaching it under the car. Without going into more detail here are my first two tests. The first one seems to prove to me that the CV Joint at the wheels are fine. The second one shows possibly the engine mounts are bad and it appears the top right sway bar bushing is worn even though I replaced them last year. I was not able to get up to 65MPH on the second video because the battery died just as I was getting on 295.

Anyway, I will be trying many more angles tomorrow hopefully and maybe I can narrow this down.


https://youtu.be/yOq2tjduazQ

https://youtu.be/vaKbHaTenIY

 

[bobpbx]

Interesting. I guess you can see the engine mounts in the second video, I can't.

 

[Teegate]

I can't see them but you can see the movement of the engine. With good mounts it should not move much and it appears mine does. I am not saying that is the problem, it is just something I need to bring forward to Honda. They told me they fixed the problem and they didn't. I am going to take the video to the service manager when I decide what it may be.

 

[Wick]

I am not an automotive expert. But the engine does seem to move a lot from the torque. Didn't Honda have an issue with the motor mounts?

 

[Teegate]

I am not an automotive expert. But the engine does seem to move a lot from the torque. Didn't Honda have an issue with the motor mounts?

They may have. I will check into that. Even if they didn't it is obvious with where I drive they could have an issue. I usually replace them myself but with this car they seem really hard to get to.

 

[Gibby]

Teegate, have you checked the strut mounts yet? We had them go bad twice on the Honda Element we once owned. The clunk was horrible from the broken rubber isolator that had failed.

 

[Teegate]

I had both struts replaced and even had one of them replaced again a month later. I bought all new tires. I had the right wheel bearing replaced. I replaced all of the sway bars and bushings, all of the rotors and a few of the calipers. I even had the drive shaft replaced as well as two new rims at $400 each because Honda said the two rims were bent and the drive shaft was worn. They even replaced the hydraulic steering unit at $1800 just for the part. Nothing solved the issue.

 

[this_is_nascar]

All,

A little unusual post and I will delete eventually. Last year I discussed the many multiple car parts I had replaced while trying to eliminate a shaking/thumping with my car. Basically, I replaced, and had replaced, most everything I could think of and more, costing me thousands and thousands of dollars. The shaking and thumping persisted and I decided to just run the car until something went wrong. Well, a year later and it still is doing it and the car is still running.

So I decided to let Jessica's GoPro help me out by purchasing a super magnet and attaching it under the car. Without going into more detail here are my first two tests. The first one seems to prove to me that the CV Joint at the wheels are fine. The second one shows possibly the engine mounts are bad and it appears the top right sway bar bushing is worn even though I replaced them last year. I was not able to get up to 65MPH on the second video because the battery died just as I was getting on 295.

Anyway, I will be trying many more angles tomorrow hopefully and maybe I can narrow this down.


https://youtu.be/yOq2tjduazQ

https://youtu.be/vaKbHaTenIY

Funny this post comes up, as I've been having a similar situation and was considering going this route.

May I ask which model GoPro you got. I'm not looking to send a bunch trying to figure out what's wrong in the front end of my Tacoma.

 

[Teegate]

She already had the Hero3 from years ago so we did not have to buy it. I just purchased the magnet to attach to it. There is no way it will fall off if it sits flat on metal. It is rated over 100MPH. I had the skin on my finger get caught under it when it attached to the car and I could not get my finger out from under it. At one point when I put it on I could not get it off at all. I had to jam a screwdriver in a hole on the frame and was able to maneuver it around and get it off.

 

[Teegate]

With the wifi Jessica was able to watch what was going on using her phone. Before we even were a mile on 295 she said in the first video that nothing appeared wrong.

 

[Teegate]

I have put it in neutral at 65MPH and the vibration/sound continues but slows down as the car slows.

Years ago I had someone press down on the brake and accelerate to find a problem I had and the next day I started to have transmission trouble and had to get rid of my car. One has to be careful doing that.

 

[Teegate]

Looking from the center of the car towards the back. Ignore the white tape which appears to be just starting to fall off. The driveshaft (propellor shaft according to Honda) looks good (It is new), and the only thing I see wrong is shaking of the exhaust which again is connected to the engine and could be engine mounts. The strange thumping noise is what I hear when driving.

https://youtu.be/2WAE7dv2APA

 

[bobpbx]

Damn! You are so right about that noise. My first thought is tires, but you don't need to say you checked them and the rims many times, I know.

 

[bobpbx]

Guy, it also sounds like a wind noise. Like the air rushing under there is being funnelled through the frame in an odd way.

Did you happen to tear off a fairing on the front of the car in the woods?

 

[RednekF350]

Those sway arm bushings are toast and can account for all kinds of thumping noises. One thing I found is that while Moog may be the most popular in front end parts, their sway arm bushing life is short. I tried Advance Auto's house brand, Carquest, and they have lasted over 3 years and are still tight in both of my F-350's.

 

[Teegate]

I will replace them again as I did them last year while trying to solve the problem. They did not solve it.

 

[imkms]

Have the front hubs been checked? I had an odd sound coming from my Tacoma, and after many test runs, and several Toyota mechanics checking it, it turned out to be the driver side hub. $1100 later and problem solved.

 

[enormiss]

Get on a Honda forum, odds are you are not the only one to go thru this. I'd suggest double checking any work you paid for, it may not have been done or was done poorly. My recent bad experience anyway.

 

[Woodsman]

I mostly "lurk" on this forum but I am having a similar undiagnosed car issue. I'm thinking of stealing your idea about using the GoPro to diagnose my own car wobble/issue. This probably occurred to you already but have you tried taking your car to a few independent repair shops just to see if they have any suggestions? I'm not saying throw more money at the problem but maybe get a second, third, etc. opinion.

 

[Teegate]

I have not taken it for a second opinion yet. I am going to work with the camera for a little while. The problem started around the time I had the air conditioner compressor replaced and I want to see if the compressor and/or the idler may be causing the shaking or vibration we are feeing and seeing.