'95 Taurus wheel shake?

Question

I've got a '95 Ford Taurus that I'm trying to keep alive through the summer till I can afford a new car.

The problem that has crept up lately is that the wheel shakes back and forth as I drive. Could this be the Tie Rods? Would this be worth fixing on a car that is only worth about a thousand dollars?

Answer 1

Even if the steering parts are bad, it's the tires which are causing the shake. Get some new, inexpensive tires, and get them balanced.....that should get you through the summer.

Answer 2

I sell a lot of those spindles and inner tie rods at my part store. I would try and jack up the vehicle and physically look at the inside and outside of the rim diameter for any signs of damage. If no damage on wheel is visible then grab the tire @ 12:00 and 6:00 and pull back & forth. Do the same @ 9:00 and 3:00. If it has play both ways it is most likely the spindle and hub assy. If it only has play @ 9:00 & 3:00 it will be the inner tie rod. All of these could cause that symptom.

Answer 3

If it shakes at low speeds then it is probably a bad tire, could be a bent wheel. If it crept up on you though it is a bad tire. If it shakes at high speeds could be that the tires are out of balance, or that a wheel is bent. Look at the tires and see if there are any obvious problems i.e. bulge in tread or side wall. Or have it checked out at a local tire shop it will only cost you about $20-$30 U.S. for them to check it, it could even be free if you have them repair it. It is probably not a tie rod, but your tie rods should be checked. Tie rods when worn will cause the steering to feel loose.

Answer 4

If the vibration worsens the faster you go, try rotating and rebalancing your tires. You may have a belt separation on one of your front tires, and sometimes it's hard for the tire repair guy to notice it since the bad tire will still seem to balance correctly. So move the front tires to the back also and see if the problem seems to move to the back of the car. Another problem is when the steering wanders on the highway due to excessive play in any of the front end suspension or steering components like ball joints, tie rod ends etc. Outer tie rod ends are the cheapest to replace.

Answer 5

Jack up the front, Grab wheel and shake back and forth if it does not move check the wheel weights, while you have it up look at the tie rods ends, good luck

Answer 6

Well i'd check or have checked, all four tires, and balance the wheels, this might rid the trouble... if not then have a trusted mechanic drive test and visual check the suspension parts... i'd also say it would be less expensive to fix instead of looking into a different car...

best wishes!

"/JOe

Answer 7

Could be many things,if it does this when you are applying brakes then the rotors are warped, if it seems worse at lower speeds then may be a belt broke in the tires, tires may be out of balance, may be a suspension problem, get a well known repair man to drive it and check it out.

Answer 8

Could be tie rods but more likely the wheel weights have come off one or more of your wheels, and your tires are way out of balance.

Answer 9

you could have lost a wheel weight - get your tires rebalanced and rotated, or have it aligned. if that doesn't fix it, then it could be your tie rods or even a loose ball joint. have someone with a little technical knowledge look at it - shouldn't be too hard to tell.