2005 Taurus V6 3l 45kmiles Shaking steering wheel/worn tires

Tiny
PWKENDALL
  • MEMBER
  • 2005 FORD TAURUS
I have a 2005 Taurus. Replaced wheel bearings and front tires 10k miles ago with alignment. The steering wheel starts to shake around 60mph. The new tires are cupped wearing on the inside. The wheel bearing noise seems to have returned. At 20mph coasting it seems that the wheel bearing type sound is most prominent. I think the problem may be cv joint problem. How do I diagnose the wheel bearing vs. Cv problem or what is my problem. I would appreciate any insight into my problem. Thanks.
Wednesday, August 9th, 2006 AT 5:44 AM

9 Replies

Tiny
SYNCRAIT
  • MECHANIC
  • 235 POSTS
A cv problem you will most notice in reverse. If you throw it in reverse and cut the wheel all the way to the left and back up or turn it all the way to the right and you hear a thunking or clicking repeatedly its the cv joints. What is the sound your hearing? Lemme know good luck :)
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
Wednesday, August 9th, 2006 AT 7:06 AM
Tiny
SERVICE WRITER
  • MECHANIC
  • 9,123 POSTS
A wheel bearing noise and a tire noise "can be" identical. I seriously doubt the cv joint is the problem.
A wheel bearing can sometimes be differentiated by slightly turning the steering wheel to the left or right and listen for the noise to change or stop.

I believe that you should rotate the tires and see if the noise/vibration changes. The tires should have been rotated once by now anyway. IF the inner tire edge is wearing there is an alignment (hopefully no worn parts) needed.
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
Wednesday, August 9th, 2006 AT 8:25 PM
Tiny
PWKENDALL
  • MEMBER
  • 11 POSTS
Think I have a bad tire.
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
Thursday, August 10th, 2006 AT 10:10 PM
Tiny
PWKENDALL
  • MEMBER
  • 11 POSTS
Had two bad tires on back. Replaced tires. Had the front tires moved to the back. The car rides better but the front end vibration is there and the bearing noise is there. I noticed today on a hard left turn into an alley a clunk when entering the alley. Small bump in the alley. I tried recreating this and it seems to manifest itself only onr hard left into a bump. Straight on over any bump, railroad tracks no clunk. The clunk is on the passenger side. Had the alignment checked and tie rods checked when tires replaced and all is well they said. I took the passenger tire off and rocked the axle back and forth and since I don't know what I am listening for or feeling for not sure if I could figure it out. Is it possible the CV joint is going bad or transaxle bearing going bad?
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
Sunday, August 13th, 2006 AT 6:52 PM
Tiny
SERVICE WRITER
  • MECHANIC
  • 9,123 POSTS
The wheel bearing should be addressed especially since it should a warranty issue. Don't put it off or you may miss the warranty period.

Who replaced the tires and checked the tie rods? Did they check the ball joints?

Does the steering wheel still shake from the vibration?

There is some skill involved to check, and have seen less experienced techs miss suspenson/drivetrain problems.

Having inner edge wear on the tires that were in front contridicts that the alignment is in spec. In my opinion.

Cv joint seems unusual for the age and miles on it, but seems like the symptoms fit.

Park the car, and have the wheels turned hard left,
push up and down on the passeneger side and see if you can re-create the noise. If so, get another person the can hold or see movement at the noise source.
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
Monday, August 14th, 2006 AT 9:54 AM
Tiny
PWKENDALL
  • MEMBER
  • 11 POSTS
I had the tires replaced at Big 0. They put the car on the alignment rack and hooked up all 4 wheels with some black box fit inside the rim. The back right was just.02 off alignment the rest were in spec according to the computer screen and the tech walked me through what they were doing. Before they hooked up the alignment boxes they moved the tires back and forth with the steering wheel unlocked and tried shaking top to bottom and looked at the tie rods. Doubt they looked at the ball joints. Like you say they may not be the best techs. I jacked the passenger side up to see if I could get a wiggle in the tie rods. Tight as can be. I rocked tire top to bottom and did not feel any play. I cut wheel all the way left to see if I could get some slop in the drive axle but not real sure what I was looking/feeling for. I had the front wheel bearings replaced 12k miles ago by Ford Certified tech under warranty-- could they go bad again? 20mph sounds like the "bearing" type noise is in the front at 40 mph sounds like it is more in the back. What kinda bearings are on the back of the car? Seems like the half shaft snaps into the transaxle [ anything special here]; to get the knuckle loose enough to get the half shaft out do I take the tie rod, swaybar and strut bottom loose? Doesnt seem like there is an eccentic bolt on the strut pinch bolt? I have to take the axle nut off also. Can I take the axle nut off with my impact or breaker bar? Thanks for helping. Like I say the hardest thing for me is moving the shadetree where I need it.
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
Monday, August 14th, 2006 AT 6:42 PM
Tiny
PWKENDALL
  • MEMBER
  • 11 POSTS
Forgot-- the steering wheel shake has lessened since the tires were replaced but there at around 65-70mph.
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
Monday, August 14th, 2006 AT 6:45 PM
Tiny
SERVICE WRITER
  • MECHANIC
  • 9,123 POSTS
--Wheel bearings can fail prematurely, I have seen it and had to warranty more than I wanted to. Thats how it goes I guess. May or may not be the same in your situation. I haven't seen the 05s, but there has to be a bearing set up of some sort. And same goes for the half shaft. We haven't had on in the shop that needed replacement. Probably same procedure as earlier ones. Being a Service writer and not a tech, I would be not helpful for replacing the shaft. I would make a few calls to some parts stores to find a shaft before you get too far into it. One local place did not have a listing for one yet. The r&r procedure did mention about replace the axlenut and nut for the ball joint after removing. Might want to pick up a manual. You can use a breaker bar or impact to remove the axle nut. You need to get the torque spec for installation to avoid damaging the bearing. I wish I could have been more help. Good Luck.
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
Tuesday, August 15th, 2006 AT 8:11 PM
Tiny
PWKENDALL
  • MEMBER
  • 11 POSTS
The front end shimmy was fixed by stabilizer links bad. I still have a clunk on the right side when turning hard left. The motor mount rubber near the strut tower has a small tear in it. Will that make a clunk? I can only recreate it when riding by myself. When someone else is riding with me I never hear the clunk.
Any ideas from anyone.
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
Thursday, August 17th, 2006 AT 8:40 PM

Please login or register to post a reply.

Related Steering Wheel Shake Content

Steering Wheel Shaking
GUIDE
Steering Wheel Shaking
A steering wheel is designed to operate smoothly and not shake during the vehicle's operation. Shaking conditions can vary depending on vehicle speed, road conditions ...
VIEW MORE