Honda Civic '96 - Vibrating Problem!! Please Help!!

branners69

Hi,

I have had a problem with my 1996 Honda Civic for a number of months. It vibrates real bad when turning right, more so in 3rd gear. The car has what I would consider low mileage of 50k.

From a quick look online the axle was mentioned, I was wondering if any Civic owners had similar problems?

I rang Honda Ireland and they are looking for €90 + vat an hour to look at it.

Heres hoping someone can help:(

Cheers

Branners

Edit// By the way the car hasnt been modified in any way..

Henry Ford III

Did you hit something hard?

Something is bent, or out of balance. Can't see what difference the gear you are in would matter, other than the speed.

Be methodical. If it's on a right hand turn only I'd suggest alignment or tracking is out.

1/. Get all 4 wheels lazer tracked. This will also tell you if the bodyshell is straight and back axle unbent.

2/. Get all 4 wheels balanced.

3/. Check all 4 wheel bearings.

4/. Check all suspension arms, steering arms, and balljoints for wear and straightness.

branners69

I was commuting from Balbriggan at the time, so I could've hit a sizeable pothole hard.

If I am doing a right turn in 1st gear from a stopped position it doesnt vibrate, gets worse in 2nd but is extremely bad in 3rd.

I dropped it into a garage my dad uses and they changed something to do with the cv joint(twice), but that didnt work! They now reckon its the gear box needs changing but this doesnt make sense to me so hence I am looking into it.

I know the bare minimum about cars so you'll have to excuse my ignorance, but how much would the suggestions 1-4 set me back, and could I get them done in any standard garage??

Many, many thanks for your help Henry Ford III

Henry Ford III wrote:

Did you hit something hard?

Something is bent, or out of balance. Can't see what difference the gear you are in would matter, other than the speed.

Be methodical. If it's on a right hand turn only I'd suggest alignment or tracking is out.

1/. Get all 4 wheels lazer tracked. This will also tell you if the bodyshell is straight and back axle unbent.

2/. Get all 4 wheels balanced.

3/. Check all 4 wheel bearings.

4/. Check all suspension arms, steering arms, and balljoints for wear and straightness.

Give it to your girlfriend.

The Clown Man

If you have larger alloys theres a chance they may be off balance or if your tyres are getting old they may be slightly warped causing vibrations. If it is serious vibrations getting worse as you go faster then it is likely something to do with your wheels.

Ratchet

i will go with Henrys advice but first logical thing to do would be to swap front wheels with the rear set and see if front still vibrates

bent hub or bent driveshaft could be also a problem

jayok

branners69 wrote:

Hi,
I have had a problem with my 1996 Honda Civic for a number of months. It vibrates real bad when turning right, more so in 3rd gear. The car has what I would consider low mileage of 50k.

Hi Branners69,

Could you give us more information on the vibration? Is it the steering wheel, gearstick, body, etc?

kluivert

Sounds like a Gear Linkage problem.

Does the gear stick vibrate badly as well

Now answer this what is vibrating exactly.

The whole car?

layke

Get a mechanic to look at it (and not someone who thinks they may know what the poblem is). So when I say mechanic I mean a honda specialist.

You may not decide to pay them for fixing it but at least they will give you an prompt & accurate idea of what's wrong with it, not maybes and guesses.

branners69

Cheers for the replies lads..

A bit more detail in relation to the vibration, when your sitting the passenger seat the vibration is under your left foot, it can be pretty extreme making the whole car feel 'shuddery', dont notice the gear stick vibrating..

I reckon layke is right.. I'll have to grin and bear the honda specialist costs to at least get an accurate diagnosis.. will just hope it aint terminal cos I dont really wanna start pumping funds into a 10 year old car:rolleyes:

Many thanx again for all your input, its really appreciated;)

SouperComputer

A bit more detail in relation to the vibration, when your sitting the passenger seat the vibration is under your left foot, it can be pretty extreme making the whole car feel 'shuddery'

just to clarify, when you turn right, the left hand side vibrates?

Sounds like something is rubbing on the L\H side in that case, but it only happens when the load is transferred from the R\H side.

greglo23

maybe you have bent something on the left hand side. when turning right the distance between the inner and outer cv joints is reducing to the point that the shaft between them is too long and is fouling on the inside of the cv's causing your vibration. the faster you go the more pressure is exerted.

another explanation for this could be a broken or loose engine or gearbox mounting . when turning right the whole engine and gearbox assembly will move to the left which would give the same result.

i saw this happen on an old golf and after turning left you could'nt get 1st gear. turn right and it was back !!! drove the owner and me crazy for a few days until i figured it out.

Henry Ford III

A lot of good stuff and theories here.

I reckon none of it needs a Honda mechanic to diagnose the problem.

Go to a local guy and save yourself a packet.

MercMad

I agree............stay away from the main stealer !

Simply jack up the left front side and support it well, with either an axle stand or some blocks, keep the jack there too ! Obviously it would be better if you could jack and suppport the entire front end nut hey !

Anyway just put it in gear, hanbrake on and let the clutch out slowly. The raised wheel will spin and someone else can observe the wheel, tyre and driveshaft for anything untoward. You wont need to get underneath the car, and please dont !

I suspect you'll find a wobble in the wheel, caused by a warper tyre, a buckled wheel or else you have bent a driveshaft, the latter being unlikely !

Good luck !

Mr Magnolia

Henry Ford III wrote:

A lot of good stuff and theories here.

I reckon none of it needs a Honda mechanic to diagnose the problem.

Go to a local guy and save yourself a packet.

I agree, stay away from honda. Could be some sort of a 'CV' joint

branners69

just to clarify yes it is when turning right and the vibrations are under the left foot of the passenger, weird I know but then greglo23 explained which makes sense to me!!

I'll get it checked out next week hopefully and will post an update to let people know the outcome

cheers for all the replies, how did I survive before boards;)