getting frustrated with this vibrating.

[mechead11]

1999 mazda protege es

so, I know there are a few threads here about people having shaking/ vibrating issues. but, I have replaced the LCA's (w/ ball joints), the struts, the springs, the wheel bearings and I am going nuts. and I am starting to have trouble justifying putting this kind of money into a 1999 protege with 170,XXX miles on it. frankly, I am getting really pissed about it.(encourage

The wheels seem to start rattling at like 60mph, and then get wild right after that at about 70mph. They get worse when I brake, or when I depress the clutch to shift. the steering wheel literally rattles an inch either way.

I guess the next step is to 1.) get an alignment, 2.) replace the brakes 3.) say "**** it." and sell it.

 

[Joost27]

Have you had the wheels re-balanced. As for the vibration getting worse while braking, it cant hurt to do brakes while your doing everything else. Have you checked the motor mounts? I find it strange that it gets worse when you use the clutch.

 

[mechead11]

I actually replaced the tie-rod ends and got an alignment yesterday... and it made it ALOT better. but its still not great. next on the list is def the brakes. but they look like they have alot of life left on them. maybe I'll just have the rotors turned. and wheel rebalancing would prolly deffinitly help. I'll look into it. but I've already spent ALOT more money than a.) I wanted to spend and b.) I had this week.

 

[njaremka]

i would have had the wheels balanced first, but, whatever. all that other stuff has such a small impact on vibrations at speed. if the car vibrates when the brake pedal is depressed, try to cheer it up with new rotors.

 

[slavrenz]

i would have had the wheels balanced first, but, whatever. all that other stuff has such a small impact on vibrations at speed. if the car vibrates when the brake pedal is depressed, try to cheer it up with new rotors.

+1 on both of those things. Unbalanced wheels are probably 90% of your problem while driving, and warped rotors are probably 90% of your problem while braking.

Although, at 170,000 miles, those other suspension components were probably worn out anyways.

 

[mechead11]

yeah, everything was toast. and I had the tired rotated last night, and I do feel like that made a pretty big difference. I got it to about 80... and I mean there was traffic, so I was focused on not crashing but it seemed pretty alright. next week I'll have the tires re-balanced. see if that does the trick. so, if I replace the rotor... should I do the pads as well? the pads seem like they have a ton of life.

They look like they have alot of life.

 

[martispeed]

What about a CV shaft or whatever there called on this car?

 

[slavrenz]

yeah, everything was toast. and I had the tired rotated last night, and I do feel like that made a pretty big difference. I got it to about 80... and I mean there was traffic, so I was focused on not crashing but it seemed pretty alright. next week I'll have the tires re-balanced. see if that does the trick. so, if I replace the rotor... should I do the pads as well? the pads seem like they have a ton of life.

They look like they have alot of life.

I always do the pads and rotors at the same time. If the rotor is really warped, the pads have probably been wearing unevenly, and it's possible that they could cause the new rotors to warp because of the differentials in pad pressure.

 

[mechead11]

I always do the pads and rotors at the same time. If the rotor is really warped, the pads have probably been wearing unevenly, and it's possible that they could cause the new rotors to warp because of the differentials in pad pressure.

That makes a whole lot of sense. I guess I didnt think about it like that. I'll look into it next week.

What about a CV shaft or whatever there called on this car?

and I just replaced the pass. side. it had a tear, and was clicking. I may, or may not look into the driv. side. we'll see. after physical inspection of it, it seemed alright. and I am sure that the guys doing the wheel bearings would have said something about it. I just had it out not too long ago anyways when I did the clutch.

does anybody have any idea on resale/ trade-in on a 1999 mazda protege es 5 sp. thats its decent condition with very little rust? ...and a shitload of new parts on it. all stock. 'cept the AEM short ram.

 

[slavrenz]

That makes a whole lot of sense. I guess I didnt think about it like that. I'll look into it next week.

does anybody have any idea on resale/ trade-in on a 1999 mazda protege es 5 sp. thats its decent condition with very little rust? ...and a shitload of new parts on it. all stock. 'cept the AEM short ram.

Another thing to think about with the brake pads and rotors is that doing both at the same time eliminates any possibility of contamination from either part (e.g., if the brake pads get glazed or contaminated, this will be transferred to the new rotors, and vice versa if only the rotors are replaced. Essentially the part that wasn't replaced could ruin both parts).

If you use RockAuto.com, you can find decent rotors for about $50-60/pair, and decent brake pads for $30-40/pair. I figure $80-100 every couple of years to keep my front brakes in good working order isn't too bad.

As far as resale value, you might be able to get $3000-$3500 if you sell it yourself. If you want to trade it in, expect to only get maybe $1600. Although with 170,000 miles, that's really pushing it.

 

[mechead11]

yeah, thats what I figured. and rock auto it is that is not a bad price at all. thanks for the suggestion. and I might as well just replace all the pads and both the rotors. no sense on being stingy with something like brakes. 170,000 miles is alot... I know this. if I could get $3000 for it, i'd probably s*** in my pants in excitement. maybe I'll put it up on CL. see if anyone is interested. I just hate that I am going to get offered a bunch of really bad trades and get lowballed alot.