I have a 93 olds, cutlass sierra s, v6 3300 engine, 139k miles on it. I'm getting a vibration in the front end, and I'm not sure where to start looking for the cause. . . It happens at various speeds, so I don't think it's a wheel out of balance. The struts aren't the greatest, but when I bounce either of the front corners, and then let go, the car rises and stops. It doesn't pull to either side, while driving or while braking. The vibration is most pronounced when I'm taking a right hand turn. It almost feels like I've got a tire wobbling a little bit, but I don't. if I take a left hand turn, the vibration goes away. the same goes for highway speeds, if I go into the right lane, I get a vibration, go left, and it's less pronounced.

I've lifted the front end, and tried to find something loose in the front end - the tire, the rotor, a tierod, and even the drive axles. Nothing moves.

Could it be a CV joint going south? how can you tell if/when a cv goes bad?

any suggestions on diagnosing this appreciated.

thanks

 

Well, before you go to any extremes, the first thing I would do is have the wheels balanced. Always start with the basics. CV is a possibility. Had one go bad on my wife's Camry a couple of years ago and there were no other symtpoms other than the front-end shake. Hers mostly shook when you were at a moderate speed and stepped on the gas.

 

A bad inner C/V joint will act like that but so will a separated front tire. Examining the tire while spinning will expose that easily. It will be deformed.