Re: HELP: 93 Toyota Corolla vibration problem!

"Comboverfish" <comboverfish@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message 
news:499a9447-1c30-44e5-8f52-aaea84339bc7@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
 Apr 18, 2:48 am, " krp" <krp24...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:


> > Replace both front brake hoses, replace the brake fluid, and bleed the
> > brakes.

> That may not get the problem. Most tire places use a "static balance."
> system.

< Which region(s) are you basing this data on?  Static balancing would
< yield a satisfactory result for most people most of the time, but what
< reputable shop relies on this method anymore?

    Static balance only examine ONE exis of wheel balance and trueness. 
Granted most GOOD shops use dynamic balance today. Ever been in a Wal-Mart

tire shop? K-Mart?

> Okay for some purposes on newer cars, but this car is 15 years old.
> Wheels on the 93 Toyota were not exactly the strongest.

< What exactly is wrong with 93 Corolla wheels?  Do you even know what
< their dimensions are?  How many lugs and what's their spacing?  What
< changed about this in 1998?

    The standard steel wheel on the Corolla is not the most robust. Which 
dimension are you talking about? The 15" rims with a 5 bolt pattern? Or do

you want to talk about the thickness of the steel in the wheel itself? If 
so, at what point in the wheel? You know the bead is pretty thick, but the

center section of the wheel where it is welded to the base is pretty thin.

You know, I've never taken a mic to measure the spacing of the lig holes. 
I'll have to get back to you on that. Also not being a Toyota expert in
that 
precise a manner, I'd probably never have seen the change from a 4 bolt 
pattern to the 5 bolt pattern.

> The wheel needs a dynamic balance and CLOSE inspection to see how true
it 
> is running. On the
> older cars potholes can tend to cause the wheels to become bent.

< Yes, newer cars avoid this entirely.

    No but wheel construction has been changed with more cars usily alloy 
wheels today.

> I'd start there. Also the Corolla of the 90's was famous for bad wheel 
> bearings.

< I'm curious, what specific problems were the "90's Corolla wheel
< bearings" famous for?  Would this include, say, a 1999 Corolla?

    The problems were in going SQUARE of not inspected and repacked every 
20,000 miles or so.

> We could assume it has disc brakes on the front wheels,

< Why assume something (that is groin-poundingly obvious anyway)?
< Really?  "Disc brakes" on the front of a 90's rice burner?  Wow, what
< will they think of next?!

    Round tires. Smart ass.

> A close inspection of the spindle and the rotor are next. Not knowing
how 
> many miles are on the
> car (generally we can assume over 100,000)

< Of course you can; you prophesied that his car has disc brakes!  Who
< would doubt your clairvoyance?

    Look clown - I know people with a 1989 Toyota with 40,000 miles on
them. 
I also know some folks with 200,000 miles on a 2006 Corolla.

> at this age as a minimum - you have all sorts of culprits along the way
as 
> possibles. Maybe even
> combinations. That's without getting to any suspension parts. Look at
the
> most likely first.

> 1. Bent wheel.
> 2. Bad wheel balance.
> 3. Bad bearing.
> 4. Bad rotor or worn spindle.
> 5. Suspension parts. (there are several high failure parts on the
corolla)
>
> The brake son the Corolla CAN be bad, but have been one of the more
> reliable things about Toyota. The only question here is how many times
the
> rotors were turned and how accurately. MANY brake shops are butchers.
The
> cut rate places often have poorly trained KIDS doing the job. Nobody 
> should
> be surprised when they screw up. If too much is taken off a rotor when
it 
> is
> turned, they get sort of square after a while. As the too THINK rotor 
> heats
> up it tends to go our of round.

< After a shotgun rotor replacement the problem still exists.Hmmmmmmmmm...

    I was speaking of TURNING the rotor. There are only so many times you 
can shave a rotor on the best of cars. Also lots depends on the mechanic, 
they can shave too much off.  And that isn't uncommon.

> Look at the most likely first. Brake lines are down the list pretty
> far. Since it is only ONE side that seems to be causing the vibration I
> would look for the most likely things first.

< Only one side wheel seems to be getting hotter that the rest.  That
< doesn't mean the source of the vibration has been isolated to one
< side.

    Yeah - and IF the problem is ONLY brake related (hanging calipers)
don't 
you think the rotor on that side would likely be a pretty shade of dark 
blue? AT least if not ridged?

> You MAY wind up with a bad brake hose, but I'd look elsewhere first. 
> Besides you can't really tell
> about the hose even when you remove it. Not unless it is obviously
> collapsed. Hardening of the brake hose arteries is not impossible, just
> unlikely.

< Let's copmpletely discount it then.

    I didn't say that, did I, smartass? I merely said START with the MOST 
LIKELY - then those things have been eliminated you progress. HOWEVER - in

this case IF it is brakes - most likely it will show. What I have seen on
15 
year old cars is repairs done often on the cheap. Rotors turned when they 
shouldn't have been. Calipers kept on when they should have been replaced.

One too many back yard repairs by owners. Usually young and inexperienced.

Again the KEY here is whether or not the tires were mounted in an ACTUAL 
garage or the back yard. IF this were the brakes as dogmaticly suggested 
here, IF the problem is a hanging caliper or a bad brake hose, then it
would 
have been hard to miss. IF the caliper is hanging with pressure not 
releasing, then the pads will be making constant contact with the rotors. 
BLUE AS HELL eventually. If it is that the brake hose on the right has 
collapsed or closed (hardening of the artery) than you sure as hell will 
tell it driving the car, and I don't mean a shaking. Don't you think if
you 
have ONE SIDE where it is working okay and the other side isn't that  when

you hit the brakes it would tend to PULL just a little bit? Maybe 
violently?? That's not what I read so far.

> You can start to see the problem when you spin up the wheel on the car.
> Most tire stores will CHECK the wheel balance OFF the car for free.

< You have a vast knowledge of what *most* shops will do.

    Look JACKASS - I worked for both Firestone AND Goodyear. I also owned
my 
own parts store. Am I a mechanic? NO! But I know a LITTLE about
cars.Enough 
to have raced in USAC and SCCA.

> Especially the store where you bought the tires.

< All above advice noted, now direct the OP to a competent mechanic.

    There are some things the owner can see. Like a BRIGHT DARK BLUE
ROTOR. 
Don't you think a suspensioin part or CV joint is worth of consideration?