I believe I have two problems now. The existing shaking/wobbling, tire wear, and popping is due to the control arm, im 99% sure.

Earlier in the thread I mentioned that the wheels feel like they shift forward and back depending on going forward or reverse. This is what im most concerned about now because upon further inspection, it seems the engine is twisting in the engine bay. I had my wife go thru a series of holding the brake while giving it gas in drive and reverse, while I watched the engine from the front of the car. This is causing the engine to make a twisting motion with the most motion/movement coming from the passenger side. I assume this is due to a bad engine mount but since I dont know much about the engine mounts or their placement, where should I start examining this to pin point which one? Or should I just replace them all if I have to do one? I know there are two engine mounts between the engine and subframe, correct? -But what about the mounts from the subframe to the frame of the car?

 

Could be worn bushings in the control arm or even the rack is another possibility . You can somehow get a prybar in between the metal and bushings and see if the wiggle. You'll need the car on jack stands and then a floor jack under the control arm to simulate weight on the vehicle. Another possibility is the popping noise can be strut bearing plates. Don't overlook the swaybay , bushings and end links.

 

Im thinking its the control arm, or rather that front bushing. Sway bars and links are brand new. Springs and shocks are rather new also.

Gonna change engine mounts next. If nothing improves, then Im changing the control arms. If those dont help, inner and outer tie rods but I dont think its the tie rods. If none of this helps, im living out my dream of driving it off a cliff while chanting, "O'Doyal rules".

Ive had all these parts for so long, should have changed them all before the problem got this bad.

 

I had a wobble on a Van once and the Tire had separated and had a big bulge in it.

 

Thanks for the suggestion but Ive had the tires balanced twice now and Ive examined them myself probably 10 times. I think ive narrowed it down. I previously checked the tie rods and assumed no play means no problem but its starting to look like they may be the problem. Those or the steering rack.

I will find out for sure in the next few days. Inner and outer tie rods are getting changed as well as the control arms. If its not one of those, Ill never figure it out. Ive changed just about everything on the front end.

The results ive gotten so far are unbelievable. The car is smoother than ever but there still exists a bit of shake at higher speeds and a horrible popping noise when when turning the wheels at low speed, worse while backing up and turning.


Can anyone give me any info on cradle bushings/mounts? How important is maintenance on these? Just like everything else on this car, the right side is demolished and flattened.

 

So Ive been driving the car for about a week now after all the repairs, pretty much everything up front. Happy to report most of the problems are gone.

No more pops and bangs when steering. No more wandering side to side. No more front to back motion with the wheels when accelerating.

Thing is, there was nothing obviously wrong with anything I removed and replaced. Tie rods were still very firm as were the ball joints. Bushings were a bit worn but nothing looked bad.

I found nothing other than a small dent in the control arm.

After all this the car has developed a different vibration but I know thats due to tire wear being uneven from the original problem.