I have an 03 X-Type and I was trying to get an idea on what the problem could be. It would make a difference on where to take my car for the repair, some repairs are covered under my extended warranty so I'd be taking it to a dealership - others arent.

I feel vibration when I drive on the freeway, I am 95% sure it is coming from the rear driver's side. I lifted the car up and found a potential issue when I move this tire. If I grab the tire at top and bottom, or 12 o' clock and 6 o' clock, there is movement/play. However, when I grab on the left side and right, it is solid. All other tires are solid on the car.

I was thinking maybe a stabilizer bar or hub assembly could be the problem. Any ideas would help.

Thanks either way for your time....

 

Wheel bearing would be my guess.

 

ya i think im going to replace the hub assembly / wheel bearing. i found out that its like every other car ive owned and its all one piece.

thank you for your input....

 

yes rear is a seal unit so you can do it yourself.

front wheel bearings are press in the hub and it only goes in one way very easy to get it wrong. front wheel bearing have a magnet which the front wheel speed sensor read to get front wheel speed reading. if it installed wrong you'll get codes and have to buy another wheel bear cause removing it will break it in two.

note: alittle play in the wheel bearing may not give you a vibration. but good to change it before it goes out on you.

 

good info came in handy!

 

I got the rear hub assembly and will be looking into swapping it out myself tomorrow. Is there a set of instructions that is straight forward on doing this? I have all the tools and stuff but have never actually done one of these. I am debating taking it in to get it fixed, not sure if I should or not since I don't know how hard it actually is.

 

A faulty hub bearing most likely will not cause a vibration. It will cause the normal 'groaning' from the faulty bearing. Is the vibration constant? Or does it only happen at a certain speed, then go away? Check tire balance and quality to start. A seperating tread will give you a constant vibration.

 

I changed the hub assembly since it did have some play in it. However, as you expected, that was not the problem. The car still vibrates, pretty sure in the back end again, when I hit like 50mph. The balance on the brand new rims/tires has been redone a few times. The hub assembly is brand new on the rear drivers side. But, if I jack the car up, I can still move the tire when I grab it at 12 and 6 o clock. There is still play in there and I'm almost positive thats where the vibration is originating.

Is there any bushings or anything like that maybe?

 

Wolv, when you look at the rear tire in question, does it look like the top of the tire is pushed in towards the center of the car? It is possible that you have a bad bushing on the upper control arm, which would result in play, leading to what you are seeing. Unfortunately, this part is not available from a local auto parts store. You would need to obtain it through your local dealership or via say Ken@britishparts.com. I would try Ken first as he can normally get you the part at a discount.

I would say to get a friend to help you out, but to lift the tire in question and move the tire so you get the movement that you are after. You can have your friend see where the movement is occurring. That is the best thing to do short of taking it to a shop for repair. On a side note, try not to place your hands at the 12 or 6 o'clock positions. Should the vehicle fall off the jack stand due to the force you are placing on the tire, it can lead to serious injury. Use of say a 2x4 is recommended.

 

I see you said it has new rims. Are they after-market? Do they fit the hub perfectly? Because alot of after-market rims need 'centering rings' added to the hub to make sure there is no play between the rim and hub. If they don't need the rings then try giving a tire rotation on that side to see if problem moves with wheel or stays in the rear. As said before, try getting someone to help look where the play is when you move the rim; 4 eyes are always better than 2.

 

Thanks y'all! I am going to check the bushings today because one of the lowers actually looks pretty warn. I am going to see if there is movement at that point when I move the tire at 12 and 6 o clock again. I do have my friend that is going to help me out today so we should see something between the 2 of us. If not it is off to the dealership!

Just a little history of this car, the vibration has been going on for a month now but i rarely drive it. I originally had the factory rims on it and was told it could be one of those rims bent. I was told that it is common. So I bought these brand new rims without any convincing since I wanted them anyways. The vibration did not get any worse or better. Because it stayed the same with the AM rims as the OEM rims, I didn't consider them being the problem. I will check that as well though and see just because I'd hate to bring it to the shop and them say its something simple like that.

Thanks again and I will let you know what comes of this.

 

UPDATE : I am still fighting this battle. The dealership said it was the tires, since they were an off brand (although brand new) that came with my rims. I went and bought some brand new Cooper directionals and its still doing this. Its not as bad but I definately want it gone once and for all. It vibrates between 60-75 mph. Any speeds below or above those limits and the car rides like a dream.

I am going to look into the suggestion about the centering rings. The only reason why I think it is more than this is because I felt the same vibration when it had the factory rims installed. I replaced them with these new rims and the same vibration exists. I am going to look into those centering rings just because I dont see them being expensive.

Any more suggestions is always appreciated. Thanks again!!!