Just took the first half off a road trip from Reno to Denver in my 2005 Deville DTS. On the way out Reno, about an hour into the trip I got a noticeable vibration in the steering wheel. I check the TPMS and all of the tires were at 38/39 pounds. I pulled over and used my hand held tire gauge to drop the pressure to 34. It help a lot. Has anyone else had this issue?
The second odd issue was when I pulled off the highway in Denver I hit some of the worse railroad tracks I have ever experienced in my life, and I hit them hard. I thought I had blown a tire put it turns out the car had actually died. Dash was off, engine was off. I pulled over, put it in park and it started up fine.. I took the car into Firestone and the front and right rear were way out of alingment. They aligned it and balanced the tires. Vibration is still there but I know they put more than 35psi in the tires. Could over inflation be the cause?
Also, I checked for codes and there were none. I am wondering if my hand flew up and hit the ignition when I hit the tracks.
38/39 PSI is WAY too high. Proper pressure, checked COLD, is listed on the drivers door.
Over inflation can amplify a vibration, but not cause one. The cause is an out of balance rotating part: damaged rim/tire, corrosion buildup between the rim/rotor/hub mating surfaces... A bad motor mount (usually the front mount) can also cause vibration..... Gone over hundreds of times here and in the Eldo/Seville forums.
FWIW, if the tracks are what threw the alignment off, one or more steering/suspension components are damaged. Rims and especially tires may be as well.
Firestone gave me the before and after on the alignment and it all back in spec. I drove it out to Blackhawk and it drove straight as an arrow, just the annoying vibration over 60ish. I will check the cold pressure in the morning. I wonder if a Road Force Balance would help. The tires have plenty of tread on them but I have only had the car 5 months or so. Could be there is a bad belt. Since lowering the air pressure seems to reduce the vibration I am inclined to think wheel/tire over motor mount. I did put it in neutral at highway speed and it didn't seem to make much difference.
I think your car is spec'd for 30 psi tire pressure, COLD. Never check and/or bleed tires when hot - the cold inflation pressure recommendations take the normal temperature pressure rise into account. That recommended pressure is an all-around ride quality-tire life-handling-gas mileage-braking figure. Some people cheat a bit and run 32 psi cold (Me, for one).
On your tire sidewall is a "maximum cold inflation pressure" stamp. That would (could) be used for your Bonneville Salt Flats speed runs - but at no other time.
I have to drive back to Reno this weekend. Will make sure the tires are at 30 PSI when I leave and see how she rides. Keep in mind the vibration showed up before I hit the tracks and Firestone looked everything over. I had told them I hit the tracks so they had a chance to try to find something wrong and do the repair. Not saying they may not have missed something, just thinking its probably more of a tire issue then a suspension one.
Anyone have any thoughts on why it may have died when I hit the tracks.
had the same thing happen to me and i had a bent rim. mine were after market tho. take them off and look at the rim from both sides. if its bent youll be able to see it
Thanks MC. I wonder if its a computer thinking there was an accident thing, although you would think it would have called OnStar
Les Schwap has a road force balance machine. They offered to looked at everything and check the balance on the tires. I will run it over tomorrow while my friends are at work.
I suggest balancing the tires. It's a cheap firs step to trying to figure out what the issue actually is. I know I had a vibration at about 65 - 70 mph and it went away at 80 mph that turned out to be a tire balance issue.
Thanks Ranger . I am getting the RFB done in the morning. After that a friend of mine and I are driving to Castle Rock so I should be able to get it up to 80mph on the trip. Will let everyone know how it goes.
Problem solved. The Road Force Balancer showed all four tires out of round and one with a nasty high spot. They put four new tires on her and she was smooth as, we'll, a Cadillac on my short freeway run.
Next project will be to replace the leaking strut I noticed today, but that can wait for a while.
Problem solved. The Road Force Balancer showed all four tires out of round and one with a nasty high spot. They put four new tires on her and she was smooth as, we'll, a Cadillac on my short freeway run. .
Glad to hear your problem is solved. :cool2: I am having some hi-speed vibration issues as well, and I've got appointment for four new Michelin sneakers tomorrow.
Depending on the speed rating of the tires you installed (your car is set at a 130 mph limiter) you could get outta town and verify that the car is smooth to 100+.
Speed limiter setting - the tire rating on the driver's door sticker --------
I am still planning a trip to Castle Rock today. Was going to go yesterday but ended up at the tire shop. I should be able to run her up on that trip but I doubt I will hit 100. Maybe 90.
Let me know how it goes mojo. I had her up to 90 yesterday without an issue. I am heading back to Reno today. 16 hour trip, boooo, wait, it's in my caddy, yeah!!!
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Cadillac Owners Forum
4.8M posts
369.7K members
Since 2002
Cadillac Forums is the perfect place to go to talk about your favorite Caddys including the ATS, CTS, SRX, Escalade, LYRIQ, Vistiq, concept and future Cadillac models.