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87K views 252 replies 57 participants last post by  derone 
#1 ·
2001 STS 34,000 miles

My 2001 STS has been back to dealer nine times for this 60-75 MPH Shake/Shimmy. Cadillac zone rep drove the car and said it is OK. This problem comes and goes. after having a tire store balance the tires it lasted 300 miles. Now time to balance again, this game is getting old. Went 300 miles without any problem, now Shake/Shimmy again.


Owned 92 STS and it drove perfect, no shake/shimmy. Also owned a 1997 Concourse, drove perfect too. What did Cadillac do to their front wheel drive. They have replaced the tires (1.5) sets, 6 balancings, front control bushings replaced. Cadillac customer care offered free tires and oil changes for two year. I said "No thanks I just want my car fixed. They said they would continue to work on it. I think Cadillac dealers need special hotels for owners of this Shimmy/Shake problem. They can balance at night while we sleep. The dealers are getting tired of seeing me as they have no solution.

How many thousand Cadillacs are out there that have a Shake/Shimmy problem.

Frank in Dallas texas
 
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#6 ·
I empathize, I had my tire company change 15 tires - all Michelins, but this was more to do with radial run-out or out of true. Modern tires are not what they were despite all the hype.

Would the dealership loan you a pair of wheels with entirely different tires? A test of this type might save them a lot of trouble as well as eliminating you rims. Does the shimmy stop if you apply light breaking? Is there any flutter on the break pedal during light breaking at the problem speed?
 
#7 ·
Rob, I asked the last dealer to eliminate the tires and wheels by substitution, they declined. Dealers are not to sharp on thinking outside the box. Applying the brakes do not chang the symptoms. Back to another dealer today, the dealer told me these models have a design flaw and not sure they can fix it. I have made an expensive mistake, Cadillac will not own up to this, sham on them. I will buy a Lexus and stop hanging out at the Cadillac service department. Cadillac is offering an extended warranty on the drive train, doesnt look like much value considering this botched front end they cannot fix.
 
#8 ·
I recently purchased a 2001 sls and it has this problem of shimmy at 65-75 mph. I was looking for some answers and ran across your message.Did the dealer ever fix this? I have replaced the tires as well and it didn't go away I was planning on resurfacing the rotors next, but it sounds like that may not do it. Any one out there with the answer?
 
#242 ·
I have the same make/model and shimmy at the same speeds. Bought it with the shimmy at 18K miles and thought that a set of tires and 18" wheels would fix the problem...silly me. Took it to the dealer with the understanding that I didn't want it back until it was fixed. They replaced lower control arms, one tie rod end, one wheel bearing...all to no avail. The then charged $82 to do a road force balance...no improvement. Next we aligned it front and rear...no help. Had them turn the all four rotor...still scratching their heads. They began swapping tires/wheels from other caddies. The second set reduced the vibration substantially but did not eliminate it. After reading all the comments I am inclined to think that it is a tire/wheel balancing issue. I am going to have my tires "shaved round" and go to a better/experienced tech for another RFB. While i am at it I might as well replace the lug nuts and wire brush the mounting surfaces...I've tried almost everything else. Where is the manufacturer when it comes to systematic defects/weaknesses like this?:rant2:
 
#10 ·
I also have the shimmy shimmy shakes. I popped into the dealer the other day, to inquire about front struts. The service manager asked how many miles. When I told him, he said the struts should be fine, as they normally last near 100k. He stated, which was backed up almost immediately by a service writer, that the tie rod ends fail prematurely on these cars. He said they replace them all the time. So, I am going to get me a set of these, and install them myself, as I never pay $, for what I can do myself. I do not know when I will get around to do this, but will post the results when I have them.

Don
 
#11 ·
To all who care. I was reading up on this vibration issue, and came across a free "fix". Although I am not claiming this as a fix, it has helped. One person claimed that increasing the air pressure in the tires, fixed thier vibration. I figured, why not give it a try. My SLS sticker, says 30 lb front and rear, which didn't seem right to me, but I kept them at that pressure anyway. It doesn't make sense, as most of the weight is on the front tires, to have the same in the rear. Anyway, I increased the pressures to 34lb front, and 32lb rear. On my trip to and from work today (39 miles each way) I intentionally drove in the 60-75 range, which was my trouble spot. The worst part of that range was 70 mph. With the new pressures, the problem still exists, but is not as bad anymore. Right now, 65 mph is the worst spot in the range, and it isn't too bad. Driving 70 mph is a joy now. On a side note, at speeds above 80 mph, I haven't felt any vibration, before, or after, the new pressures. I am still going to change my tie rods, as it is a cheap repair. If the tie rods do not help, I should be out less than $80.00. So give it a try, if it doesn't help, just put the pressure back. It doesn't cost anything.

Don
 
#12 ·
Dadillac,

Did you ever replace your tie rod ends, and if so, did that cure your vibration problems?

My 99, with new Michelin MXV4 Plus tires, has the vibration in the same speed range you had.

At 81k miles, I would rather have to replace tie rod ends than consider possibly changing out the struts. I already had the tires road force balanced, which didn't solve the problem.
 
#13 ·
Wow, this is a thread from the past. I completely forgot about this one. Anyway, tstach, I did change the tie rod ends, and they did not cure the problem. I have so far, changed tie rod ends, complete brake job (4 rotors and pads), rear shocks, front struts, two sets of wheels and tires. The vibration is still there, although it isn't quite that bad anymore. The front struts did the most good here. It is very liveable, and i am not searching anymore. The worst that it feels, is like a tire that is only "slightly" out of balance. The worst speed is about 64 mph. Again, it is just barely noticeable. Good luck.

Don
 
#16 ·
Since I recently got new tires, I was in for the 5000 mile balance and rotate. They had the Hunter GSP 9700 machine that they road force balanced the tires on. I had the vibration before they were balanced, but it seems like now it is a little worse and across a wider MPH range than before the tires were rotated and balanced. This leads me to believe that the wheels may be part of the issue.

What about wheel torque? Of course, they cranked the lugs down with an impact, so I always re-torque all lug nuts. The only problem is that my torque wrench only goes to 80 ft-lb. I believe the spec calls for 100 ft-lb. I shouldn't be creating any potential for warping, however, could 80 be too loose?

The shimmy is not in the steering wheel nor is it in the brake pedal. I can feel it the most when my foor RESTS on the gas pedal while driving between 63-78 MPH. With the cruise on and my foot off the gas pedal, I can still feel the vibration a little through the seat.

The odd thing about this is that when I bought this car, in 2002, the dealer put new OEM Eagle LS tires on it. I had the vibration problem immediately. They did an alignment, rotation and re-balance of the tires and I never had the vibration problem again. Now, this is with the Eagle LS', that seem to be a big problem.

I now have Michelin MXV4 Plus tires all the way around and have had them road force balanced once. Could be that the guy balancing the tires didn't know what he was doing. I'm at 81k miles and really don't want to think about dealing with strut replacement until sometime after 100k miles. The car has been mainly driven on the highway and has no other problems.
 
#19 ·
Sometime in the future (read before the summer) I am going to do some testing. I am beginning to think that the "shimmy" problem with our cars, is aerodynamic. I am considering using tape and cardboard, to "adjust" the underside of the car. Like the area right below the radiator, and the area just in front of the rear bumper. I was involved in an accident back in April, where I was rear ended. As a result of the accident, my car was "shimmying" more than usual. I checked under the car, and noticed that the bumper cover, had come loose. I used tie wraps, and secured the bumper back on. The shimmy became "normal" again. Also, and this may sound wierd, the car shimmies more, coming home from work, than going to work. Now, the same thing happens on my Harley. The only thing I can attribute to this, is the wind. There almost always seems to be a headwind, while coming home from work, and a tailwind, going to work. I am thinking that the wind that gets underneath the car, is hitting something that is sticking down, or shaped like a scoop, and causing this situation. I know that this is a stretch, but I am going to give it a try.

Don
 
#20 ·
Don, I don't want to discourage you but FWIW, my '99 STS does not shimmy at any speed up to 90mph. That's as fast as I have pushed it. And it gets pretty windy here in the land of Oz.

Now my old Kaw H2 750 would pick up a shimmy. One time it was so bad it threw me off at 114mph on a drag strip. I don't know if it was weather, track or bike condition or any/all of the above.
 
#21 ·
2001....

Have done both tie rods. 35 psi. Michilens.

Here is something I found today in the electronic service manual.

Brake hardware replacement. Apparently, there is a newer version front replacement caliper bolt. It is a non-tapered bolt non-rubber bushing design.

My dealer had no idea. I had him look up GM document 800385.

"When sevicing a brake caliper equipped with the first design hardware it will be replaced with the second design hardware. The second design kit contiains NIGLUBE and redesigned caliper pins."


The kit part # is 18046666. Ordered mine from GMpartsdiect.com today. 2 kits for a total of $43.

My calipers seem to have a lot of wiggle.....I wonder if its a dancing/vibrating caliper issue? The current tappered bolt with rubber bushing would seem to create a lot of vibration.


Also tires. Next time....I would suggest trying the Michilens available from Cadillac. They are more expensive, but they have been tested for load variation. What you are looking for is the GM part # Michilens, not simply a Cadillac dealer selling Michilins.

Logan Diagnostic
www.ledfix.com
www.airbagcrash.com
www.logandieselusa.com
 
#22 ·
Here is the reason that I do not agree that the shimmy we are feeling is tire related. When I first bought my car, it had the Symmetry tires on it. On the drive home from the dealer, the car was shimmying. The next day, I had new Good Year Assurance tires installed, with an alignment. The car still shimmied. I later had new aftermarket wheels installed, the car still shimmied. I had them Hunter Road Force Balanced, and the shimmy felt worse. I then installed new Kumho tires, the car still shimmied. I now have newer Kumho tires, with a new set of wheels, in 18" instead of 16", and the car still shimmies (although much less). The Good Years are currently on my brother-in-laws '93 Lincoln Mark VIII. The car rides smooth as glass. The Kumho's, with the aftermarket wheels, are currently on my sisters '95 Pontias Bonneville. The car rides smooth as glass. Anyone who has had the tires fix the shimmy, hasn't really fixed the problem. The Michelin's, may have a different sidewall, or something, which aids in masking the situation from the driver. I am not sure. But, four sets of tires, and three sets of wheels, cannot all be bad. The odds of that is rather small.

Don
 
#23 ·
I think Dadillac has raised a number of excellent issues that often get overlooked. I have had the Hunter Road Force balance performed and the problem seemed slightly worse. The dealer changed the lower control arms based upon Cadillac's suggested procedures, and nothing changed. I recently had the tires rotated and the problem seems slightly better, but not gone.

The fact that tires that supposedly cause this shimmy work perfectly well on other cars tells me there has to be more to this than we are seeing. Additionally if you read the posts, some people swear Michelin tires have solved the problems, and others see no improvement after spending hundreds of dollars. As I have stated before, I am disappointed that Cadillac has not used its resources to better identify the problem and solution.
 
#24 ·
Those are good points Dadillac and JPL189. My symptoms are very similar. Road force balancing did not cure. And as I had mentioned before, the Eagle LS' did not vibrate at all during the 3 years I had them on the car. I always wondered why my LS' wern't problematic like they were on many other owner's cars who post here, but now the Michelins are.

Maybe it's not the tire after all. I'm going to check my pressure this weekend and try 35PSI as mentioned by Logandiagnostic.

Todd
 
#25 ·
I agree...there cannot be that many bad tires...that being said, the best road force ones can be found under a GM part # at Cadillac.

I also agree, there is something wrong with the some part etc with these cars. Everyone has the same issue with 65-70 mph vibration.

One issue may be the caliper bolts. Most cars will have a tapered bolt with bushing in the caliper. I look at how much mine wiggles by hand....imagine 65-70 mph.

It is some type of harmonics issue with the car.

Note:

There has been a non bushing style caliper bolt issued. I ordered mine earlier today.

There have been new control arms issued. No fix.

It could be a motor mount issue. Early '90s Foad Taurus had a similar engine mounted design with 4 lower mounts. wiggle, wiggle, wiggle. Problem was never really fixed.

The early cars used upper dogbone mounts. These do not.


Logan Diagnostic
www.ledfix.com
www.logandieselusa.com
www.airbagcrash.com
www.crashdatainfo.com
www.logandiagnostic.com
 
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