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.
Logan when you say stiffened the upper strut mount do you mean replace, how would we stiffen it.
I have a 2001 STS with same issues i've been trying to figure out.
I will check my cradle mounts and do the socket trick.
Pete
Those VIN #'s from the Seville in the TSB do not match any numbers on my Seville's VIN. Does that mean that my Seville would be immune to these shakes and shimmy's people are complaining about and that that TSB is addressing?
Remove the strut nut. This can be done on the car without spring compressors etc.
I basically flipped the washer 'bowl.' I did use a stack of large washers under the bowl to fill the gap between the strut rod and the underside of the washer bowl.
But, this effectively tightens the upper mount dancing issue. The flipped bowl washer locks to the upper mount.
Those VIN #'s from the Seville in the TSB do not match any numbers on my Seville's VIN. Does that mean that my Seville would be immune to these shakes and shimmy's people are complaining about and that that TSB is addressing?
Basically, the bulletin is saying use the new control arms on 98+ Sevilles built before VIN#3U247643. In otherwords, a Seville built before March of 2003 doesn't have the new arms while the ones built from then on do.
Remove the strut nut. This can be done on the car without spring compressors etc.
I basically flipped the washer 'bowl.' I did use a stack of large washers under the bowl to fill the gap between the strut rod and the underside of the washer bowl.
But, this effectively tightens the upper mount dancing issue. The flipped bowl washer locks to the upper mount.
ha! Actually your first photo is one I took this weekend when I replaced my struts! in your 2nd picture with the bowl upside down, that is actually how I installed one of them, then realizing my 'error' i flipped to be like a bowl again.
Logan, it seems that this vibration affects mostly Seville's, and a few Deville's. One thing that I do not beliveve was addressed. What is different (cradle, suspension, etc) from the Seville's to the Deville's? That may well hold the answer. I do not know enough about these cars, to know the differences. Maybe you, or someone else, knows.
The 2000 and latter Deville suffers the same vibration problem as the 1998 and latter Sevilles.
I think both share the same cradle, strut, and engine mount style. I think both share the same exact problem.
Logan Diagnostic www.ledfix.com www.airbagcrash.com www.logandieselusa.com
Alright, that kills that idea. I was hoping this was the breakthrough we needed. Oh well. I still haven't checked my cradle bushings yet. But, it is supposed to be fairly nice on Saturday. I will check them out, and see what I find.
Don- I'm confused...I think this is the breakthru.....
I think the cradle mounts and the strut mounts are too loose on both cars. I think this causes the whole front end to jiggle on anything but perfect road.
I think both of our cars.....your Seville....my Deville.....share the same front end design.
Many Deville owners on other Cadillac sites complain of the exact same vibration as Seville owners. The dreaded 60-75 mph vibe.
The temporary sockets clamped in between the cradle and body.....and the stiffened upper strut bushings.....has removed 90% of the issue on my Deville.
The new DTS has a new engine/trans mount set-up where they added a dogbone to the upper right side of the engine. It's to keep the engine from moving around and to take some of the load off the front oil-filled engine mount, which tended to rip. Also, the front control arms were totally redesigned and beefed up over the old ones. From what I've heard, the engineers felt those two things contributed to the vibration problem.
Well, decided to check out the cradle mounts today. They all seemed to be in good condition. I noticed that they are made of a rather soft rubber. I would think that a hard rubber, or polyurethane, would be a better choice. Anyway, since they seemed alright (no movement), I decided to check the torque on them. All but one (there are six), needed at least a little tightening. The two rears were pretty loose. They both required about 1/4 - 1/2 turn. The others were about 1/8 turn. I have not yet driven it yet, but after I do (probably Monday), I will see if this had any affect.
i waiting to know the answer to this 1 because i have the same problem with my '02 deville. i too thought it was an alignment problem so i got the car realigned about 400 miles ago. before i drove the car off the lot the dealer tried to say that i would always have a little vibration problem because of the aftermarket wheels i have one the car.... which i knew was untrue b/c i had the problem before i changed the rims and tires. after reading this and seeing that people have the same problem, i think he was just putting the problem off on my rims. it has gotten bad again and i plain on getting it realigned again (becuase it does help) but i will tell him to check the engine mounts for tightness. although i feel like my frontend is out of line now and needs to be fixed the culprit has changed from a set of new rims and tires to a design flaw. :cool2:
Now....once you understand how the cradle mount works....you will see the rubber problem.
The upper mount plate has a sleeve that surrounds the mount bolt.....the sleeve travels down thru the rubber......the lower plate bottoms out (upward) on this sleeve.
So if the rubber decays....it does.... the mount cannot be tighten any further.
You could go 100 foot pounds over tourque and the mount will not be any tighter....
I have attached a paint shop pic. Here is the code:
Maroon: Car body
Black: Cradle
Red: Upper mount (note sleeve around bolt)
Blue: Lower mount plate
Yellow: Rubber
Pink: Cradle bolt
The Red upper....and blue lower cannot be tightened and closer due to the red tube mount. Blue bottoms out on red....
As for firmness of the mounts....you need a bigger screwdriver or pry bar. Try hooking the large screwdriver into the cradle...then hit it hard....that cradle is dancing all over the place. Vibration.....
Then think.....how would this cradle react on a not so perfect road at 70 mph?
Cadillac still shaking 10,000 miles later. Dealer replaced tires two more times, load force balance 5 more times, replaced front end buhings replaced tie rod end. Contacted Cadillac customer care, they offered me a $2500 coupon on a new GM car, is this anyway to deal with a problem they cannot fix. I was given an extended warranty to cover the front end. The shimmy/shake problem has never been resolved. Has Cadillac resolved this problem for anybody. Are these cars safe to drive with the shimmy/shake? Cadillac has refused to put into writing that my car is safe to drive!
Cadillac still shaking 10,000 miles later. Dealer replaced tires two more times, load force balance 5 more times, replaced front end buhings replaced tie rod end. Contacted Cadillac customer care, they offered me a $2500 coupon on a new GM car, is this anyway to deal with a problem they cannot fix. I was given an extended warranty to cover the front end. The shimmy/shake problem has never been resolved. Has Cadillac resolved this problem for anybody. Are these cars safe to drive with the shimmy/shake? Cadillac has refused to put into writing that my car is safe to drive!
Do you really fear for your life while driving your car? If so, sell it, and get something else. The shimmy I am accustomed to, is not dangerous. Just an annoyance. If you are experiencing a violent shimmy, causing you major concern, than you do not have the 60-75 mph shimmy. What you have is major problems.
GM's been using 6 mount cradles on Caddys since 1985 and I don't ever remember having any shaking problems until they eliminated the dogbone mounts.
One of the guys one the board changed the front engine mount to a racing mount and remarked how smooth everything was. That's the mount that always tears and leaks oil. Maybe if there's a solid rubber mount available frm an auto parts store, maybe the OEM on should be changed to see if there's a difference.
OK, I put my 98 Seville up on my lift last night and checked the play in the cradle mounts....and I found exactly what Logandiagnostic is describing.....there is lots of "WIGGLE" . It would wiggle everything...including the tires....this has got to be the problem....
I was able to tighten my cradle bolts about a 1/4 turn, but that did not help.
I also flipped over the "bowl" style washer on the top of the front struts....didn't notice much difference in the ride...but now I have a clunking noise when I hit a bump....so I am going to flip them back....
SO GUYS, what do we do to correct this....I love my Seville...but I get really frustrated when I drive it and have to deal with the "wiggles" in a car that should ride smooth.
Will buying new cradle insulators/cushions resolve it? I guess the only place to get then would be from Cadillac.....I can't believe that someone has not made these mounts aftermarket....in poly.
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