so i have been chasing this steering wheel vibration...

[themadness]

normally vibrations in the steering wheel are first and foremost tires, alignment, etc. although i do need new tires i dont think this is the issue here. tie rods, cv joints, hubs, bearings......are all good.

the vibration i have is in the steering wheel pretty much any driving speed and gets a little worse with increase. heres the thing i dont get......it gets a lot worse with the a/c on. VERY NOTICEABLE. that leads me to believe its not wheel/tire related. with that said....

everything i read about vibrations that are worsened by the a/c pointed to harmonic balancer, belt tension, wobbly pulleys, motor mounts, or the compressor/clutch itself. the compressor has already been changed not too long ago. i have noticed the a pulley that appears to have wobble but i dont know what would be acceptable.

which one of the possibilities seems to be the best place to start(other than tires)?

[Money pit Beretta]

I have yet to see a FWD pulley wobble. You sure you don't have a bad mount?

[themadness]

the one on the top passenger side has been changed. not sure about the condition of the trans mount or the other engine mount.

what role does the a/c compressor play? why would turning it on worsen the vibration?

[Koots]

An accessory drive pulley should not have any noticeable wobble in it. Most will tear up or melt a belt, if it's bad enough to create a vibration or wobble like you describe.

If it wobbles more than the rest, make sure that all the pulley are lined up properly and check the belt for unusual wear patterns.

[Money pit Beretta]

More drag on the engine. I have a "solid" lower mount (dogbone) and the car shakes much more when the AC is on.

[themadness]

is the shake primarily in the steering wheel?

[berettaboi]

cheapest, easiest and most obvious is a tire with a thrown belt... or out of balance.

the steering nor the wheels are directly attached to the crankshaft or engine at all, although it could be reverberated through the driveline. the engine and tranny mounts being worn out would amplify that. is you engine noticeably running a bit rough? you can roughly check most of you motor mounts by leaving the car in gear with the hood open and pushing or pulling the car and seeing if the engine moves 'more than you think it should'

[themadness]

holy shart!

the vibration has turned into a full blown wobble! it literally feels like the wheels are wobbling off the front but everything is tight and the air pressure is good. when i take off there is "loping" movement and the steering wheel agitates in a similar fashion as a washing machine, clockwise. let go of the steering wheel and there is a HARD pull to the right. it calms down at around 15mph but is still noticeable as hell. i havent gone over 45 out of sheer fear that the front end is gonna fall off.

any ideas? guess its goin to the shop on friday...

[berettaboi]

now you have a bent rim

[berettaboi]

have somebody drive your car while you stand outside and watch...

[themadness]

What are the odds that a tire has popped a belt? They are aquatreds and are old so its time to change up. I'm going to switch the front to the back to if that changes anything. I havent hit anything so i dont think its a wheel. I'm scared shitless it will be some huge expense major ass repair.

Would worn struts cause something like that?

The possibilities make my head ache....probably wont sleep tonight.

[DTMAce]

I'm betting its your tires. Ask me how I know? Actually ask anyone who was with me at the last Bfest. LOL

[DTMAce]

Otherwise, it may be an axle CV joint trying to fail. Examine the boots on the axles.

[themadness]

am i just looking for cracks on the boots or something more specific?

just a fart in the wind makes me think its my tires. at least thats what i hope anyway...

what shenanigans happened at b'fest Ace?

[DTMAce]

My tires were so bad that I had to keep it under 60. lol

Serious dry rot on all 4. Still, I have had bad tires before on the Z, even with decent looking rubber. Sometimes the inner cords get broken, then your tire gets out of round. That can make it shake all sorts of weird.