2004 Intrepid serious wobble while driving?
#1659103
08/14/14 10:53 PM
08/14/14 10:53 PM
|
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 958 eastern, pa.
cudabitten
OP
super stock
|
OP
super stock
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 958
eastern, pa.
|
Hi, I have a 2004 Intrepid that runs excellently, it has 102,000 miles. Wife drives it and noticed yesterday that something was not right. I forgot about it and today she came home again and reminded me. Well I got in the car for a test drive and was fine when we pulled out of the driveway and down the road a bit, then she accellerated a little to about 35 and the whole car started to wobble. Felt like side to side. She says the steering wheel is jumping up and down like going over speed bumps, not side to side. I did a quick check of the lugs and tire surfaces and stabilizer and tie rods, cv joints,...just a visual before it got dark here. Nothing looked suspicious. Any ideas? It does not do it at idle and is only intermittent while driving, it is not related to the brakes.
|
|
|
Re: 2004 Intrepid serious wobble while driving?
[Re: cudabitten]
#1659105
08/14/14 11:01 PM
08/14/14 11:01 PM
|
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 2,415 Connecticut
Ron_M
top fuel
|
top fuel
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 2,415
Connecticut
|
SWAG (wild guess) Ball Joints or belt shift (tire). I'm not an expert though. Someone smarter than me will be along... good luck
Common sense is a flower that does not grow in everybody's garden
|
|
|
Re: 2004 Intrepid serious wobble while driving?
[Re: feets]
#1659107
08/15/14 10:41 AM
08/15/14 10:41 AM
|
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 21,084 Niles , Ohio
therocks
oh wait.but hey.lets see.oh yeah.
|
oh wait.but hey.lets see.oh yeah.
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 21,084
Niles , Ohio
|
IIRC the K frame bushings go bad also.Had a few at work and there wasnt any bushings left.Just the large washers and the bolt.Rocky
Chrysler Firepower
|
|
|
Re: 2004 Intrepid serious wobble while driving?
[Re: feets]
#1659109
08/16/14 12:42 AM
08/16/14 12:42 AM
|
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 958 eastern, pa.
cudabitten
OP
super stock
|
OP
super stock
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 958
eastern, pa.
|
Quote:
Quote:
Inner tie rod bushings? Those are common.
Winner!
The inner tie rod bushings are probably dead. This is a repair you can do without an alignment rack. Pop the hood and look on the firewall behind the engine. You can see where they come together. I managed to knock mine out in 45 minutes. laying hands on them is tricky with a 3.5 but might be easier with a different engine.
I think it may be the tie rods. I did notice that there are shinny new wear marks on the black rubber that surround the tie rods where they pass through the wheel well area from the engine, in fact they're torn on both sides. My engine is a 2.7, I did see the where they come together. Can you just replace the bushings? Seems easy enough, even if its not the cause.
|
|
|
Re: 2004 Intrepid serious wobble while driving?
[Re: cudabitten]
#1659110
08/16/14 12:43 PM
08/16/14 12:43 PM
|
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 28,071 Irving, TX
feets
Senior Management
|
Senior Management
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 28,071
Irving, TX
|
You can pop the tie rods out as assemblies. Dig out what's left of the old bushings, shove in new one, and slap 'em back on. Getting them lined up again can be a real trick. The boot on the rack will slide down and cover the holes. Be sure you get the retaining tabs bent over the heads of the bolts. It would suck to have the bolts back out and let the tie rods fall off. Everything you need to know can be found here: http://www.dodgeintrepid.net/showthread.php?p=1861497
We are brothers and sisters doing time on the planet for better or worse. I'll take the better, if you don't mind. - Stu Harmon
|
|
|
Re: 2004 Intrepid serious wobble while driving?
[Re: feets]
#1659111
08/16/14 01:04 PM
08/16/14 01:04 PM
|
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 21,084 Niles , Ohio
therocks
oh wait.but hey.lets see.oh yeah.
|
oh wait.but hey.lets see.oh yeah.
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 21,084
Niles , Ohio
|
They are easy to do in the car.No need to remove the outers.Just bend the tabs and unscrew one side at a time.If nothing moves they will pretty much line back up.I did a bunch at work.They come with a new lock for the bolts.I red locktite them.Never had any back out.The first set I did are still on my 96.Rocky
Chrysler Firepower
|
|
|
Re: 2004 Intrepid serious wobble while driving?
[Re: therocks]
#1659112
08/16/14 06:32 PM
08/16/14 06:32 PM
|
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 28,071 Irving, TX
feets
Senior Management
|
Senior Management
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 28,071
Irving, TX
|
I tried that approach with my 02 Concorde. It didn't turn out so well. I ended up having to pull the assemblies out.
We are brothers and sisters doing time on the planet for better or worse. I'll take the better, if you don't mind. - Stu Harmon
|
|
|
Re: 2004 Intrepid serious wobble while driving?
[Re: feets]
#1659113
08/16/14 08:15 PM
08/16/14 08:15 PM
|
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 21,084 Niles , Ohio
therocks
oh wait.but hey.lets see.oh yeah.
|
oh wait.but hey.lets see.oh yeah.
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 21,084
Niles , Ohio
|
Probally because you didnt change them a lot.Rocky
Chrysler Firepower
|
|
|
Re: 2004 Intrepid serious wobble while driving?
[Re: feets]
#1659115
08/17/14 08:06 AM
08/17/14 08:06 AM
|
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 21,084 Niles , Ohio
therocks
oh wait.but hey.lets see.oh yeah.
|
oh wait.but hey.lets see.oh yeah.
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 21,084
Niles , Ohio
|
Yeah it counts.But after say 10 or 20 they get easy.Rocky
Chrysler Firepower
|
|
|
Re: 2004 Intrepid serious wobble while driving?
[Re: therocks]
#1659116
08/17/14 03:06 PM
08/17/14 03:06 PM
|
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 958 eastern, pa.
cudabitten
OP
super stock
|
OP
super stock
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 958
eastern, pa.
|
Ok, I screwed up. I finally got everything together, but the driver side did not line up. The bolt that goes through the tie rod end was off just enough so I could not push it through to the steering assembly. I took the other side off and still could not get it through. So I turned the steering wheel just a bit and now nothing lines up. It seems there is a metal spacer piece just inside the plastic boot that slides around freely. I cannot get either bolt through that piece and into the steering assembly.
Any Help? I have been working on this for three hours today.
Ok got it!
I guess I was starting to give up a bit. Both sides on now, just need to torgue things down.
Thanks again guys, saved some money today.
Last edited by cudabitten; 08/17/14 03:49 PM.
|
|
|
Re: 2004 Intrepid serious wobble while driving?
[Re: cudabitten]
#1659117
08/18/14 11:48 AM
08/18/14 11:48 AM
|
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 28,071 Irving, TX
feets
Senior Management
|
Senior Management
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 28,071
Irving, TX
|
Good to hear you got it.
If you didn't put Loctite on the bolts you need to be sure the locking tabs are bent down over flats on the bolt heads.
It would suck to have them back out.
We are brothers and sisters doing time on the planet for better or worse. I'll take the better, if you don't mind. - Stu Harmon
|
|
|
Re: 2004 Intrepid serious wobble while driving?
[Re: feets]
#1659118
08/21/14 01:48 AM
08/21/14 01:48 AM
|
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,791 Hamilton, Ontario Canada
Magnum
master
|
master
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,791
Hamilton, Ontario Canada
|
I've also seen the outers not clocked to a neutral position. This must be neutral or the inner will prematurely wear.
69 Super Bee, 93 Mustang LX, 04 Allure Super
|
|
|
Re: 2004 Intrepid serious wobble while driving?
[Re: Magnum]
#1659119
08/21/14 10:03 AM
08/21/14 10:03 AM
|
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 21,084 Niles , Ohio
therocks
oh wait.but hey.lets see.oh yeah.
|
oh wait.but hey.lets see.oh yeah.
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 21,084
Niles , Ohio
|
They even have a tool for the outers when you do an alingnment.It keeps them in an even plane.We had it at work.Rocky
Chrysler Firepower
|
|
|
|
|