Have not been here for a while, lots of traveling.

I have a 92 Aerostar 2wd with the 3.0. It has 235,000 km on the clock and runs great; recently it has developed a strange vibration when turning left or right. It only has this vibration when I am turning into my driveway or turning to park. It only does it at crawling speeds. It seems to worse if I am using the brakes at the same time, which is almost always. If I am backing out of a parking spot, it vibrates. Other than replacing the outer tie rods, I haven’t replaced any front-end parts, as they appear to be in good shape.

I did have a problem with my right brakes when a chunk of the pad broke off one of the disc pads, which then scored the rotor, the damage isn’t bad, so I haven’t replaced it yet. The vibration didn’t start for many months after this. Any idea as to what would be causing this. I don’t want to replace the rotor yet if I can avoid it.

 

rpokorny>a couple of things come to mind had a similar situation on mine .First thing I would check is the rotors I know you said you didnt want to change if you can help it but the fact that you had a problem there leads me to believe you probably warped them when your pads went bad(excessive heat)those rotors warp easy let me tell you I've changed quite a few on this one of mine (work vehicle mega miles)besides rotors are pretty cheap and easy to replace.If the rotors are o.k next check for play at the ball joints,just raise the van's front end grab the tire at the top and bottom (6:00 position) and move in & out checking for excessive play.Also if they are o.k check the upper control arm bushings changed them too a while back not too bad had a little trouble pressing the new one in but overall not bad.Lastly the obvious what kind of shape is those tires in (might have shifted a belt in one of the front ones ?) Hope this helps ya out ,Drop us a line to let us know how your making out - BOB

 

Keeping in mind, it only seems to vibrate or what one person called a chudder when turning very slowly. For example if I am turning into a driveway or a parking spot it does it. It also only does it while I am turning the steering wheel. Otherwise it is fine.

I checked the rotors, the right side rotor is gouged from the broken disk pad, but wouldn't this cause it to vibrate all the time? I can't tell if it is warped though.

The ball joints seem fine as I jacked up the van, took the load off the wheels and tried to rock them at the 12 and 6 position. The wheel had no free play.

the bushings have only a few very small cracks, but otherwise look good. I soak them in WD40 at every oil change to keep them from drying out and cracking.

The tires still are good for another year, but I would have thought that defective tires would cause lots of problems at high speeds. I can travel at 110 kms or 75 mph with no vibrations at all.

While looking at all the spots mentioned, I noticed that the High pressure power steering hose is leaking at both the pump and the R&P. Is it possible that the fluid is contaminated?

Note: How can I tell if any of my ball joints are bad, with 230,000 kms, I would have thought that they would be ready to fall off, but since I grease them every 3,000kms, they seem as tight as new. Only the outer tie rods felt loose as they didn't come with fitting to allow for greasing. So I replaced them last year.

One more thing that I'm not sure is related. I noticed that it is very very hard to remove some of the wheel nuts. I have to remove them with the tires on the ground as even an air gun has a tough time. I have to use an extended 1/2 inch socket ratchet wrench to get them off as they seem too tight when compared to the back wheels or my car.

 

My 94 had done this since I got it. I usually notice it pulling into the driveway. I changed the sway bar links because they were pretty beat up. It helped a little. I'm thinking of changing the sway brace pads next.

Now my 96 has started doing this. If you find an answer please post it here.

 

We have also had this problem. The shuddering was light and it was only when traveling at under 3mph and turning the wheel fairly fast. I have since ignored it because it dosent do it all the time, and its more of an annoyance than anything else.

 

Is the vibration heard or felt? Typically bad rotors cause a pulsating effect that can be felt through the brake pedal.

To check the ball joint: jack it up, and put a 2x4 under the tire so that you have leverage. Pull up on the 2x4 to raise the tire. Have someone look at the ball joint. There should be no play. Ball joints also make a popping noise when the suspension moves up and down.

Good luck and let us know what you find.

 

Are you sure the caliper on the side of the gouged rotor is not hanging up and contacting the roto. Somthing made that brake pade brake and gouge the rotor. The first thing you should do is repair your front brakes. check the caliper for proper operation then have your rotors turned on BOTH sides or replace them if they are to worn to turn. Remember what you do to one side with pads and rotors you MUST do to the other. After your brakes are fixed correctly and if the problem is still there you will have a proper place to start trouble shooting.

Good Luck

 

I solved the same problem tightening the shown screw that this above in the pic.
Good luck.

 

This place must be busy; I have been getting a busy server message all weekend. Anyway.

I took everything apart and think I will probably change out the rotors. When the disk pad broke, it looked as if a rock was wedged in there somehow. I took out the rock and replace the pads on both sides, but left the rotors on as they were both new. Now one has a gouge in it. I greased the front end again and cleaned everything up. For some strange reason, the vibration has stopped for now. It seems to stop every time I take things apart and put them back together again.

I saw the post for tightening the bolt on the R&P. I will try this when the vibration returns as I grabbed it this morning and it did feel loose. Won’t be able to get under the van again for a few days. Work and kids activities keep me going day and night.

Thanks for all the help. I’ll keep you posted as I continue to trouble shoot.

 

I've got what sounds like a similar problem w/my '93 AWD. The shop says the R&P is bad, but since it's AWD, that's about a 7-hour replacement job ($500-600 in labor) -- AeroColorado has a post for doing that job that seems to validate the labor hours they quoted me. Seems you have to disassemble the front suspension to get to the R&P!

Since I'm not totally clear on what's literally inside the R&P housing, could this noise be from a failing R&P? Mine, like the post above, only occurs when moving slow and doing a reasonable sharp turn. No leaks or other evidence of problems.

Thanks in advance for any opinions!