Hey all, thanks in advance for the help!

Well, this problem I'm having isn't exactly with my Ford Truck, but I got so much great advice here for my '97 Ranger that I figured I'd give it a shot.

So, I recently bought a '99 Toyota Solara (don't worry - there'll always be a place in my garage for the Ranger), and when I test-drove it I noticed there was some vibration at higher speeds (60+ mph). The tires had very little tread left, and I figured the tires just needed balancing, so I'd do it all at once. So I got 4 new tires mounted and balanced at Sears, along with a 4-wheel alignment. The problem got worse - now I notice the noise/vibration as low as 30mph. I went back and had them (re)balance the wheels. They said one of them was off, but that it should be fixed now. It still didn't help.

Does anyone have any idea what else might be causing this? Before I bought the vehicle, I had my mechanic inspect it, and he noticed there was some play in the front right wheel, and that the tie-rod probably needed to be replaced. I spoke with him, and he seems to think that the loose tie-rod is causing the vibrations.

Does this sound plausible? Are there any other things that might be causing it - perhaps the wheel bearings or another part of the steering/suspension??

Thanks so much for the help!
Nick

 

It's possible it's a loose tie rod or a loose or bad wheel bearing. It's possible the rim is slightly bent too, try rotating the tires to see if the vibration changes to the back. since that is a front wheel drive vehicls it's also possible that one of the driveshafts are out of balance.
I would jack up the car, rock each of the wheels by hand to check for end play and if there isn't any play, then roatate the tires to see if it moves.