Okay I'm seriously at my wit's end here guys, any help or suggestions would be really appreciated.

My 03 Cr-V has had a front end shake at highway speed for what seems like forever now. Like a violent rattle the whole car shake, not just a little vibration in the steering wheel. I've replaced just about everything I can think of to alleviate this, but nothing has changed, except maybe the range of speed that the shake starts to occur. It's also worth noting that when the car is sitting still, when I turn the wheel, or accelerate from a stopped position, there is a noticable pop, or clunk that comes from the right side. It is random, and not every time. Usually after the car has been sitting for a bit. I thought this was possibly the CV, but after replacing it still persists.

So far, I've:
Rotated and balanced the tires multiple times
Multiple alignments
Replaced brake pads and rotors
Replaced struts
Replaced inner/outer tie rod ends
Replaced Lower control arms
Replaced ball joints
Replaced wheel bearings
Replaced sway bar end links
and the most recent, which I'd honestly hoped would be the fix, replaced the CV drive shafts.
So pretty much everything you would think to or could replace at this point, but the shake persists.

It starts with a small wobble at around 65-70, and gets pretty bad the closer to 80 I get, and doesn't seem to decrease with an increase of speed. Mind you the car travels in a straight line the entire time.

At this point I'm beating my head against the wall. I really don't know where to go from here, I've replaced all of the obvious factors. Is there anything I could be forgetting, or something that is a best kept secret?​​​​​​

I know my rack and pinion is on its way out, and my motor mounts could probably stand to be replaced, so begrudgingly, those are next. But, seriously what the hell😭.

Thanks for any help and info you guys can provide in advance!

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Usually vibrations at 65+ are tire/wheel or axle related. But you’re saying the steering wheel isn’t shaking - the entire car is shaking. In addition, usually by 80 mph the felt vibration from driveline starts to decrease... so maybe not driveline related? Especially with that random clunk on turning while the car is standing still. Unless you’ve got multiple problems. The clunking, I suppose you could attribute that to the steering rack, but what makes you say it’s on its way out?

Were the strut bearings replaced when you did struts?
Are you still running those off road wheels? If so - are they hubcentric? Or do you have hubcentric rings?
Are you still using those weird coil spring spacer inserts?
I notice you’re 4wd... have you looked at your rear propeller shaft for any play?
Who is doing your wheel balancing and how do they do it?

 

There is still vibration in the steering wheel as well. It actually starts in the steering wheel at lower speeds like 55-60, as speed increases, the vibration can be felt in the entire front end of the car, everything inside rattles around. I did replace the strut bearings when I put the new struts on, although they are AutoZone brand, so that may be where the clunk is coming from. That developed after the new struts were put in. I only used the twist in spacers for a temp fix and have since installed proper strut spacers. The off-road wheels aren't hubcentric, but I do have acorn lugs that center the wheel(I know, not the same lol). But this issue has been a thing long before I had put those wheels on. Even with the oem wheels it did it. I've checked the driveline a few times, but have not found any play in it. I suspect the steering rack is on its way out, because I can hear fluid sloshing around in it through the firewall when turning. When I got the car the ps pump was bad, and grinding. I flushed the system and replaced it with a Napa pump, but the next ps pump started making a lot of whining after about a week of driving on it. Replaced it again with a low milage pump from the auto scrapper, and after a while this one is doing it as well. All orings are Honda genuine, as is the ps fluid. There is also a noticable dead zone in the steering wheel. I've gone underneath and adjusted the rack for tighter steering, which it did get tighter, but the deadzone is still there. As for the tire shop, I believe they use a road force machine when they balance the tires. I had asked them to check for belt seperation and they said they hadn't found any. Not to mention this issue persists no matter how many different ways I rotate the tires.

 

Little update:
Went under the car again to see if I could spot any irregularities. Gave the driveline a good shake at both ends. No play, although the rear differential had a little bit of flex in the bushings from where it hangs on the car. I assume that's normal for dampening reasons though. I DID however, spot a pretty sizable, abrupt tear on the rear engine/tranny mount. I was already planning to replace all of the mounts, but after seeing that the combined price of Honda genuine mounts would cost almost 600 in total, I decided to give another thorough looksie. All of the other mounts, while a bit dirty, don't really show any signs of wear, no real visible stress cracks, just that rear mount. Now that's got me wondering A. What caused the tear, cause the rest of the mount doesn't look too worn, and B. Is that enough give to cause the highway shaking I'm experiencing. I mean I'm going to replace it anyway lol, but just thought I'd throw the current findings out there.

 

Update #2 for anyone following this:
Replaced worn rear motor mount. Car still shakes like a banshee at highway speeds. But also, maybe a little less? Not sure if it's a placebo effect. Will continue to replace motor mounts, and keep this updated, cause honestly I've run out of things to replace at this point.

 

Hey you’re trying dude, keep it up.

Unless you’re specifically asking for (or you see them do) a road force balance you probably ain’t getting it regardless of the fact that they have a machine capable of road forcing. Road force takes extra time versus normal balancing. You have to put it on the balancer machine, it does it’s thing, most of the time you have to mark the tire and wheel, remove it from balancer, break the beads, move the tire around to the spot you marked. You’ll air it up and put it back on the balancer and hope you got it right the first time. Then it’ll still have you add weights as necessary per the usual method.

At the shops I worked at road force balances barely paid any extra, yet took a lot longer. They were never worth working on. Some of the more sketchy techs just performed the ole “say we did it but not really” thing. I’m sorry for my rant I’m just bitter about working for shops lol. I think you’ve eliminated tires/wheels at this point however.

Anyways, good thing you eliminated the rear mount. Replacing the others probably won’t do anything unless they’re cracked. When are you doing the PS rack? Maybe it’s got enough slop to let the tie rod assemblies vibrate enough...? But wouldn’t that cause a wander condition? Hmm. I couldn’t say that’s it. You said the PS pump had been an issue in the past, you replaced with Napa, then a junkyard unit correct? You indicated that both units started whining shortly after install, did you bleed the power steering fluid? And make sure to top off afterward? That’s the main cause of whining in my experience. Of course that won’t solve your vibration though lol.

BTW: Upon googling the water sloshing sound, I get a ton of results indicating a cooling system issue or AC issue with water backing up from the evap drain. Nothing on the power steering system. I believe me or one of my co workers had this symptom in an older Jeep, and it turned out to be cooling system related can’t remember the exact details though.

i wish I could help you more with the vibration. Kinda stumped too.

 

Aftermarket crap cv axles are notorious for vibrations, try an oem set

 

Did you use OEM CV joints or parts house china junk?

 

@Smackin Oh no believe me I've dealt with my fair share of shady shops, I know how it can be lol. I've been going to these guys for years though, I trust them. I've been there so much lately with this car they've started giving me discounts cause they feel bad I can't diagnose it😂 But the last time I had my front wheels balanced it took almost half an hour just for the two. I did ask for road force, and they had told me they didn't see any belt seperation or anything like that. But like you said, they could just be saying that, idk haha. Rotating the tires changes nothing either though, so, it's hard to say.

​​​​​​As for the power steering, I did a complete flush when I changed the pump, even installed all new hoses, changed the ps pressure sensor. Did a bleed, and topped off. I only attribute the water slosh noise to the ps because it didn't start till the power steering started really acting up(before I changed anything). I am aware of the A/C symptoms, I think I read it's something to do with the condensation discharge being clogged, or wherever the water comes out, but when I have the a/c on water comes out, not too sure if that could be it. Plus I did just rebuild that entire system, and the sound is still there.

​​​​​As for the motor mounts I agree I don't think they will make much of a difference, especially since they don't look in terrible shape. I've decided I'm going to replace the calipers I got a really good deal on a pair. My front wheels do tend to get pretty hot, I can smell them, that along with the clunk and the highway shake leads me to believe atleast one if not both are sticking, a little bit. Even though the shake doesn't change when I brake, my gas mileage is something awful so it could be. I know when I changed the brakes not too long ago I had trouble getting the front passenger side to engage correctly, it was either too tight, or too loose, until I got the pads to sit just right. And the boot did have a small tear in it, I just slathered it with some non corrosive grease and hoped for the best. Fingers crossed😂 Thanks for your suggestions though, I appreciate it.

 

@Ryanthegreat1 @starchland
Unfortunately I did not go with OEM axles. I know that's bad, I was dreading it, but I couldn't commit to $400/axle on the off chance that it isn't the axles. The axles I removed were not oem either. So it could very well be that still. But I went with Napa axles, I've had really good luck with them in the past on my other vehicles, and I know some of the 4runner crowd swears by them, as they're effective, cheap, and come with lifetime warranty.
Had my symptoms changed for worse or for better after the swap, I'd have believed it could be the axles, but even after swapping them out, it's the exact same.

 

Steering u joints?

 

The driveshaft shop also makes good CV joints and Insane shafts. About 1/2 the price of OEM.

Napa CV joints are hit and miss, mostly miss. 4Runner guys only use the CV joints when in 4x4. The rest of the time they just free wheel unloaded or don't rotate at all depending on year and if it had ADD or not.

 

I don't believe it's the column u joint. I don't have any problems with steering, no clicks or binding. Just really shaky. Even with the shake, if I take my hand off the wheel, you can see it wobble around, but the car travels in a straight line.

 

Yea I know. Most of them praised the axles because they were cheap and easy to replace knowing that they'd probably snap while wheeling. But they did say they tend to hold up. I also realized they're likely not going to get a highway shake climbing a rock. Seems like most aftermaket parts are hit or miss these days and it's a real bummer. But like I said, I've had luck with Napa stuff in the past.

I did look at the driveshaft shop, but didn't see any for the crv, and didn't want to risk buying a set of random k series axles that might not fit. Insane shaft did have a set for 400, which is 2 for the price of one oem. But again, like I said I don't really want to drop that kind of cash just yet till I know for sure. I'd kick myself so hard if the shake was still there after that kind of purchase. Im aware of how counter productive that is though, as quality parts means quality ride.

 

It’s unfortunate so many oem axles get discarded simply due to a bad boot which can easily be fixed
i would say double check all your front suspension joints including the top strut bearings, tie rod joints etc. Can you put it in a lift and run it ?

 

I'm right with you there. I've gone to the auto salvage a bunch trying to find a crv with OEM axles just to see if I could get them rebuilt, I'd much rather have that, but I don't seem to have any luck even finding the car.

I've replaced all of those. They were worn, not horribly, but noticably. I'm not a mechanic by any means but I believe I did it correctly. I've had the car up on jack stands and let it run in first gear, which I was not comfortable with at all, but it worked regardless. There was no visible wobble or flat spots in the tires, no odd noises that I could hear, the awd system engaged just fine and spun all 4 tires.

 

If your shake happens at 60mph, then you would need to run it 60mph+ on a lift. While that sounds unsafe af, I’ve ran a truck around 50mph on a two post lift, six feet off the ground and it’s not too bad.

Might be worth doing. I wonder if your mechanics have tried that already though.

 

You do make a good point! I was more or less just doing it to see if I could hear any odd noises, or see any visible deviation from the outside even if minimal, instead of trying to diagnose from in the car on the road lol.

​​​​​​The tire guys definitely haven't, but I also haven't asked them to try and fix the wobble. I gave up on taking it to mechanics when I started modifying the car. They seem to like to charge more. On the plus side my tool collection has grown exponentially with this car😂😂😂

I was talking with someone about this at work last night and they had mentioned they had a similar issue in their first gen crv. Said it felt like the shake started in the front and made it's way throughout the car at higher speeds, which is pretty much the same for me. Said they replaced a lot too, and finally fixed it by replacing the rear diff bushings.
Guess I know what I'm looking into after I swap the calipers.

 

Welp, replaced the calipers. Surprise surprise, no change. Still clunks too. Although the car brakes a hell of a lot better now so. Guess I gotta take the little wins?

While I had the car jacked in the air, I decided to loosen up the struts, lowered the car, then torqued them down, trying to see if they weren't properly seated. Still clunks.

Supported the engine, removed the right motor mount since that is where I hear the clunk, it has a little bit of flex, but I feel that it was within reasonable standards, and in no way did it feel loose or flimsy. Popped the hood and revved the engine. It lifts back towards the cabin, just slightly. Just enough to see it move, nothing major or crazy. Is that normal? I mean I know the rubber has to flex to an extent for dampening purposes.

Gave all the suspension components I replaced a good hearty shake, couldn't produce a clunk, nothing felt loose.

​Took it to the tire shop and double made sure to tell them to road force balance the wheels. They said two of the tires didn't want to sit right, they mounted them 3 different times to the wheel to get em to sit right, and put them in the back. No change in shake.

​​​​​I'm stumped. I can't source the clunk, or the shake. Not even sure if the two are related, as the clunk developed much later than the shake. I'm gonna toss it up on some jack stands and run it at 60+ to see if it does it in the air. If not, idk, kind of ready to stop dumping money into it, and just suck it up.
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I would look again at the rear differential/differential carrier bushings. Our 2nd gen shakes, and I can move the rear diff by hand (with quite a bit of effort, but still it should not move by hand at all). Lift straight up on it. This will be the first thing I replace when the weather gets better.

 

Thanks for the suggestion! I will definitely look into that, as when I give the driveshaft a good wiggle, the rear diff seems to be the only component that moves. I'm starting to believe there are more factors at play than just one thing here. After driving around some more I can feel a difference in the shake. It's no longer as severe as it was, but now it starts at 60 and starts to disappear at 80. I definitely think changing the calipers helped, but I'm also suspecting that my tires are playing a role in it. Even though the road force test didn't produce any major results, after having them balanced and rotated definitely gave it a different feel as well.

Unfortunately! The shake will have to wait, as last night code p0420 popped up on the cel. Fun! Swear to god I've never had this many issues with any of the cars I've owned before. This thing is a money pit, and yet I still find myself strangely attached to it. Definitely a love hate relationship going on at this point.

 

So I removed my propeller shaft this morning and drove the car to work to see if I could notice any difference, thinking maybe it or the diff could be causing the shake, surprise surprise, no change. Good news is the ujoints feel nice and smooth. So back to google I go. I came across a thread about the strut mounts/bearings, and it peaked my interest. Apparently they are not interchangable due to having their own specific camber for each side on second gens? I wasn't aware of this, and have never seen that before on other cars. I just had replaced them with duratrash mounts, out of desperation. But the thread explained that they were having issues with their kyb strut mounts, which were just flat, and apparently sort of universal among other Honda models. The thing that caught my attention was that they said the alignment shop had trouble getting one side to stay aligned, which my shop said they were having a bit of an issue as well. They described having wandering steering memory, where the car tends to wander to either side depending on where the spring binds. This would totally explain my clunk and wheel hop on take off, and my wandering steering(I think), and hopefully, my lingering shake. Have you guys had any issues like this when replacing your struts? Apparently their issue was fixed by replacing with specific Monroe strut mounts, which are manufactured just for this, I'm thinking of trying it out. After putting the propeller shaft back in of course. I didn't realized what a huge difference that rt4wd made in the rain till I got my back end a little sideways😂

 

MR. Polka sauce,

Yeah it’s certainly a thing on other cars, I did a few strut mounts/bearings on Darts and Cherokees and they had the sides marked L and R.

When I did struts on my 2nd gen I just bought the KYB quick strut setups, haven’t really experienced issues. Except, I do have a hard time getting my left side camber where I want it. The camber bolts don’t seem to give enough I guess.

 

Mr. Smackin!

​​​​​​I know the mounts themselves have a right and a left, I just didn't realize they had specific camber on each side(pardon my poor wording lol). I should have known not all aftermarket parts are created equal, especially duralast idk what I was thinking. With those camber bolts on my rig it's the same thing, they don't do much. I'm gonna toss on those Monroe mounts for sure and hope for the best. The person on the other thread said it fixed their issue entirely, although I've given up on the quick fix pipe dream at this point hahaha.

 

This might be too late, but I recently learned about the balancing technology even better than Roadforce. It is a machine which balances wheels on car. It has two rollers which it spins and that is it. So the whole thing is being balanced: the wheel, rotor, hub, and CV axle. Removes the risk of the shop mucking up with the lug nuts too.