Ok, my steering wheel shakes when I go really fast(90mph), and when I'm braking. I thought that this was because my rotors were warped. Then I read a thread with a guy that had the same problem. A lot of people said that it was his axel. WTF??? AXEL??? Crap. Then I started thinking, my car is 9 years old, grandma driven for eight of them, and taken care of religiously. The axel going bad is kinda hard for me to beleive. Is this a common problem in 92-95 civics? If so how much will a new axel cost??? Is installing easy?? Could it actually be that my rotors are warped?? I'm kinda stapped for cash other than my d15b swap or mini me fund, so I'm kinda screwed if it's anything major.

 

first check your tires and see if they are still balanced, and get your alignment checked

 

First thing that popped into my mind was your rotors.

 

When driving vibration in the steering wheel it has to do with balance. When braking you want to check you rotors and of course alignment will do both. I dont know about axles doin this unless they are bent or something good luck

 

I agree...when your front tires are out of balance, vibration increases in proportion to vehicle speed. While it would be best to check both wheel balance AND alignment, if you wanna troubleshoot a bit yourself, consider the following (someone correct me if I'm wrong). Front wheels out of balance will usually 'shake' more intensely as speed increases. With front wheels shaking, the vibrations are transferred back through the steering system and ultimately into the steering wheel. (rear wheels out of balance will just make the vehicle shake). So, if your 'shake' intensifies the faster you go, it's a good bet it's wheel balance. As for warped front rotors, not only would you feel a shake in the steering wheel, but you would also normally get a brake pedal 'pulsation' as well. It can be hard to feel, but if your rotors are warped you would almost certainly feel a brake pulsation when breaking hard at higher speeds. If neither applies to you, well, no harm can come from getting an alignment check right?

Just another note...in my experience, many aftermarket rotors like to warp after a while if wheels are not properly torqued. FYI.

Good luck and hope this helps

 

i had a similar problem and my axles were going, check the boots for starters. I would get a shaking noise from the axles but not so much at the steering wheel.

my guess like the others is alignment. is your car lowered? if so, check for negative camber and toe out of specs and inside tire wear as a result. if this is the case, it will only get worse as your tires wear more and more unevenly. peace.

 

only when braking = rotors

when constant speed or accelerating = balance/axles.

since yours happens at both times, you may need rotors and a wheel balance.

 

as has already been pointed out, balancing would be the first thing to check. rub your hand across the your tires tread and see if they're cupping or feathering, both are sure signs your tires are the man cause of the vibrations. generally speaking, an alignment wouldnt cause vibrations, just pulling or mad tire wear. warped rotors will cause pedal pulsation. i dont know why im posting this seeing as its an echo... oh wait... its cuz im a newb..

 

****.....i'm dumb.....didn't check if tires were balanced. I'll chec tommorrow. Too late now.