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I am having vibration issues with my 2002 SLS. When I bought the car I thought it needed a wheel balance, I have now been through six and still feel the vibration. I have found that many others have fought through the same issues and have gone through a series of attempted fixes – can anyone answer the questions listed below?

When a wheel is balanced do they us the lug nuts from the car?

If not could you have a lug nut that could throw off the balance in the car?

If the rim was the problem wouldn’t the balancing unit identify that?

If the rim was bent wouldn’t the issue be consistent at all speeds?

If you had a bad bearing why wouldn’t I hear any noise in the cabin?

I just had a four wheel alignment and front brakes done by a Cadillac dealer– a bad hub or bearing would have been brought to my attention right?

My brakes do not pulsate unless I am slowing down from 65 or higher when the shimmy is occurring – is this a symptom of bearing, hub….?

Most of the vibration is felt in the floor and seat, does this mean the problem is most likely in the rear?

I am in Canton Ohio, can anyone recommend a local shop that has the experience? My dealer is Dave Towell they have balanced the wheel three times and have not mentioned a word of other potential problems or that this is common – are they clueless?

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I am having vibration issues with my 2002 SLS. When I bought the car I thought it needed a wheel balance, I have now been through six and still feel the vibration. I have found that many others have fought through the same issues and have gone through a series of attempted fixes – can anyone answer the questions listed below?

When a wheel is balanced do they us the lug nuts from the car?

If not could you have a lug nut that could throw off the balance in the car?

If the rim was the problem wouldn’t the balancing unit identify that?

If the rim was bent wouldn’t the issue be consistent at all speeds?

If you had a bad bearing why wouldn’t I hear any noise in the cabin?

I just had a four wheel alignment and front brakes done by a Cadillac dealer– a bad hub or bearing would have been brought to my attention right?

My brakes do not pulsate unless I am slowing down from 65 or higher when the shimmy is occurring – is this a symptom of bearing, hub….?

Most of the vibration is felt in the floor and seat, does this mean the problem is most likely in the rear?

I am in Canton Ohio, can anyone recommend a local shop that has the experience? My dealer is Dave Towell they have balanced the wheel three times and have not mentioned a word of other potential problems or that this is common – are they clueless?

First off this problem can be caused by many things.

Has anyone jacked up the front end and grabbed the wheel at 3 and 9 o'clock and 12 and 6 o'clock and feel for PLAY? There should be no play at all.

Is the wheel being torqued properly with a torque wrench? Has the flange of the hub where the wheel sits been cleaned off with a wire brush and the wheel checked for sediment?

Have you had a road force balance? A standard balance checks for 'side to side' imbalance but not up and down out of roundness. Its called a ROAD FORCE BALANCE, see this article > http://www.gsp9700.com/pub/technical/5098t/5098t.cfm

You need someone with a Hunter 9700 Wheel vibration system >>> http://www.gsp9700.com/

ANSWERS TO YOUR QUESTIONS

When a wheel is balanced do they us the lug nuts from the car? (LUG NUTS NOT NEEDED)

If not could you have a lug nut that could throw off the balance in the car? (Lug nuts do not come into play at all)

If the rim was the problem wouldn’t the balancing unit identify that? (Your wheel is probably OK)

If the rim was bent wouldn’t the issue be consistent at all speeds? (Your wheel is probably OK)

If you had a bad bearing why wouldn’t I hear any noise in the cabin? (a bad hub bearing rarely causes shimmy, its noisy first, if it was bad you would KNOW it)

I just had a four wheel alignment and front brakes done by a Cadillac dealer– a bad hub or bearing would have been brought to my attention right? (maybe maybe not, but as I said, if you had a bad one, you would know it, its a moaning rolling noise)

My brakes do not pulsate unless I am slowing down from 65 or higher when the shimmy is occurring – is this a symptom of bearing, hub….? (NO not at all, that is thickness variation of your ROTOR, if you have your rotors turned it will go away)

Most of the vibration is felt in the floor and seat, does this mean the problem is most likely in the rear? (not relative)

I am in Canton Ohio, can anyone recommend a local shop that has the experience? My dealer is Dave Towell they have balanced the wheel three times and have not mentioned a word of other potential problems or that this is common – are they clueless? (ask them if they can do a ROAD FORCE BALANCE or recommend someone who can, also ask them if they checked your wheels and hubs for run out, I am surprised they have not suggested a road force balance since you were back 3 times)

Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1  >>

1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm

How to check for codes Caddyinfo How To Technical Archive >> http://www.caddyinfo.com/wordpress/cadillac-how-to-faq/

Cadillac History & Specifications Year by Year  http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm

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I am having vibration issues with my 2002 SLS. When I bought the car I thought it needed a wheel balance, I have now been through six and still feel the vibration. I have found that many others have fought through the same issues and have gone through a series of attempted fixes – can anyone answer the questions listed below?

When a wheel is balanced do they us the lug nuts from the car?

If not could you have a lug nut that could throw off the balance in the car?

If the rim was the problem wouldn’t the balancing unit identify that?

If the rim was bent wouldn’t the issue be consistent at all speeds?

If you had a bad bearing why wouldn’t I hear any noise in the cabin?

I just had a four wheel alignment and front brakes done by a Cadillac dealer– a bad hub or bearing would have been brought to my attention right?

My brakes do not pulsate unless I am slowing down from 65 or higher when the shimmy is occurring – is this a symptom of bearing, hub….?

Most of the vibration is felt in the floor and seat, does this mean the problem is most likely in the rear?

I am in Canton Ohio, can anyone recommend a local shop that has the experience? My dealer is Dave Towell they have balanced the wheel three times and have not mentioned a word of other potential problems or that this is common – are they clueless?

First off this problem can be caused by many things.

Has anyone jacked up the front end and grabbed the wheel at 3 and 9 o'clock and 12 and 6 o'clock and feel for PLAY? There should be no play at all. - No, I will do that this weekend

Is the wheel being torqued properly with a torque wrench? Has the flange of the hub where the wheel sits been cleaned off with a wire brush and the wheel checked for sediment? - No, I will do that this weekend

Have you had a road force balance? A standard balance checks for 'side to side' imbalance but not up and down out of roundness. Its called a ROAD FORCE BALANCE, see this article > http://www.gsp9700.com/pub/technical/5098t/5098t.cfm - The Caddy dealership is listed as having one - I will verify that in fact they did use it.

You need someone with a Hunter 9700 Wheel vibration system >>> http://www.gsp9700.com/

ANSWERS TO YOUR QUESTIONS

When a wheel is balanced do they us the lug nuts from the car? (LUG NUTS NOT NEEDED)

If not could you have a lug nut that could throw off the balance in the car? (Lug nuts do not come into play at all)

If the rim was the problem wouldn’t the balancing unit identify that? (Your wheel is probably OK)

If the rim was bent wouldn’t the issue be consistent at all speeds? (Your wheel is probably OK)

If you had a bad bearing why wouldn’t I hear any noise in the cabin? (a bad hub bearing rarely causes shimmy, its noisy first, if it was bad you would KNOW it)

I just had a four wheel alignment and front brakes done by a Cadillac dealer– a bad hub or bearing would have been brought to my attention right? (maybe maybe not, but as I said, if you had a bad one, you would know it, its a moaning rolling noise)

My brakes do not pulsate unless I am slowing down from 65 or higher when the shimmy is occurring – is this a symptom of bearing, hub….? (NO not at all, that is thickness variation of your ROTOR, if you have your rotors turned it will go away)

Most of the vibration is felt in the floor and seat, does this mean the problem is most likely in the rear? (not relative)

I am in Canton Ohio, can anyone recommend a local shop that has the experience? My dealer is Dave Towell they have balanced the wheel three times and have not mentioned a word of other potential problems or that this is common – are they clueless? (ask them if they can do a ROAD FORCE BALANCE or recommend someone who can, also ask them if they checked your wheels and hubs for run out, I am surprised they have not suggested a road force balance since you were back 3 times)

Thanks for the answers and info

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  • 3 months later...

My 2003 STS has a slight vibration at highway speeds too. It now has 60,000 miles. I've replaced the tires where the tire dealer had the road force balancer and it still vibrated. Then I had the Cadillac dealer road force balance and they said one of the tires was a bit out of round. I took it back to the tire store who replaced the tires with a higher level tire and road force balanced again. It STILL vibrates at highway speeds. Now it's out of warranty so I'm skeptical about letting the dealer work on it more. Anyone have similar experience?

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We have had those who have had a vibration that was hard to get rid of. If it was me I would do the following:

1) Inspect the front end for tie rod and strut problems, a dead spot in the strut could cause the wheel assembly to vibrate

2) I would find another wheel and buy a first run tire from tire dealer, and swap it in to each position to see if the vibration changes at all, if you can borrow a tire/wheel assembly that will save you money

3) check the hub assembly for looseness and run out with a dial gage

4) check the wheel assemblies for run out both inner and outer beads, looking for a bent wheel

5) bent wheel studs have been responsible for vibration, not sure how you would check them but I would check the studs

6) I would wire brush the hub flanges and wheel lands for debris, rush, etc and clean them off, IN ADDITION each BRAKE ROTOR has to be pulled and wire brushed, both sides

6a) Inspect the lug nuts for wear on the angled portion that contacts the wheel, then look at the wheels lug nut holes to see if the place where the lug nuts seat are not worn, if the lug nut bottoms out and the wheel might not be tight

6b) I recently had a flat while I was on 95 south and pulled off the highway into a tire store, I was STUNNED to see them put my wheel back on with an impact gun and holding it. THAT to me is a NO NO, they need to be torqued to the correct torque evenly. Overtorqing them or unevenly torquing them can cause problems

7) read this http://classicbroncos.com/forums/showthread.php?t=126364

8) read this http://www.gsp9700.com/pub/technical/4458T/4458T.cfm

9) I like this also http://www.gsp9700.com/pub/technical/4202T/5THEO003.cfm

Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1  >>

1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm

How to check for codes Caddyinfo How To Technical Archive >> http://www.caddyinfo.com/wordpress/cadillac-how-to-faq/

Cadillac History & Specifications Year by Year  http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm

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  • 2 months later...
I am having vibration issues with my 2002 SLS. When I bought the car I thought it needed a wheel balance, I have now been through six and still feel the vibration. I have found that many others have fought through the same issues and have gone through a series of attempted fixes – can anyone answer the questions listed below?

When a wheel is balanced do they us the lug nuts from the car?

If not could you have a lug nut that could throw off the balance in the car?

If the rim was the problem wouldn’t the balancing unit identify that?

If the rim was bent wouldn’t the issue be consistent at all speeds?

If you had a bad bearing why wouldn’t I hear any noise in the cabin?

I just had a four wheel alignment and front brakes done by a Cadillac dealer– a bad hub or bearing would have been brought to my attention right?

My brakes do not pulsate unless I am slowing down from 65 or higher when the shimmy is occurring – is this a symptom of bearing, hub….?

Most of the vibration is felt in the floor and seat, does this mean the problem is most likely in the rear?

I am in Canton Ohio, can anyone recommend a local shop that has the experience? My dealer is Dave Towell they have balanced the wheel three times and have not mentioned a word of other potential problems or that this is common – are they clueless?

i just had the same problem on my 01 sls and with 4 brand new tires the problem went away...more than likely you have a flat patch on one of your tires that causes the vibration at moderate to high speeds

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  • 2 weeks later...

I've been through it all with my 03 Seville including taking tires and wheels off my wifes deville that is rock solit up past 100 and they vibrate on the seville. We are obviously not alone as cadillac does have a bulliten out for vibration on the seville and it involved receiving 4 matched tires under warranty to eliminate the problem. I sure would love to solve the issue, it's not bad on mine but it's not like my other caddy's that are just plain solid.

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Logan spent more time and money on eliminating his vibration than any sane person would ever consider.

He looked at wheel hubs, rims, tires, control arms, struts, single digit RFB results ... you name it, he tried it, to no avail.

His final solution was quite expensive ... he purchased essentially new OEM rims and tires from a wrecked, almost new DTS.

Magically, he finally found his Cadillac ride ... he noticed it before he finished backing down his driveway.

Logan's experience was that the factory received the best tires, followed by the dealerships, then the tire stores like TireRack, then the

discount stores. Something about this platform can pick up small tire irregularities as the car ages, and transmit the imbalance at highway speeds.

His deductions were based upon the tire mfg's RFB every tire, and sending the very best to the manufacturing plant.

My solution on my 02 STS was less exensive. I tried new 17" tires, two tire balances, then a RFB balance. All proved futile

Finally, I allowed my GM dealer to put old fashioned lead weights on the outside of my rim.

The imbalance was essentially gone. It was so far removed, that only a trained ear could notice anything awry.

If I ever own another STS/Deville with this issue, I'll try the lead weight balance first ... its cheap and effective

1989 FWD Fleetwood, Silver

1995 STS Crimson Pearl on Black leather

1997 STS Diamond White

1999 STS Crimson Pearl

2001 STS Silver

2003 STS, Crimson Pearl

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Here is some info from the bulliten - obviously a significant problem!!

Shake/Vibration in Steering Wheel, Floor, Seat at Highway Speeds on Smooth Roads (Diagnose/Balance/Tires/Wheels) #00-03-10-007E - (04/16/2003)

In recent months, most of the tire fitments used on the DeVille and Seville models have changed from Goodyear to Michelin in production. For this reason, effective August 1, 2002, Goodyear screened tires will no longer be available for service on these models. Michelin screened tires will be available in some cases. Refer to Parts Information later in this bulletin.

Condition

Some customers may comment on shaking/vibration in the steering wheel, floor or seat while driving at highway speeds (typically between 60-72 mph (96-115 km/h)) on smooth roads.

Screened tires will only be provided for vehicles with less than 12 months in service or 12,000 miles (19,000 km), whichever comes first. For vehicles that exceed 12 months and/or 12,000 miles (19,000 km), please contact your respective Area Service Manager (DSM in Canada) for authorization. The supply of screened tires is limited. Please order them wisely.

On Aurora, Bonneville, DeVille, Park Avenue, Park Avenue Ultra and Seville models, a newly developed hydro-bushing lower control arm with improved damping characteristics has been released. The new lower control arms may provide an incremental improvement to the vehicle ride. Customers who have become "tuned in" to the shake condition may still feel some shake in the vehicle after the new lower control arms are installed.

THE CONTROL ARMS SHOULD ONLY BE INSTALLED ON VEHICLES IF, AFTER THE TIRE AND WHEEL DIAGNOSIS AND REPAIRS HAVE BEEN PERFORMED, THE VIBRATION CONDITION STILL EXISTS.

Replace both lower control arms (P/N 25746324-Left and P/N 25746325-Right) on Aurora, Bonneville, DeVille, Park Avenue, Park Avenue Ultra and Seville models. Refer to Lower Control Arm Replacement in SI (Aurora -- SI Document ID #639351; Bonneville -- SI Document ID #657809; DeVille with FE1, FE3 -- SI Document ID #724856; DeVille with FE7 -- SI Document ID #724858; Park Avenue, Park Avenue Ultra -- SI Document ID #657760 and Seville -- SI Document ID #539332).

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  • 5 years later...

I found this on another site. Hope this helps!

Finally Fixed Vibration, Shimmy, Shake Steering Wheel at Higher Speeds - 2001 Deville

I have two (2) 2001 Deville(s) and both started having a vibration/shimmy in the steering wheel at higher speeds between 47 - 65+ mph when each car approached 65,000+ miles.

After extensive inspections and trials with new tires re-balance, road force balance, swap tires, the fix I figured out was the weak link in the NorthStar engine soft engine mounts. For a softer ride some, if not all, of the mounts have fluid in a hard thick rubber cavity. Thus the connecting bolts attaches to hard rubber with an only fluid cavity connecting the top and lower bolts to engine and cradle.

Turns out in both cars, at about the same millage, the Left Engine Mount (the mount at the front of the engine/car at the hood ornament position) was shot and would not hold the engine steady at higher highway speeds and would allow a very evident vibration at higher speeds.

My first attempt to fix the shakes took a long time to figure out that it was the engine mount. I would never have thought it was only a bad engine mount!!

Replace mount and it fixed the problem immediately.

When the second Deville, same year, started the same vibration problem I tested the "front" Left engine mount via a two person observation, car under a slight excelerated load with the brake on, going from drive, netural, to reverse and back. That mount proved to be shot. Changed the mount and the vibration problem was fixed immediately, as well.

Hope this helps others with the dreaded vibration and shimmy at the steering wheel when all the tires, wheels, drive shafts have been checked, balanced, or replaced and still no relief.

Cheers!

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I have wondered if this could be the problem on my eldorado. It has me pulling my hair out.

The dogbones were completely shot when I bought the car so I imagine it didnt help the lower mounts.

I am tempted to try replacing it.

You are referring to the one closest to the center of the radiator correct?

GM FAN FOREVER

Nice, clean, luxury= fine automobile

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  • 2 weeks later...

it does and they were bad.

Every one I have owned needed them. Didnt resolve my shimmy though lol

GM FAN FOREVER

Nice, clean, luxury= fine automobile

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