Siena Van rear vibration high speeds

[sandp500index]

My Siena van has a significant vibration at all speeds above 50 mph. The vibration gets worse as speed increases. I have gone as high as 85 mph and the vibration is between 50 and at least 85 mph.

I replaced one of the rear wheel bearings a couple weeks before the vibration started. The vibration didn't start immediately after the bearing was replaced.

I am used to unbalanced tires causing vibration at certain speeds. Such as vibration only between 60 and 65 mph.

I suspect the wheel bearing could be an issue, but below 50 mph, the car ride is very smooth. I looked at the rear tire where I think the vibration is coming from and noted that there are no weights on the rims. This makes me think that a weight may have fallen off and is causing the vibration.

Can an out of balance tire get worse as speed increases and cause vibration at all speeds between 50 and 80 mph?

Any insight is appreciated. Thanks.

 

[shadow247]

Sounds like a tire balance issue. Recommend a rotate and balance and report back after test driving.

 

[mikebontoft]

balance it before trying anything else.

 

[Drcoffee]

Rear Wheel bearings. I had the same issue on our ex-Mercury Villager above 50mph and really bad at 70mph. The shake got so bad it felt like we had square wheels. And unlike the typical bearing there was no noise or drone, just a shake.

You may not have torqued the axle nut correctly. You can over tighten it.

 

[sandp500index]

Rear Wheel bearings. I had the same issue on our ex-Mercury Villager above 50mph and really bad at 70mph. The shake got so bad it felt like we had square wheels. And unlike the typical bearing there was no noise or drone, just a shake.

You may not have torqued the axle nut correctly. You can over tighten it.

Had the tires rebalanced and rotated. Still the same exact vibration.
I checked the new bearing I installed and it appears to be seated correctly in place and the nuts are tight. There is no axel nut as it is a rear bearing. At 50 mph and below, the ride is very smooth.

My van is about 10 years old and has 130,000 miles on it. I have never replaced the rear shocks. I wonder if they are so worn that they are doing nothing but letting the rear wheel bounce. Tires only have a couple thousand miles on them. Not much back on the rear end. The bearing, a shock and a spring. To me it seems the bearing is either defective or the shocks need to be replaced.

Again, thanks for any help.

 

[shadow247]

Shocks are cheap, but not a likely source of the vibration. Check your rear axle bushings. If you have eliminated the tires, I would look there next. Rock-auto offers aftermarket replacements, so it seems like that may be an issue on these. The aftermarket usually does not sell something if they are not commonly replaced.

 

[theizzardking]

sell it and buy another 4runner, haha, seriously though, not a shock issue, you shouldn't get a shake from a shock being bad and if you did you could simply look at it and see that it was blown and or melted, look for leaks around the shock halves , i'm wondering what the rear end of those vans look like....wheel bearing was along the right lines but not shocks, how does the tire mate to van? check the hub for roundness,flatness and how it seats.....

 

[sandp500index]

Shocks are cheap, but not a likely source of the vibration. Check your rear axle bushings. If you have eliminated the tires, I would look there next. Rock-auto offers aftermarket replacements, so it seems like that may be an issue on these. The aftermarket usually does not sell something if they are not commonly replaced.

I know some stuff about cars, but I am not a mechanic. The rear axel bushings don't make sense to me. I don't think there is a rear axel. There is no axel in the back, just a bearing housing that bolts on to each side with a bar that connects the springs. The bearing housing bolts to a plate that is attached to the springs. Pretty simple. Even though the tires were rotated, the vibration is definitely in the rear. It seems to be coming from the side that has the new bearing. The ride is smooth below 50 mph and it seems that if the new bearing was bad or not seated correctly, the vibration would be evident at all speeds.

I rear some descriptions from people that had the rear axel bushing and most talk about issues when accelerating and it happening at lower speeds.

The vibration is just like an unbalanced tire. It is worse going down hill or coasting. It gets better on turns. It gets better when going up hill. It gets better when accelerating. I just took a ride and it seems now it starts around 70 mph and just gets worse the faster I drive.

I am going to take it to a mechanic and ask him to check the rear axel bushing and anything else he thinks could be the issue. I appreciate the help so far and any other ideas people have. I am really stumped on this one.

 

[sandp500index]

I think my issue is the brake shoes I replaced at the same time as I replaced the bearing hub.

The vibration is getting less dramatic.

I went out on the highway and pushed the e-brake down and the vibration got worse. I think the brake shoes adjustment screw may have the shoes too tight. I am going to adjust and see what happens.