Identifying Vehicle Shakes

Shaking in the MQ is a common problem and can be caused by many different things, including;

• Wheel bearings (wheel or king-pin/swivel)
• Worn steering components
• Worn suspension components
• Unblanaced or ‘egged’ wheels/tyres
• Damaged driveline

To pin-point the cause of the shakes, it is necessary to identify the true nature of shake, by asking what is shaking and when does it shake? Once answered, the following can be used to identify which parts of the vehicle are most likely to be causing the shakes.

Shakes whilst increasing speed.

• If the shaking is felt in the steering wheel, check;

  • Ball joints of the steering components.
  • Steering damper.

• If the shaking is felt in the body, check;

  • Shock absorber bushes (specifically the front).
  • Leaf spring u-bolts may be loose.

• If the shaking is felt in the driveline, check;

  • ?

Shakes whilst decreasing speed.

• If the shaking is felt in the steering wheel, check;

  • Ball joints of the steering components.
  • Steering damper.

• If the shaking is felt in the body, check;

  • Shock absorber bushes (specifically the front).
  • Leaf spring u-bolts may be loose.
  • Brake components (stuck or locking up components).

• If the shaking is felt in the driveline, check;

  • ?

Shakes at a specific speed or range of speed.

• If the shaking is felt in the steering wheel, check;

  • Front wheel bearings.

• If the shaking is felt in the body, check;

  • King-pin / swivel bearings.
  • Worn shackles bushes.

• If the shaking is felt in the driveline, check;

  • ?

Shakes constantly and intensifies as speed increases.

• If the shaking is felt in the steering wheel, check;

  • ?

• If the shaking is felt in the body, check;

  • Tyres and wheels (unbalanced or unaligned)

• If the shaking is felt in the driveline, check;

  • Drive shafts may damaged/knocked and/or unbalanced.
  • Diffs for damage (damage to pinion, bent tube etc).

A quote from a Patrol4x4 user;

Had a MQ that shook like you wouldn’t beleive (shook the dust out of the dash) This went on for several years. Didn’t shake all the time but when it was going to you could feel it coming on. The only way to stop it was to pull up. Everything was replaced (complete diff hub to hub) but still the same. Replaced front springs and problem solved.