need some advice, my 1985 300td starts shaking pretty bad from the front end at about 55 mph. i just replaced the engine mounts and that helped a little bit. could the engine shocks be causing it to shake that bad? any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Usually front end shaking at 55 mph is not engine related. Problems with wheel balance and/or worn front end parts are usually the cause.

I am confused.
Is the suspension shaking at 55mph or the Engine?

If you think it is the Engine shaking; I think it would most likely shake when the car is not moving and you rev-up the Engine when it is in Park.

If you feel the shaking is connected to the Engine when you are driving and not the front suspension shaking it could be some where in your Drive Shaft train of parts.

I ran my Engine with out the Engine Shocks for 2 weeks and there was not a big difference except when you shut off the Engine. Then, it thumped a few times when it was shutoff.

Did you also change the Transmission Mount (if it is an Automatic transmision).

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

what i meant to convey is that the front end is shaking, not hte engine at around 55 mph the steering wheel and front end start to shake. and yes i replaced the trans mount with the engine mounts. thanks for the reply's so is there common wear parts on the front suspension? i am really not familliar at all with the underside of cars.

Have the wheels balanced first. Also check to make sure the belts have not separated on the tires. Check for loose bearings. If it still shakes, have the front end checked. Loose or worn out suspension items can cause this as well.

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RRGrassi


70's Southern Pacific #5608 Fairmont A-4 MOW car

13 VW JSW 2.0 TDI 193K, Tuned with DPF and EGR Delete.

91 W124 300D Turbo replaced, Pressure W/G actuator installed. 210K

90 Dodge D250 5.9 Cummins/5 speed. 400K

You can start to narrow it down by putting the rear wheels on the front and vice versa. Any major change means It's usually tires/wheel related.

Since all tires are now radial for the last while. The back and front wheels should be rotated on the same side of the car only. You could also do one side take a drive if no change then do the other.

Might help you isolate the offending wheel. Another approach if the spare tire and wheel are good is to exchange one front wheel with it. Then the other side next if no change. For some bizzare unknown to me reason most front end shaking seems to occur at about the speed you mention.

Why not kill too birds with one stone so to speak? Get a friend to wiggle the tire when the car is jacked up to change the wheel. Make sure the car is well blocked or on a jackstand.

With your friend wiggling the wheel start looking for loose/sloppy joints in the steering linkage. The front end should be periodically checked even if no problem is apparent. Especially on a car as old as this. Sometimes previous owners have tended to ignore things unfortunatley. How to check parts and what to check should be in the archives.

All good advice, but let me add one thing. Investigate the cause soon. It could be innocuous like a tire out of balance as people noted, but it could be something as serious as worn ball joints. or loose tie rods, which if they fail completely at speed could cause serious consequences.
Tyler's episode last week is a good reminder not to ignore vibrations and shakes at speed, unless you want to add more adventure to your life.

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1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

Has to be something that goes around and round.

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1999 w140, quit voting to old, and to old to fight, a god damned veteran