2 bolts had broken off, when I had changed my tires.
Now I am only driving with 3 bolts on the left front tire. Could this be the root of my problem? The whole car shakes when I drive. It seems as if other drivers can see that too! please help me anyone. Thank you~
My steering wheel in my car keeps moving back and forth is it my alignment?
Sounds like the wheel was not properly seated when you tightened the remaining bolts/nuts. It is probably physically wobbling on the mount, in which case you are very close to snapping off the remaining lugs and losing the wheel altogether.
Get it in to a shop, have the broken lugs extracted, and replace ALL of the lugs - the remaining ones are probably stressed. This is a very dangerous condition in which to drive, so don't put it off.
Do NOT bring the car up to highway speed with lugs missing.
It is too coincidental that the problem started right after changing the tire - 99% chance that it is a problem with the wheel mounting (or the rim itself, or the balancing of the spare tire) rather than steering/alignment.
My steering wheel in my car keeps moving back and forth is it my alignment?
by bolts u mean lug nuts? if you do not have all the lug nuts on there your tire could be wobbling. that will cause steering problems. you can get replacement ones at a local auto store. make sure when you put new ones on you make them finger snug first, then with a tire iron tighten one up and then tighten the one across from it up. that will ensure that they are all securely on and the tire is straight
you need to have the bolts replaced, then see if it still shakes
the broken studs have a lot to do with the car shaking. fix it as soon as possible before you damage anything else. would not drive like an idiot with just the three studs.
have your friend be around you in there car and have them look at your tire while your driving and let them see if its shaking while your driving and see. and if your going around like 80-100 mph and your car is shaking then seems like your going little fast lol my eagle talon only shakes when i slow down lol I would go buy tire bolts from autozone and put new bolts on.
Get your car on a rack at a local tire store....check tie rod ends,ball joints,and pitman arm....If all is well check pitman arm movement against steering wheel movement..If the inners of the steering box are worn you will detect play there...a possible adjustment to the box may work but it is likely that a rebuilt steering box is in order
The remaining lugs could be loose too. Try tightening all your lug nuts on all tires and see if that fixes the problem. You may also be missing a wheel wieght.
Having three of five lug nuts wont make the car shake however it is kinda unsafe. You definately have a seperated tire, feel all the tread all the way around the tire and I am sure you will feel a large bubble in the tire. Change the tire and replace the two broken studs at the same time.
Since only 3 out of 5 bolts are holding the wheel on you have a potentially unsafe situation here and certainly the few remaining lug nuts could have loosened (seen it many times). If that is the case a turn with a wrench will confirm the diagnosis and also means you will probably need to replace all 5 studs and likely the wheel as well - but at least you caught it before the wheel fell off!
Barring that, alignment won't cause a wobble in the steering. If the wheels are on tight then a separated belt in one or both of the front tires or highly irregular and uneven wear is the likely cause. This again I have seen many times (twice this week in fact) and the cure is new tires. Have them replace the broken studs while they are at it.
In either case, the vehicle is unsafe to drive so I would get this addressed immediately.
