Questions and Answers

Ford Econoline Front End Vibration Q. I have a 1974 Ford Econoline Van, purchased new, 302 V-8, 70,000 miles and power steering. At about 45 to 50 mph the front-end starts vibrating so violently that I loose control of the steering and it feels like the wheels are going to tear off. I have to brake and pull over to gain control again.

I'm afraid this will happen on the freeway or in traffic and am afraid to drive the thing. I am not a mechanic but in my younger days I did a complete overhauled of a large V-8 engine and I've always done my own repairs. This has got me stumped. Is it a problem with the power steering, some kind of faulty feedback loop, wheel bearings, linkage, alignment or tires?

I have the complete set of shop manuals for it and would like to fix it myself. I can't afford sinking $1,000.00 to fix this, so taking it to a repair shop is probably out of the question. Although the van is old, 30 years, it has low mileage, shows little wear and otherwise runs great, but would have less value than that to anyone but me and I'd hate to lose it. But I'm afraid to drive it! What is your diagnosis and line of attack to fix this?

Any advice is greatly appreciated.
Thanks...

A. At that speed, it is most likely the front tires need to be balanced. I suggest a four wheel high speed tire balance and rotation.

Then get the front end aligned. If there are bad steering and suspension parts, it will be noted. Then you can decide to do it yourself or have it done.