I have a 1997 Pontiac Transport Montana. A couple of weeks ago it began to shake, I check the tire on the side of the shake and found that it had some broken radials, I changed the tire and hoped that would help…it didn’t. The odd thing is that I can drive for a couple of miles and it drives fine, the shake comes and after a couple more miles it drives fine again. I’m thinking I might have a warped rotor, but was told that a warped rotor would make the vehicle shake constantly. Any suggestions?
I’m not sure exactly what you mean by “broken radials” (tread seperation maybe?) but I’d say if one tire was having some problems, all of them should be suspect. Depending on how old they are, I’d say balance or replace the other three.
Change the tire location and see if the shaking feeling moves with it.
Perhaps you have the start of a worn wheel bearing (although they tend to make a low growling/grinding noise when worn).
Regarding the possibility of a warped rotor, does the shaking get worse (steering wheel shake?) when applying the brakes?
It wouldn’t hurt to examine the other tires, but I think your problem is elsewhere. I suspect a worn or broken suspension bushing. This would cause the vehicle to be fine, until you hit a small bump and the suspension moves ever so slightly and then the new position causes a vibration in the drivetrain.
Yes it does get worse when applying the brakes.
If relocating the tire/wheel on the FR doesn’t fix it, then the fault likely is either a warped rotor or possibly a faulty caliper.