Update on the Cartalk Chevy Cobalt 07

Maintenance/Repairs
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1

Hi All.

A few months back, you guys helped me answer a lot of questions that led me to buy a suitable car. Thanks again.

The car in question is a 25,000 mile Chevy Cobalt 07 coupe, 5 speed transmission. So far it has been pretty good to drive.

So now for the questions:

1. At 55-60 mph on the fwy, i get strong vibrations from the steering wheel, which goes away when i increase or decrease the speed. It is pretty tolerable and the power steering is not shot. Line of action?



2. The manufacturer recommended tyre pressure is 35. I maintain 40, and my car does not bounce around , and it gives me a better mileage. Should I put 35?



3. When I make a strong right or U turn, I have to turn the wheel all the way around, and I notice a clicking sound coming from the steering wheel. Problem?



4. When I go over a small gap on the road at high speed, like the gaps in between the concrete slabs that make up a road, i get a small sharp grating noise from the drivers side wheel. I showed it to the dealership and it was NOT the mudflap. Suggestions?



CSA, DocNick, and so many other respected posters, please try to answer my questions,



Gratefully yours,



Houstonrice.

2

  1. you may need to check the alignment. Check the tires for uneven wear.

  2. I’d use the recommended pressure.

  3. don’t know. Did Chevy us the electric steering in 2007?

  4. can you see any rub marks in the wheel well? It’s not clear from the post if you think you have something rubbing or not.

3

  1. This could be just a tire out of balance.

  2. You can get by with 5 pounds over. Just keep an eye out for uneven read wear.

  3. Sounds like a bad CV joint on a drive axle. Possibly the previous owner had a busted CV boot, which let dirt into the joint and ruined it. Then they just replaced the boot over the bad joint.

  4. This could be the bad CV joint as well.

4

Agree with the above 2 posts. First, check the tire balance at the 35# recommended pressure. Then check all the other things mentioned.

Any imbalance will exaggerated by having too much air in your tires.

Forget gas milegae, it will be negligible what you gain, but your tires and shocks will wear quicker with high pressure in the tires.

Good luck!

5

First, drop the pressure to 35 psi cold, that may help with some of the other problems. Most tires get maximum wear life at 35 psi, in a few cases, lower pressure works better.

The vibration is probably balance but could also be a slightly bent rim.

Is the clicking coming while you are turning the wheel or while in a turn with the wheel held steady? Is it coming from the front end or the steering wheel itself?

6

Keith, Docnick, JTSanders and circuitsmith, thanks a lot for the replies.

TO correct my earlier statement, recommended pressure is 30-32, and I use 40. I shall drop it down to recommended pressure, as per advice given above. I use 40 simply because the car seems to visually seem to retain a more balanced tyre ; at 30-32, the tires seem to be a little underinflated and seem to be flat. Not arguing, just saying.

Keith, the clicking comes when I rapidly turn the wheel completely to one side. It has electronic power steering. It does not come when I turn the car to a simple 90 degree right or left, but only when I need to turn to a much greater angle than 90.
This clicking sound comes directly from the steering wheel, definitely from inside the car.

Following on from the wheel alignment thread, I have another question:

  1. This happens only when I accelerate pedal to the metal style, it does not happen when I slowly go forward. The car , while accelerating quickly, noticeably lurches to the right a little. Now, the front right tyre earlier had a nail in it, which I got repaired and since then the tyre pressure has kept even , and not decreased in the front right tyre due to a continuous deflation. Why this lurch?

and

  1. When I depress the clutch pedal, it makes a slight click sound while going down.

  2. The air conditioning fan is noisy when at low speed but when I move it to a high circulation setting, the noise stops.

Any suggestions on what to do with the above?

7

Keith , CSA, Docnick, JTsanders, mountain bike, any more answers ?

8

Any more answers