Nuts and Bolts with Buffalo Jim

Dear Buffalo Jim,

Help! My 1993 Ford Explorer has been vibrating for the last few months, and it seems to be getting worse. The vibration is the worst in the steering wheel, but I can usually feel it in the driver's seat as well. My mechanic suggested it might be the tires, so I had them balanced but the problem didn't get any better. I suspect it has something to do with the engine, but my husband and I barely know how to open the hood. What do you think?

--Barbara Allen

Well, sister, the bad news is you may have more than one problem. The good news is none of them should cost you more than $100 to fix. First, let's look at that vibration in the steering wheel. Believe it or not, I think it might be the fault of a bubble in one of your front tires. Have them rotated from front to back on the same side of the car and take it out for a test drive. If the vibration goes away, the bubble is in one of the back tires. Find it, replace it and drive off into the sunset.

Now, let's get down to that vibration in the seat. That could be two things: a bad motor mount or a bad U-joint on your drive shaft. You can test for the motor mount by opening the hood, setting your foot firmly on the brake, putting the car into drive and running the car up to 1500 RPMs. If the engine lifts up, you've got a bad left motor mount. Now do the same thing with the car in reverse. If the engine lifts up, you've got a bad right motor mount. If that's the problem, then you're looking at $30-$40 in parts and $50 in labor.

To test the drive shaft, all you have to do is crawl under the car, grab that big cylinder that runs to the back wheels and try to shake it. If it moves, you've got a bad U-joint. The price is about the same: $30-$40 in parts and $50 in labor. With all that accomplished, your vibration problems should be nothing but a bad memory.

Buffalo Jim is the owner of Allstate Auto Marine. On his '67 GTO hardtop, he's installed a bulletproof drive shaft ($500), which keeps it from tearing loose every time he stomps on the gas. E-mail him your car questions at buffalojim@lasvegasmercury.com.