Steering wheel is going crazy

[iamtheyi]

When I go past 60 I get mass vibrations through the steering wheel. What the hellz? what are some causes of this? oh, and I have bump steer too. Just curious what all the causes might be so I can start narrowing this biznitch down.

[keistyle]

Alignment.

[iamtheyi]

shat. So it's not my rack and pinion right? A friend of mine said it might've been since one of the boots is ripped on one side of my front axles

[nieko]

YOUR WHEELS ARE UNBALANCED.

go to your local tire place and tell them you need your wheels balanced.

problem solved, this is almost 100% your issue.

[iamtheyi]

uh.. You think they just balanced wrong then? I see weights on both and the front left I got it balanced like three weeks ago ><

[keistyle]

shat. So it's not my rack and pinion right? A friend of mine said it might've been since one of the boots is ripped on one side of my front axles

Does your car make funny sounds when you turn?

[keistyle]

By turn i mean, spin the wheel. Do this when stationary, and listen for a whining sound.

[iamtheyi]

uh~ nothing I've been able to pinpoint exactly I guess. Just the regular straining and groaning of a regular car i believe.

[keistyle]

Have you checked your power steering fluid level?

[iamtheyi]

Well, I don't really think my power steering would affect my steering wheel shaking like it just snorted coke and is going crazy. But yes, It is somewhat low and my hose has a leak :P

[1slowS13]

bump steer is caused by the tie rods binding, which happens on lowered cars with factory tie rod ends

shaking while driving could be multiple things, could be:

unbalanced wheels
worn out ball joints and/or bushings
worn out inner tie rod ends
rack and pinion bushings

honestly i dont even get my wheels balanced, and my wheel shake isn't even that bad.

[GabeS14]

I don't see what power steering has to do with steerig wheel vibration. It would just get stiffer if he was low on power stewing fluid.
Main cause for vibration from my experience is alignment being off.

And yes if your steering rack is messed up can also cause your steering to be very loose. And worsens bump steer because it's all over the place when you sort of land.

You can get your steerig rack rebuilt really cheap.


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[iamtheyi]

^ that's why I'm very curious. The steering wheel shakes so much after 60mph, if I don't hold it down super tight, my hand goes numb. :P

[GabeS14]

Yea I borrowed a friends super old Taurus once and it was exactley like that!
Check to see if any of your front suspension arms are bent.



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[iamtheyi]

Yea I borrowed a friends super old Taurus once and it was exactley like that!
Check to see if any of your front suspension arms are bent.



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nooooo~! suspension arms are expensive! ><

[bikrman2]

I had the same exact problem. Check your tension rod bushings. Mine were smoked.

[iamtheyi]

^ lol.. energy suspensino here I come then

[zylvia213]

sounds like wheel balance or aligment. But can be other suspension related parts. jack the car up on stands and go under and take a look and check everything out.

[iamtheyi]

F. Doesn't seem liek theres one thing to fix. I have to diagnose this ish...

[nieko]

I can bet you 5 dollars.

If you go get your wheels balanced, this will be fixed.

It is so cheap too....

i know you said you got them done 3 weeks ago....

but weights fall off, tires get worn down.

especially if you have some gay toe wear or something, 3 weeks will definately unblance that ish.


if you got your wheels balanced at americas tires, they should do it again for free for you.

[Weedm]

wheel balance or bent wheel.

[MitchellBade]

Did this happen before you got your wheels balanced? If so then it isn't that. Process of elimination. Just get new tie rods, alignment, rebalance every wheel, get new rack and pinion bushings, and ball joints. Might be costly, but you won't have to worry about it later on!

[iamtheyi]

^ uh.. i actually bought it like that ><

[nieko]

ok so you HAVENT gotten your wheels balanced... do you understand how that works?

after so many miles on the tires, your wheels arent fucking balanced anymore. rubber goes away.... get it?

just because there are weights doesnt mean shit.

PLEASE go get your wheels balanced.... its sooooooo cheap. and it will solve your problem, almost 100% sure.

[iamtheyi]

^ alright nieko. I shall give you an update this weekend :D

[Okinawandrifter87]

Wheel balance problem solved most likely. Just do it and quit posting till you get that wheel balance lol.

[airhead]

check all the above.
or you can have a warped brake rotor.

[Okinawandrifter87]

Warped brake rotor is if he's braking at that speed and then starts to shake not just driving at that speed.

[MandTPhotography]

Mine does the same thing. I think mine is due to the drivers side boot being effed all to hell.

[airhead]

if its warped pretty bad it will start to vibrate around 40-60mph..

i had this problem before i just replaced all my brake rotors and that shaking problem went away.

[ghetto180]

More than likely the weights on the inside or outside have fallen off or you could have a bent rim. How many times have you taken off your wheels and not rebalanced them? I had this problem way back in the day when i switched out rims, it needs to be balanced everytime, just take it to the tire shop to get balanced and if you can, get some hubcentric rings too, it will help.

[theboy]

i had the same issue, i ended up replacing 12 out of the 16 lugs and it solved my problem. Stripped lugs will let the wheels shake, causing the steering wheel to shake like mad. i balance my wheels 4 times before i figured it out

[Datenshi]

So just to sum everything everyone said up, anything and EVERYTHING around your wheels. LOL.

[shadowcorp]

You could also try looking at the rubber on the upper shock mounts up front. When they get old they can break apart. The suspension will still sit normal but they will start shifting around while driving. It's real easy to check any way. But I agree with above, it's a good chance your wheels just aren't balanced.

[klits562]

Have a shop check your tires because there is a difference between balance wheels and balanced tires. You can balance your wheels with the weights, but there is nothing you can do about unbalanced tires so have a tire shop check your wheels & tires to make sure both are balanced.

Thats the cheapest way if that doesnt help check the lugs and get an alignment.

[nieko]

How did it go? nice and smooth now? haha :D

[iamtheyi]

^ haha nieko. didn't fix anything :P. They said my wheel was fine.

[murda-c]

Do you get any movement when you have the car up in the air and you grab the tire and shake it side to side or up and down?

there's also tsb about the steering rack tensioner..


ts due to a spring in the rack itself wearing out.


Steering Wheel Shimmy
Classification:
ST93-002

Section:
Steering

Reference:
TECHNICAL BULLETIN NTB93-066

Models:
All 240SX(S13)

Date:
April 1, 1993

240SX(S13) STEERING WHEEL SHIMMY

APPLIED MODELS:
All Model Year 240SX(S13)

APPLIED VIN; HICAS; DATE:
JN1HS34NW300146 - Coupe; HICAS=no; 6/4/92
JN1HS36NW300198 - H/B; HICAS=no; 6/4/92
JN1HS34NW300384 - H/B; HICAS=Yes; 6/12/92.
JN3HS - Convt.; HICAS=no;.

SERVICE INFORMATION:
Some owners of 240SX vehicles built before the Applied VIN may complain
about steering wheel shimmy while driving at approximately 55 mph. The
wheel
shimmy complaint can usually be resolved by balancing the front tires.
However, in those cases where the complaint is not resolved by this
repair,
adjustment of the steering rack friction may be necessary.

SERVICE PROCEDURE:1. Road test vehicle to verify that the customer's
complaint is steering wheel shimmy [slight rotational vibration of the
steering wheel at approximately 55 mph] and that it occurs without
braking.

2. Verify that the steering rack, rods, and joints are secure and the
steering system is within specification.

3. Balance the front tires with an on-car balancer, if available;
otherwise,
use a calibrated off-car dynamic balancer.

4. Perform another road test of vehicle. If shimmy is not resolved, it
will
be necessary to adjust the steering rack friction.

5. Remove the steering rack adjusting screw. Clean the adjusting nut of
any
remaining locking sealant. Reassemble the lock nut to the adjusting
screw
with the lock nut backed off fully.

6. Replace the spring with P/N 48237-10V02. This is a direct
replacement,
original-equipment part. Be sure the spring washers remain in place, in
the
same orientation.

7. Coat the adjusting screw with Loctite 272 Threadlocker or equivalent
and
screw into the rack. Tighten the lock nut finger-tight.

8. Torque the adjusting screw to 43-52 inch-pounds.

9. Loosen the adjusting screw, then, lightly tighten by hand.
NOTE:
The actual torque value for this screw is 0.43 to 1.74 inch-pounds.

10. Move the rack through its full travel, left and right, several
times.

11. Center the rack in the "straight-ahead" position. With road wheels
off
the ground, turn the steering wheel a half turn in each direction to
find
the maximum friction spot. Stop at the maximum friction spot.

12. Loosen the adjusting screw, then torque screw to 43-52 inch-pounds.

13. Loosen the adjusting screw approximately 40 degrees (just shy of
1/8
turn).

14. Prevent movement of the adjusting screw and torque the lock nut to
29-52
inch-pounds.

15. Test drive on a level road to verify that the steering wheel
returns to
center when the steering wheel is released from a turn (approximately
20
degrees). Also, verify that the steering shimmy was corrected by
driving on
the road surface where the incident was diagnosed.

16. If less pre-load is needed (to achieve steering wheel
return-to-center
after a turn)- based upon the results of the test drive detailed in
Step 15,
you may loosen the pre-load position of the adjusting screw, up to the
90
degree position.


Or, if more pre-load is needed to reduce shimmy, you may tighten the
adjusting nut up to the 20 degree position.

NOTE:
The pre-load range of adjustment is 20-90 degrees loose, from the
baseline
established at Step 11.

17. Road test, again, to confirm shimmy complaint is resolved and
steering
wheel will return to center after a turn.

18. If the above procedure is not successful, please call the FIXS
Hotline
for assistance.


PARTS INFORMATION:

NOTE
This is a standard replacement part number; it is not a
countermeasure/revised part.

Part Description Free Length Part Number
Spring-Retainer 27.9 mm 48237-10V02

[iamtheyi]

lol. Thanks. I'm going to take it to an alignment shop probably on monday to get a free front end inspection :P. possibly balance it again? we shall see

[nieko]

Do you have any slip on spacers?

[iamtheyi]

^ nope. I'll get everyone an update after i get my inspection.

[Sileighty_85]

I think I know what it is! I have the same issue

Have you checked the inner tie rod ball joint?
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i235/Neil_85/Misc/TieRodend.jpg

Jack up the wheel and move it side to side. If there is play then pull the boot back and verify its coming from the ball joint

[iamtheyi]

^ my boot is torn :P

[Black R]

wow, i've had this same problem.

so far i replaced the following:

steering rack bushings
tension rods
inner tie rods
outer tie rods
wheel bearings
hubs
calipers
rotors
wheels
tires
*and got an alignment and balanced.

it's almost gone with the new wheels bearings, hubs, and wheels and tires.

so next I guess it's the steering rack?

[endlessboost]

has anyone thought of the bushing on the steering shaft? the one thats between the firewall/shaft?