Front end woes

[930 ZIP]

I am beating myself up on this one. My 930 sways from side to side while running down the road at 70 mph. I have done the following and can not figure out were the play is coming from. Experts please help. This is what I have done so far with no results.

1. New struts
2. New upper strut mounts
3. New ball joints and tie rods
4. new a-arms.

[SteveinTO]

If the front is properly aligned after all your new parts were installed, you may have a look at the rear, particularly anything broken or bent, and proper toe and camber settings.

If the toe settings are not at least symmetrical in the rear you will get recurring bumpsteer only without the bump part.

[tonythetarga]

tell us about your tires. What are you running, what sizes, and how old are they?

[Bill Verburg]

Has the car been lowered, corner balanced and properly aligned?

[930 ZIP]

Originally Posted by Bill Verburg

Has the car been lowered, corner balanced and properly aligned?

Car is lowered to spec and corner balanced and properly aligned. I am wondering if the rack and Pinion has some play in it causing the problem. I can keep the steering wheel steady and the car will track suddenly to the right or left depending on the road surface.

[burgermeister]

Easy to check rack & pinion play when parked. There are bearings in the rack that can wear out and cause a fair bit of play.

On a different note (dumb things I've done many moons ago), if the jam nut on the tie rod has not been tightened, the threads on the tie rod end will eventually wear and cause sudden changes in heading as the tie rod partially slips out of the end and then pops back in, eventually resulting in 35+ degrees of toe-out at an inconvenient time (but likely at parking lot speeds). I tried it on my beetle ... the inner connection was seized, so I popped the tie rod end out to "align" the car, and figuring there was no way the tie rod could spin, I neglected to tighten the jam nut properly.

[ChkbookMechanic]

Does it happen on all roads or just certain roads? Are the tires getting caught in the ruts that often appear on the roads when they get old?

[930 ZIP]

Originally Posted by ChkbookMechanic

Does it happen on all roads or just certain roads? Are the tires getting caught in the ruts that often appear on the roads when they get old?

It happens on all roads. It has to be in the rack & Pinion

[930 ZIP]

Can my Rack be causing this

[Oh Haha]

Yes, your rack could be causing this.....


but before you get into replacing/rebuilding I have a couple more questions.

Have you checked the tire pressures front and rear? Seriously easy, I know but these cars are very picky about pressures.

Do you have a way to check the rear suspension bits at home. Jack, jack stands, etc. It could very well be a problem back there.


That being said and if those items check out, Here is a great thread by Mr.Tim Hancock on rebuilding the rack yourself.
SC Steering Rack DIY Bearing Replace

[Dixie]

Perhaps it's simple tram-lining (following the slight ruts in the road)? What are your alignment settings?

[911ctS]

You mentioned replacing the struts with new ones. If you replaced them with raised spindle units then the addition of a bump steer kit becomes mandatory.

Does it wander at lower speeds too? Like 35mph? Also, at 70mph how many degrees can you turn the wheel without noticing any transfer to the wheels or a reflection in the cars behavior?