Vibrating steering wheel

[arnebret]

Hi,

Lately i noticed that my steering wheel will vibrate at a certain speed range. At about 100-140kmh (65-90mph) it starts vibrating. It's not always at the same speed, sometimes it's already at 65 sometimes at 90mph. I checked tire pressure, i checked wheel nuts. Is there something hanging loose along the steering column?? I checked if engine rpm had some influence, none was the result.

[SoCal Driver]

Either you have recently lost a wheel weight or bent a rim or even picked up a bit of mud. This cointinued minor vibration will result in a shock leaking or a tie rod end or ball joint wearing out. Will even wear out the little universal joints in the offset steering drive shaft. I also think it causes premature aging of the leather on a limited edition Fittipauldi steering wheel.

This could be the first signs of the total failure of your entier front suspension -- replacing part after part until the vibration or your bank account goes away.

I wouldn't worry about it until the car just will not stay in it's lane at over 45 - 50 MPH then rebuild the whole thing.

[arnebret]

Well, my rims will be redone very soon. They will be sand-blasted. repaired and repainted rim by rim. Also, the rims will be checked for any bends and will be adjusted if possible. Because all the wheel weights will come of when cleaning the rims, it will be re-balanced as well when the tyres are re-fitted.

Not only will this look VERY nice, it will also result in a more 'balanced way of life'

[Makis]

At those speeds almost certainly is because the wheels are out of balance. Also make sure you get your wheels balanced in a shop where you know they do there job correctly.

[Timm]

My car was doing the exact same thing right after I had the tires rotated. It was the balance on the two front tires. I had the shop rebalance (for free, of course) all four tires. Drives like new.

[3sonfather]

jack up the front end and give the wheels a wiggle. you may have a loose wheel bearing (will wiggle all around), a worn ball joint (will wiggle top to bottom) or loose/ worn tie rod (will wiggle from left to right). But if you suspect an out of balance wheel, take it to a reputable tire mechanic and have them balance the front and he can give you his two cents on the problem as well.

[hoff944]

You could also have flat spots on your tires as well. Then there is the infamous 944 shimmy which sometimes can't be elimenated.

[arnebret]

I wiggled the wheels and the left seems to have a bit of play all around. A bit more top-bottom, but it's also there left-right. A wheel bearing going? I haven't heard any clunking yet, so maybe it's in a beginning stage?

How can i check for sure if it's the bearing?

[3sonfather]

The haynes manual has a pretty good description of bearing tightness. Hand tighten the bearing nut until you can no longer slide the bearing washer from side to side. Then back it off slightly. If you've got 100k miles on your car, you may just want to go ahead and replace your front wheel bearings, ball joints and bushings and perhaps your tie-rods as well.

[arnebret]

I got just past the 100k miles. Maybe i'll have all that stuff done soon. Need new rotors+pads on front as well. Better get in the euros to spent them like hell again

[arnebret]

Just took the outer bearing and washer out and had a look at it. The bearing has some play, but it seemed normal. Should there be any play in the bearing?? I can push the rollers in and out a bit. I adjusted the bearings back to spec, still problem still there.

I still don't know what you call a ball joint and tie rod. Can anyone explain, i still have to pick up the english mechanical terms.

[SoCal Driver]

Originally posted by arnebret
I still don't know what you call a ball joint and tie rod. Can anyone explain, i still have to pick up the english mechanical terms.

Ball Joint = Pivot at the bottom end of the vertical shock/spring suspension structure sometimes called a McPherson Strut. This is at the end of the A-arm. The ball joint pin goes into the bottom of the spindle which is bolted to the vertical strut.

Tie Rod = Attaches to the arm on the spindels. Is at the end of a rod coming out of the steering rack. Adjusting these changes the toe in. Like ball joints there are just two.

[jjboncik1]

Had vibrating twice in last 5 years. Balancing tires worked wonders each time

[A64Bill]

I have the same problem at around 110kph/70mph. I'm going for the easy fix first (wheel Bal) because my $ to euro exchange rate's not so good at the moment. Will post results of wheel Bal...

[97XRAY]

I'm still looking for someone to help me out by buying two of the four straight cookie cutters I posted about on the page for classifieds.
Yeah, so, anybody want a couple straight rims!!!

[todwic]

My 84 drove straight and true, but the tie rod nut was of the teflon squeezer type that are great for holding my vise on the bench but a little too squirrly for me to trust on my tie rod ends, so I tightened the crap out of it. Now I have the shimmy (p/s isn't really supposed to do that?). It doesn't look damaged, but I'm thinking of replacing it (but it's only 4 mo. old!!) Is this the new style of tie rod end bolts, or did I just get a crappy brand? any input is appreciated.


B.T.W. I have 4 good cookie cutters

[kenny]

My occasional shimmy seems to be road dependant. if the road is smooth I don't get it at all. if the road has some uneveness, I get a little shimmy. I suspect things are maybe getting a little worn, but I've been told that this is a pretty common deal.