[Stavros]

I've got a fever, and it can only be cured with more cow-bell...

but seriously, when im driving on the high-way, at around 120km/h, im getting a pulsing from the steering wheel... like it shakes back and forth a bit. This sensation increases in strength dramatically when going around corners.

I know 100% it isnt the rotors, cuz i just bought brand new Brembo blanks a few months ago. My steering rack and pinion are also nearly brand new. Its an afermarket Quaiffe quick steering set-up, so any strange pulsations are delivered to my hands twice as strong as with stock steering internals. Brand new wheels and tires too, though i didnt get them alligned yet. BUT i got my allignment done about a month before the new wheels and tires were bought.

Just wondering what the heck it could be, since all the common steering pulse solutions ive looked in to and replaced parts for. I am not a genius about cars though, could it be a tie-rod on the way out? Ball-joint with arthritis? A leprous motor mount?

Any insight as to what i should look closer at would be great.

Also, i realise that 120km/h is kind of fast, and our cars are meant for slalom driving and not high speed cruising. Maybe i just need to cruise a little slower.

 

[ComposiMo]

I'm leaning towards the possability of an axle joint being on its way out... or a wheel bearing.

However, the likely culprit could be a wheel that is not 'perfectly' true all the way around... like its been curbed, or warped somehow.

Time to jack the front of the car up, and start looking around.. also, let it idle in gear with the tires off the ground to see how the wheels roll (wobble). Shake the wheel around and see if the wheel feels loose (wheel bearing), and maybe look at the axles real good, and turn the wheel with the tires spinning in the air, to see if it makes any noises while turned.

 

[Ragnaarok]

I don't think the feeling would increase with cornering, but high speed driving with unbalanced wheels can give you wheel shake. You said you have brand new wheels/tires...did you get them balanced? If you did, could one of the weights have fallen off?

I bought a used car a couple years ago that had new tires put on before I bought it. It had steering wheel shake that was most noticeable at about 35 to 65 miles per hour. Turns out the wheels had no weights on them, they were not balanced at the time of the tire change. Got all four wheel balanced and the steering wheel was as still as a dead guy.

Hope this helps.

 

[stick]

It could be a lot of things. First likely culprits are unbalanced wheels...next is a sticky caliper or warped rotors. Other things to check are axles, balljoints, and steering rack play. When you installed the Quaife rack and pinion, did you replace the bushing on the passenger's side at the end of the steering rack?

 

[Stavros]

wow, thanks for all the input, guys!

when i got my new wheels, they were brand new, but the guy i bought them from had them for a while and didnt install them on his car. I hope they werent damaged goods... If a wheel shop balances wheels with new tires, they check for warped rims, right? it could be possible that one of the weights fell off...

Ill have to check my car with the wheels in the air though, ill have a look real close at the axles, and shake things around to see if the bearings have any play. Im not noticing any bearing noise typically associated with a tired bearing though.

I replaced all the bushings and plastic bit associated with the steering rack when i put in my Quaiffe goodies, but i used the old tie-rods, which didnt look or feel bad at all. Also, my sticky caliper problem i had before has been addressed and shouldnt be an issue anymore.

I noticed one day while changing my oil that the front sway bar chassis mounts were not installed properly... so im kinda wondering if the prior owner's mechanic was giving her the shaft, and setting her up for "major repairs" to fix stuff that he set her up with... or it may have just been an apprentice's mistake either way, the car has some ghosts i need to deal with.

Ive just started noticing that i may be burning oil as well... so i think its time for a good overhaul. Good thing this semester is over in a few weeks.

thanks Ragnaarok, Composimo and Stickershop! you guys rock 8)

 

[Stavros]

ive had a good look under the car... the passenger side axle has some play where it goes into the diff housing... is this normal? it doesnt happen on the driver's side.

i will pull the axle out tomorrow (after draining the MTF first of course) and see if any of the splines are messed on the axle or in the diff if i can see with a flashlight.

 

[coldtotouch]

Hey dude keep us posted about this, its interesting that crxfisher had mentioned a similar incident in another post

Well, I finally took the time to get under the car tonight and look for something. Anything! I found something. Where the passenger side axle goes into the transmission, it's loose. I mean, I can wiggle it up and down and front to back, off-axis. The driver side is tight and cannot wiggle. I'm hoping this is a problem with the axle itself and not something in the transmission on the receiving side.

i'm interested in understanding this further. Is this an issue with our cars, or is this just a coincidence that both of you are experiencing a similar issue???