# steering wheel shaking



## ausoccer20 (Dec 2, 2003)

I got a question that I have been asking tons of people yet no one seems to be able to answer it so I will try here. To start off here is my car... http://members.cardomain.com/gssoccer20
check out my car

I am in the process of trying to figure out why my steering wheel shakes. Here is what has happened. when I bought the car about a year and a half ago the steering wheel shook from the beginnning....the guy i bought it from said it just needed an allignment and it would ride fine. Of course that was a lie. I got an allignment and sure enough still shaking. I eventually put my 17 inch rims on. Still shook a lot. They said you need an allignment and your wheels balanced. So of course I did that...still the steering wheel shakes. So then I lower the car shakes and rides like crap now...lol but still shakes. So they say you need a camber kit another front and rear allignment and another wheel balance...so I do all that and still it shakes what do you know with my luck. In the next few monthes im doing eithor kyb agx shocks and struts or kyb gr2's ive searched a lot on that trying to figure which one I need. Thats another post though. For this post I am asking if anyone has had the same problem or if anyone has any ideas. I have had prob 5-7 professional shops work/ look at it / tell me what they think I need....yet nothing helps... o the shaking increases as the speed increases and shakes so much at about 60 or 70 u have to keep both hands on the wheel just to keep the car steady. It only shakes a little at low speeds but still enough to be able to look at it and tell that its shaking....plz and help is much appreciated


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## chimmike (Oct 17, 2002)

check the steering bushings?


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## ausoccer20 (Dec 2, 2003)

let me try and narrow this down a little more ... i dont drive hard brake hard...dont burnout ever i have a b14 with intake and full exhuast its slow...so its not burnouts.....ummm im so clueless right now i check the tire pressure regularly run 33-37 pounds just like the tires say....could it be shocks or sturts?....


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## Russia (Jul 24, 2003)

I really dont know wat to say about the problem, but Iam going to say nice ass ride man, looks good! How much did the paint job cost?


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## joeyxryan (Sep 2, 2003)

i have the same problem, but have not yet adressed it b/c there are bigger thing i have to worry about.. but it is very annoying


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## himilefrontier (Jan 21, 2003)

I used to have that problem with my B14 since I drive it really abusively and tended to seperate the cords inside the tires and get a bulge in the tread.I must have ruined 4 tires that way in 20,000 miles (6 mos of my driving). However, in your case I doubt it is a bad tire because the problem persisted after changing all 4 wheels and tires. It could be a severely warped front brake rotor . B14's are notorious for warping rotors after applying the brakes and hitting a puddle. Another possibility to consider is a bad engine or trans mount that is causing a angularity problem with the axles. It could also be a bent suspension member or a bad wheel bearing. I fixed a Taurus which had a similar problem due to a bad hub assembly(which contains the wheel bearings).Check for this by putting it in the air and trying to "wiggle" the wheel up and down. Excessive play indicates a bad wheel bearing.Finally, the car may have been poorly repaired from a previous accident which is now screwing with the steering geometry.


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## sfhellwig (Feb 4, 2003)

I have the same problem but have been waiting for Spring to do the work. Could be brakes but a previous discussion has also pointed to axels. The way to test is to jack up each front wheel one at a time and see if there is any free play in the rotation. Almost the same thing himilefrontier said but looking for a different kind of play. Do both checks at the same time. I wish I could give more imput but I have not done the test myself, my brakes need done and I have a busted motor mount so who knows which one it is. I am leaning towards the axels because at low tire pressure it is a very dramatic "waddling" of the steering wheel but gets better after I air up the tires.


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## dry (Oct 21, 2002)

usually an alignment will help, if it doesnt they should be able to see what the problem is. Obviously it has to do with the front wheels, it could be broken or bent tie rods or axles, bad bushings or as himile said a bad motor mount, I would check that first, becuase the other stuff they would notice when doing an alignment. I would imagine its easier than you think. Good luck.


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## ausoccer20 (Dec 2, 2003)

The only thing I can even think of is that the first time I went to big ten they said they thought I could have had a bent strut. They said from what we can see of it it is not bent but thats got to be what it is.....it has to be bent...well thats what they said at least....I just wish people could do there job. There job is to be able to find what is messed up on my car without me wasteing a ton of money but of course with my luck that never happens. If I did have a bent strut would that cause the shaking problem or could it? If thats not it I guess ill try jacking the car up. After I jack it up I should see if there is any free play in the rotation? Can I get a little more datails on that. I have it jacked up but not quite sure what im looking for. Also I got a lot of ideas just not even sure where to start. I would take it to some place to do but im really afraid there not going to know anything eithor...


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## ausoccer20 (Dec 2, 2003)

o and the rotors are brand new so not warped rotors just got them about 2-3 monthes ago....it shook before the rotors and after them....the paint job is 350z blue with a pearl it was about 2k which painted everything the car inside the trunk doorjams and under hood.....but it was a shop of a freind in the car club so i got a pretty decent deal


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## sfhellwig (Feb 4, 2003)

The procedure for checking axels as I have seen it is jack up one front wheel till it is OFF the ground and the other is ON the ground. Making sure the car is IN gear, try to rotate the wheel as if to move the car. There should not be excess movement or it would indicate a worn axle. At the same time rock the wheelback and forth as if trying to turn the car. Excessive play in the direction would indicte a worn wheel bearing/hub assembly. Lower car and repeat on other side. While your at it you may as well pull the wheel and then you have a wide open view of bent/broken stuff.


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## Slayer2003 (Jun 4, 2003)

HOLY SHIT!!!

i have this same problem. but see. i caused mine. and its getting worse. last winter i entered an onramp going a LIIIITTLE too fast, blam, jumped a concrete lip on the drivers side. killed the drivers side rim, and cruched a cat. replaced the rim, have had countless alignments, im guessing i bent a tie rod or even an axle. but, i cant afford to fix it atm, so, th-th-th-thunk my wheel goes at moderate speeds.


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## phreako (Mar 4, 2004)

i bent a control arm (and ruined a tire) on my drivers side after i slammed a curb...rim was okay though luckily. replaced the control arm for about $300 at nissan and all my tires (they were old anyway) and i was fine again. but something like that they should spot at an alignment shop though.

and btw, Slayer...that Ashley girl in your gallery is pretty hot dude....rarrr.


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## Marcus_S13 (Dec 6, 2004)

thats almost definitly sounds like a damaged axle!!!! be prepared to fork out an insane amount for repairs!!!


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## UnkalledFor (Sep 21, 2004)

i have the same problem, but only when i brake... so i suspect its warped rotors... and now my brakes make a schreaching sound, its really anoying, i cant wait to replace them..


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## Ninety-Nine SE-L (May 5, 2002)

If the steering wheel shakes at atound 50-70MPH, try getting your tires rotated/balanced and check for tread wear.

Unkalledfor: yea, most definately warped rotors, I had it twice in my 97 and I'm getting a bit in my SEL. new rotors n pads will do the trick, or some AD22s will eliminate the problem for good 

If you want to check for a bad axle, lift the car up and see if there's a shit load of muddy, thick grease around any of the rubber CV boots.


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## Exalta (Jan 21, 2003)

Have you checked your wheels at a reputable shop for deformity?
Maybe you need to have your wheels balanced


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## BIRM_200SX (Dec 8, 2004)

This sounds like a common problem. My 200SX is doing the same thing. The bushing idea sounds like a possibility because it has over 100K on it, bought it that old, oddly, though, mine goes away at 40 MPH and over.


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## cpeny (Dec 11, 2004)

this must be a common problem because my sentra is doing the same thing. I have replaced the struts thinking that was the problem, but it did not help. I have taken it for an alignment but they did not see a problem. I have replace the tires and had them balanced. I think the problem is the control arm. I have not hit any curbs or crashed into anything, I have hit a hole or two in the road but I do not think they were bad enough to damage anything. Again my money is on the control arm.


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## OneHotV6 (Jun 9, 2004)

I'll jump on this bandwagon too.. steering wheel shakes until about 30-40 mph then it's fine. But it only happens at random times, not everytime I drive the car.. I've had the axles replaced and the motor mount changed, I'm thinking it might be the wheel bearings.. gonna have them checked and see if it helps.


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## SonsofWisdom (Mar 29, 2004)

You know it really sounds like it’s either the tires, rims, or axles. A bent strut could cause excessive caster…and that can cause a shimmy…you should know that a lot of shops don’t always check everything. You want to make sure and get a FOUR WHEEL alignment. They should check your caster, camber, SAI (steering axis inclination), thrust angle, and toe. Ask to see the results and make sure everything is in spec, check with a service manual to see what it should be. Go to a shop that has a newer model alignment rack…a hunter rack with red flashing LED’s is a good sign that it’s a good shop. It seems to not be the engine or the tranny because it would change as you shift if it were the tranny.

So first off here are some questions to get you thinking

Is the vibration ONLY in the steering wheel or is it all through the car?

Does the wheel go side to side or is it a vibration or is it a shake? Meaning…is it a kind of light wobble? Or is it a high frequency vibration or low frequency vibration…high freq. being just that…it vibrates rapidly A LOT…low freq is kinda like when you bog the motor and it shakes but not really rapid. That’s really clear as freakin Texas clay isn’t it?

When do you FIRST begin to feel the vibration?
At what speed do you begin to feel like “HOLY CRAP I’M GONNA DIE!” meaning when does it shake so much you feel unsafe?
Does it change with engine speed? 
Does your car have any other problems?
Does your car wander? Is it hard to steer? Does it pull to one side? Are your tires wearing unevenly or are they wearing really quickly?
Does it change when you steer the vehicle? If you turn or change lanes does it become different at all?
Does it change on different road surfaces?
Is it just a vibration or do you also hear a sound as well?

It only occurs in motion right? If yes then you can rule out the engine and mounts, if it changes while you slowly go through the rpms while sitting still then it could be the motor…but you said it is only in motion…so it’s not those.

You can prolly rule out the tranny also because it would pause while you shift…but you didn’t say if it is just a straight steady increase. 

Now I’m just gonna throw sh%* at you…read if you want..these are some things that can cause vibration. A buddy of mine had a weird steering wheel vibration on his 93 accord…one part was he misaligned his balance shafts but I think he still had a slight shake after he fixed that. So I’ll ask him and see what it was…cause it was something weird I think.


Ok let’s start with problems with the tires, tire vibrations are vehicle/tire speed sensitive.

There is a thing known as the standing wave, this deals with vehicle speed ratings. From the looks of your tires though they most likely have a fairly high speed rating, meaning the sidewall is stiff…A weak sidewall will flex and produce heat at high speeds and eventually the tire will get so hot it will break down. But a tire with weak sidewalls will also vibrate as it flexes.

Now a word on out of round tires…most shops will not test your tires for out of roundess (meaning the actual tire rubber). They will slap on the weights and mount the tire…why not most tires are good…well a buddy of mine found out that this is not always true…6 out of 8 tires some customer bought were out of round…he kept buying these crappy Uniroyals for his 2500 diesel, idiot, any way he bought 4 new tires. We put ‘em on, balanced ‘em to zero. He came back saying it was horribly vibrating. We checked the roundness and found two of the tires were out of round. He bought 4 more new tires (I don’t know why he bought four and not just two)…still Uniroyal, and we balanced ‘em to zero and put ‘em on…came back…ALL FOUR were out of round. Me and my buddy were only there for the summer (college and all) so I don’t know if this guy got the picture…DON’T PUT CHEAP TIRES ON BIG TRUCKS. But your tires don’t look cheap  but still something to keep in mind. After all…who woulda thought 6 out of 8 new tires would be out of round…I mean even for Uniroyal that’s bad.


TIRES
Tire wear-
Worn tires can cause vibrations
This can be felt about 30-70 mph 

Radial run out-
This is up and down movement of the tire.
Examples are a bulge of tire, flat spot of tire (locking up your brakes will do this), variation in stiffness of the tire sidewall or tread, out of round tire, and/or out of round rim. non-concentric hub bolt pattern can also cause this.
These can be felt at about 20-70mph 

Lateral run out-
Side to side tire movement or wobble of the tire. 
Faulty tires, bent or poorly machined rims, bent hub or axle flanges also. Tire imbalance could also be a cause of lateral movement. Suspension parts can cause a wobble too.
Felt at about 60-70 mph

Tire imbalance-
Static and dynamic – 
Basically heavy spots on the tire while moving or sitting still, counterbalance weights are used to counter this, tire imbalance can cause shimmy/wiggle/wobble side to side. 
Felt and hear at about 30-60 mph


Rims are next in line. 

Usually you can see if a rim is bent but sometimes it could be a result of poor machining, casting, or other manufacture error. Either way, if it is a little out of round, once you reach a specific speed, your suspension parts and tires can not absorb the vibration and it will be translated to you. 

Next will be the hub and the rims.
If your rims are hub centric and you put aftermarket rims on that are not hub centric, then your rims could be offset to one side. Hub centric rims mate up with their hubs flange and are centered on the hub flange…non-hub centric rims are usually centered with tapered lugs. You can put non-hub centric rims on a car that cam with hub centric rims and you can have them centered with the lugs…but you really need a hub centric rim for a car that cam with hub centric rims…usually you would need a type of spacer ring if you put on larger rims to take up the gap.

Now the hubs themselves. If the hub is bent the is could cause a vibration and the rim would always show good roundness when tested…cause it would be the hub that’s out of round not the rim. Also if one of the lug bolts are bent this too could cause a incorrect mounting.

The bearings are next, they don’t really cause a vibration, they do cause noise though.

AXLES
Next (because the 200 is front wheel drive) are the cv joints. The cv axle could be bent or out of round. Like the tires they rotate faster as you drive faster. You could clean them off really well with some sand paper and lay a flat edge on them…rub gently though…just enough to clean of dirt.

All of the above would produce speed sensitive vibrations.

SUSPENSION
Let’s go to the suspension next. Your vibration could be a shimmy or something else…caused by loose or worn bushings, rubber mounts. Check the tightness of your tie rods, lower control arms, radius rods if you have them (you will if you have MacPherson Struts or double wishbone.) My 240sx has MacPherson so I assume the 200 has them in the front as well. If you want me to post the procedures for testing your ball joints and other components let me know. Course I’ll need to know for sure what type of suspension you have…MacPherson, modified strut…SLA (short long arm) 
I’ve never looked at/researched a 200 so I don’t really know 

Loose steering components will cause side to side (shimmy/lateral) movement so I hesitate to say it is your suspension. But a shimmy caused by loose/worn/damaged components could translate to a vibration, especially as the speed increases…but again, this would most likely cause poor steering and turning and you would notice that first I believe. 
If your control arm bushings are bad and you have a shimmy then that would translate to your wheel…if you just had a shimmy and good bushings…that too would translate but bad bushings will translate better.

By lowering the vehicle I assume you now have slight negative camber. This stiffens the ride a bit…sportier tuned suspensions will translate a shimmy/vibration much more as they are stiffer.


So if that didn’t help my bad…hope it did…let me know if anything wasn’t really clear there…yeah…ok…later.


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## Insert Name Here (Feb 19, 2004)

You know I used to have teh same problem, the steering wheel would shake really bad and I always thought it was my brakes cuz I hadnt changed them in a while so I changed them and it did reduce the shaking, but then I got some 17" rims and the shaking is like completly gone. So I dont know if its the rims, tires or both.


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## BIRM_200SX (Dec 8, 2004)

Well, I do my own maintances because I still am in a good word with the dealership I used to work for and my father works there, so I know my alignment, wheels, and tires are fine and within spec.s and I checked the CV joints when I bought it and replaced all of the boots. When I do my next oil change, I'm going to check the bushings and the bearings around the front wheels to see if anything looks odd.


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## pester (Dec 14, 2004)

*car shaking*

i bought my nissan about a month ago and was shaking the same

i looked at the c v joint and that was the problem because was out of grease

i replaced the cv joint and that was it i hope thats ur problem too


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## OneHotV6 (Jun 9, 2004)

Recently the car has been drifting in directions on it's own so I took it in to get checked out and the tie rod needed to be replaced.. since then the shaking has disappeared. I also had new tires put on the same day so it might've been the tires too.. check for any play in the front-end.


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## voiddweller (Dec 21, 2004)

I've got the same problem with my steering wheel. I'm going to have the suspension and tire balance checked out this week.


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## DanTheMan (Jan 12, 2003)

Sounds like the axle and/or especially worn cv joints. Ya have em checked at nissan and they should know. I don't think anymore alignments would help as you've had it aligned multiple times.
My 17" konig rims added to my "road feel" and transmit more vibration than the stock tires because of the increase in unsprung weight and loss of shock absorbtion because they're thin compared to the OG stuff but it's just road vibration, not true "shaking". If it's not the axles or cv joints I would go to the steering column itself and check all the bushings/o-rings or whatever.
*Before all that look to see if your engine mounts are torn and/or severely worn but this should be obvious to a good mech. who actually looks for the problem (kinda hard to see the rubber so check carefully) this would cause alot of vibration, most of the time.


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## pedroelmalo (Jul 3, 2012)

I guess it is a common problem. My 89 Sentra has a side to side movement when I take off in first gear, it doesn't really go away at all, but if I hit 50 mph it shakes enough that I don't jump on the freeway!!! yeah I feel like Im gonna die. 

I have done the rotors and pads because the ones that were on it were gone. Im hoping it is the axles since both of them are in need of replacement and making noise at turns. 

I did have a bad tire in the rear and I had that replaced, but the shaking now is in the front... I am going to jack it up this afternoon after the temperature has gone down from 107 degrees to a more bearable 97 (I know huh?) and check for excesive play. I will keep checking back on this thread for more information hopefully...


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