# front end help



## LOUD88 (May 6, 2010)

ok so i have a 97 200sx se that is stock. So my problem is while driving the steering wheel shake really bad and it get worse the faster i go. Checked all i could on the front end. The guy i bought it off told me bout the shake in it and said he replaced both cvs,. had it allined, tires ballanced with no decrease in the shake. I checked all the joins it the steering and they seemed fine. Other than the shakey steering wheel it drives fine.

apprciate any help with this,
Daryl


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## jdg (Aug 27, 2009)

Rotate the tires, front to rear, keeping same side tires on the same side.
Report back...


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## LOUD88 (May 6, 2010)

sorry forgot to mention that. Was the first thing i done after getting it and no change there.


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## jdg (Aug 27, 2009)

Miles on the tires?
Miles on the car?
Last time it had a COMPLETE tune up?
Get any worse when you step on the brakes?
Get any worse if you just use the e-brake?
Tires at the correct pressure?


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## IanH (Feb 11, 2003)

LOUD88 said:


> ok so i have a 97 200sx se that is stock. So my problem is while driving the steering wheel shake really bad and it get worse the faster i go. Checked all i could on the front end. The guy i bought it off told me bout the shake in it and said he replaced both cvs,. had it allined, tires ballanced with no decrease in the shake. I checked all the joins it the steering and they seemed fine. Other than the shakey steering wheel it drives fine.
> 
> apprciate any help with this,
> Daryl


Take it back to the shop that balanced the wheel/tyres.
Tell them it shakes, ask them to re-do and check for bent wheels and wheel tyre run out / hop as well.

I had a car with 3 bent wheels once.....


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## LSDisk0 (Dec 8, 2011)

Ian, that's crazy how'd you pull that off, lol.
Your wheel bearings might be shot, lift the car and grab the tires with both hands and try and wiggle it to you and away from you. If it moves its the wheel bearings. If its fwd check the transaxle and everything. Anything that deals with movement check it. My car does the same thing, 89 sentra, and I have wheel bearings going out cvs going out and I need an alignment.

Sent from my SHARP-ADS1 using AutoGuide.Com Free App


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## Jopet (Aug 10, 2009)

had the same issue when I bought my car. It had bent rims. had to replace them.


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## LOUD88 (May 6, 2010)

Miles on the tires? 15k or so
Miles on the car? 320k
Last time it had a COMPLETE tune up? 6000 miles ago
Get any worse when you step on the brakes? No
Get any worse if you just use the e-brake? NO
Tires at the correct pressure? 32psi all way round using a snap-on digital air pressure guage. 

checked wheels no movement, will check cvs and their bearings tomorrow and far as balancing the wheel and checking the rims i can do that myself as i recently purchased a wheel changer and balancer set.I'll let yall know the out come of the finall checks.


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## LOUD88 (May 6, 2010)

OK so everything seems to check out slight play in cvs and still need check wheels had something come up and wasn't able to check em. did a little more diagnoses check vibrations seem to decrease when i let off the throttle no brakes just let up and coast


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## LOUD88 (May 6, 2010)

rebalanced all 4 tires weren't that bad out 1/4 of an oz avg. The two rims on rear that were up front have a slight warp to em. Still the same no improvement so i now am in search of rims possibly an aluminum set.


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## MadRacerX (Jan 14, 2009)

I just changed out both my lower ball joints and tie rod ends. The dude who aligned your car clearly didn't check out these for wear, and just aligned it. I got my lower ball joints replaced, and my dude who worked on my car, I don't think he tightened the nut for the tie rod ends one more spot to the pin, and so the next day my steering was shaking all over the place!(wasn't shaking at all before he worked on it, just handling around corners in a very dangerous way!) Also, figure the tie rod ends control the toe, and so the tires couldn't hold themselves straight and just wobbled down the road. Next day, when i replaced the very worn/loose tie rod ends, and did go that extra turn, so they were tight, NEW CAR! If your car was aligned lately, the nut that holds the tie rod end adjustment should be easily able to get loose and change them yourself. And, last thought, you could also have very warped rotors, this also causes a vibrating steering wheel.


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## LOUD88 (May 6, 2010)

Not sure if this helps any but with the tilt function on the steering wheel if the wheels all way up it gets worse but all way down seem to help a little.

MadRacerX ill recheck my ball joints and rod ends but far as the brakes if the rotors were warped it would feed back through the brake pedal. 

Thanks Daryl


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## rogoman (Dec 16, 2004)

Check the rack mount bushings as well as the control arm bushings for excessive wear.


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## nmbrown69 (Aug 16, 2012)

*Don't overlook*

 :newbie:, Hey loud did you solve this issue? The brake rotor suggestion should not be overlooked. Check to see if after a run any 1 wheel is hotter than the rest? It would point at Brakes. Flex line restricting, caliper seizing, abs pump malfunction(less likely). A hot spot formed on the rotor from any of these would just get progressively worse. Let us know your results


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## LOUD88 (May 6, 2010)

Still not solved. changed ball joints while doing a clutch job couple weeks ago and now it move it to the 80 and up mph range. All mounts are good, think i might change tie rod ends and get an alinement to see if that will fix it when i get the cash.


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## EvilPotato (Sep 6, 2005)

have you tried jacking it up and letting the wheels spin around 40 mph or so? it's an open differential so you can do one at a time without the car moving, just yank the e-brake real hard and put wooden blocks on the other 3 wheels. that's how i found out my left front wheel hub was slightly bent due to hitting a curb pretty hard, bent control arm and strut and a broken ball joint.


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## jdg (Aug 27, 2009)

For grins...try it on a different road.
I've got an '88 Chevy Sprint...daily driver. Drove the same road to/from work every day. Shook real bad at highway speed. Thought the whole front end was gone, swapped everything out, new tires, etc.etc.etc. Shaking was still there afterwards.
Took it out for a run on a different road...NO SHAKE. WTF...
Besides that...if it shakes above 80MPH, who cares? Why are you speeding anyways? Looking to get somebody else killed? Got a death wish? Last time I checked, very few states had 80MPH+ runs of highway, and S.C. isn't one of them.


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## IanH (Feb 11, 2003)

80 MPH here, 85 mph coming !!!

If it shakes at any speed somethings wrong. I have had most problems over the years / different cars with bent rims and out of round tires !!! 
The first time found this and fought the tire place the spec when new was 1/8 inch on center 3/5 of tire, only one small spot exceeded, got it replaced.
Discount tire threw two out of 4 brand new tires away when i complained, Didnt even measure them !!! Camero, with perfect round alloy rims, 55 mph speed limit but still gave me lip because they shook at 80 +


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## IanH (Feb 11, 2003)

I know you need a picture ...


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## LOUD88 (May 6, 2010)

might be running 10 over limit but who doesn't.


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## jdg (Aug 27, 2009)

IanH said:


> I know you need a picture ...


Nope...well aware of those stretches in Ca., Tx., Ut., Mt. (that's all I can remember off the top of my head), that have stretches of interstate set at 80MPH, and doing 90 (or even 100MPH) is relatively common, 'cause even when I was doing 75, I was getting passed up bigger than...well ya know.



LOUD88 said:


> might be running 10 over limit but who doesn't.


Ummm...me. My wallet stays nice and fat that way.

People just don't remember...period.
If they could see graphs of how much gas their cars suck down at 80MPH (or even 75 or less) vs. 60-65MPH, they'd either...
A) speed even more thereby run themselves into debt even farther than they already are by putting more $$$ on their over extended credit card to gas up their over-financed Escalade and rely on somebody else to bail them out (the likely case with 99% of the clowns in this world these days), or 
B) slow down, save the gas, save the maintenance, save the tires, save the earth (not a prime consideration, just a handy side effect, I'm not a tree hugger by any stretch).
C) Not understand them 'cause mommy and daddy paid for everything and they didn't have to learn anything.

Anywhos...
Seems like I remember reading a LONG TIME AGO, like my Grandpa showed me an article in some older tech manual for something or other back in the early 80's, something about the tolerances for suspension, wheels, tires, and everything else that may or may not contribute to wheel wobble, shaking, and that sort of thing... Something to the effect that these tolerances were only good up to 60MPH or something like that, and only then under a specific set of circumstances, temperature, vehicle load, road types, etc.
Maybe those tolerances that the manufacturers just aren't made for going 80MPH any more. In other words, .0003" of play in a wheel bearing might be just fine for 70MPH, but out in the weeds for 80MPH. That sort of thing.


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## IanH (Feb 11, 2003)

jdg said:


> Anywhos...
> Seems like I remember reading a LONG TIME AGO, like my Grandpa showed me an article in some older tech manual for something or other back in the early 80's, something about the tolerances for suspension, wheels, tires, and everything else that may or may not contribute to wheel wobble, shaking, and that sort of thing... Something to the effect that these tolerances were only good up to 60MPH or something like that, and only then under a specific set of circumstances, temperature, vehicle load, road types, etc.
> Maybe those tolerances that the manufacturers just aren't made for going 80MPH any more. In other words, .0003" of play in a wheel bearing might be just fine for 70MPH, but out in the weeds for 80MPH. That sort of thing.


I agree that tolerances on wheels out of round and tire out of round and side to side are not very realistic but in general the tolerances and engineering have got better.

I have not owned a car in the last 40 yrs that couldn't do 100 comfortably and smoothly, including my current cars. 
Provided the tires and wheels are round !!!

Added. that includes cars in Europe and Asia not just America.


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## EvilPotato (Sep 6, 2005)

IanH said:


> I have not owned a car in the last 40 yrs that couldn't do 100 comfortably and smoothly, including my current cars.
> Provided the tires and wheels are round !!!


my b14 ga16 couldn't do 100 mph, smoothly or otherwise. maybe on a steep decline with lots of tail wind


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## IanH (Feb 11, 2003)

mine hit the speed limiter in Nevada when new !! 
109 according to Nissan, 115 on the clock.


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## IanH (Feb 11, 2003)

LSDisk0 said:


> Ian, that's crazy how'd you pull that off, lol.
> 
> Sent from my SHARP-ADS1 using AutoGuide.Com Free App


Well Chevy Impala 78 with 305 V8, don't know if it was teenage daughter driving it or me on the Colorado Springs to Cripple creek on gold camp road. Steel wheels, when put new tires on, 3 of 4 wheels were bent !!
Camaro did that run several times with Alloy rims with no problems. 
great drive !!!


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## jdg (Aug 27, 2009)

IanH said:


> Well Chevy Impala 78 with 305 V8, don't know if it was teenage daughter driving it or me on the Colorado Springs to Cripple creek on gold camp road. Steel wheels, when put new tires on, 3 of 4 wheels were bent !!
> Camaro did that run several times with Alloy rims with no problems.
> great drive !!!


I'm thinking steel bends whereas alloy generally breaks or at least cracks.

And a '78 Impala actually had sidewalls (unlike today's rubber band tire wanna-be's) to take up a tad bit of the wobble, so those tires must've been really out in the weeds...

Think I could do that run in my '88 Chevy Sprint?  bwaaah!


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