# Knowledgeable person please HELP!!



## jharris1 (Mar 13, 2004)

OK, so I mentioned in an earlier thread that I was "swerving", and now the problem has gotten worse. Between the time I wrote the post and now, I've already had a mechanic tell me that it was the belts in my front tires; got those replaced. Got all the tires balanced. Fast forward to today. I am on my way back from New Jersey to Baltimore, and I already feel as if I can't go above 65 for fear that I might lose control as I already am, so I get into a situation where I have to pass a truck. Take it up to about 75 and the car starts zig-zagging pretty good (good enough to make me pull off of I-95 and take back roads the rest of the way to Baltimore). Anyway, I take it to a mechanic at Midas to have it checked out. He can't figure it out either. He said everything seems tight, ball joints, tie rod ends, control arm bushings, etc. There is no play in the steering wheel, and he concludes that since the struts are old (yet still in decent condition, mind you), they should be replaced and that might alleviate the problem. Does anyone have a thought about what my mystery problem could be?? Every mechanic so far has guessed wrong. 

There isnt much to Sentra suspensions, and I have an E. So, with all of the factors that mechanics have already ruled out as not being possibilities, does anyone have any idea? Has anyone expierenced a similar problem??


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## chimmike (Oct 17, 2002)

ever heard of an alignment


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## Zac (Mar 10, 2004)

Alignment sounds right...I doubt it would be a bent wheel. Baltimore roads are hell. I've bent 2 wheels and I've needed god knows how many alignments. I live here. Take it to a Mile One Mr. Tire. Their good guys and they'll figure the problem.--Zac


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## jharris1 (Mar 13, 2004)

NickZac said:


> Alignment sounds right...I doubt it would be a bent wheel. Baltimore roads are hell. I've bent 2 wheels and I've needed god knows how many alignments. I live here. Take it to a Mile One Mr. Tire. Their good guys and they'll figure the problem.--Zac



Do you think that misaligned wheels could contribute to a problem this bad? I went to Midas (the same one I went to today) about a month ago and they told me that the alingment was fine, test drove it and said it was "probably jyst following the road crown." I know that's not true because it still veers off on roads with hardly any crown to them, like I-95. I tried to give Midas another chance today but their ASE certified dumbf*cks couldn't figure it out either. When your car was misaligned, was the problem as serious as mine??


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## ReVerm (Jan 13, 2003)

jharris1 said:


> Do you think that misaligned wheels could contribute to a problem this bad? I went to Midas (the same one I went to today) about a month ago and they told me that the alingment was fine, test drove it and said it was "probably jyst following the road crown." I know that's not true because it still veers off on roads with hardly any crown to them, like I-95. I tried to give Midas another chance today but their ASE certified dumbf*cks couldn't figure it out either. When your car was misaligned, was the problem as serious as mine??


What tyre pressures do you run on your car? And what tyres?


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## Zac (Mar 10, 2004)

jharris1 said:


> Do you think that misaligned wheels could contribute to a problem this bad? I went to Midas (the same one I went to today) about a month ago and they told me that the alingment was fine, test drove it and said it was "probably jyst following the road crown." I know that's not true because it still veers off on roads with hardly any crown to them, like I-95. I tried to give Midas another chance today but their ASE certified dumbf*cks couldn't figure it out either. When your car was misaligned, was the problem as serious as mine??


When I had a nasty bend on a wheel and mis alighnemnt it was pretty bad. Un even tyre wear can contribute to god awful vibrations as well.


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## jharris1 (Mar 13, 2004)

ReVerm said:


> What tyre pressures do you run on your car? And what tyres?


Right now I have 32 psi front, 30 rear. I had to throw away the idea that it was the tires. Bad tires/wheels would cause vibration, not much side to side motion correct? Right now the only problem (which is a big problem) is the side to side motion at relatively high speeds. I'll have the alignment checked out by my local Mr. Tire, as that seems like it could be possible, but my question on that would be could misaligned wheels cause such severe "dancing" as I am experiencing? Oh and I have some BF Goodrich Tires.


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## ReVerm (Jan 13, 2003)

jharris1 said:


> Right now I have 32 psi front, 30 rear. I had to throw away the idea that it was the tires. Bad tires/wheels would cause vibration, not much side to side motion correct? Right now the only problem (which is a big problem) is the side to side motion at relatively high speeds. I'll have the alignment checked out by my local Mr. Tire, as that seems like it could be possible, but my question on that would be could misaligned wheels cause such severe "dancing" as I am experiencing? Oh and I have some BF Goodrich Tires.


Not necessarily. Oddly worn tyres or over/underinflated tyres will cause the tread to bounce off of/follow imperfections in the road much more than it should. Which BF Goodrich tyres are they? Those pressures seem rather low for street use.

Really out-of-whack alignment could definately cause that. Say you have like -1 degree of toe out on both front wheels and positive camber on one front wheel. That will make your car very difficult to drive on the highway. But you should reconsider tyres before questioning alignment. If Midas did your alignment on a computerized rack, it'd be hard for them to be off by that much.


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## jharris1 (Mar 13, 2004)

ReVerm said:


> Not necessarily. Oddly worn tyres or over/underinflated tyres will cause the tread to bounce off of/follow imperfections in the road much more than it should. Which BF Goodrich tyres are they? Those pressures seem rather low for street use.
> 
> Really out-of-whack alignment could definately cause that. Say you have like -1 degree of toe out on both front wheels and positive camber on one front wheel. That will make your car very difficult to drive on the highway. But you should reconsider tyres before questioning alignment. If Midas did your alignment on a computerized rack, it'd be hard for them to be off by that much.


Midas never did my alignment; actually they said it was close to spec (about a month ago). Furthermore, there aren't many road imperfections/lines on Interstate 95 for my car to follow. That stretch of road is pretty smooth.


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## shift_of_legend (Jun 2, 2004)

Hmm, is your car lowered?
Do you experience any heavy vibration or just the swirving?
Have you changed the tires and/or wheels?
Has the car ever been in a side collision or heavy front collision accident?


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## ReVerm (Jan 13, 2003)

jharris1 said:


> Furthermore, there aren't many road imperfections/lines on Interstate 95 for my car to follow. That stretch of road is pretty smooth.


Have you sat down on the road and inspected the surface? All roadways, especially highways, become naturally wavy because of the traffic that goes over it. These imperfections are very difficult to spot from a moving vehicle, even at low speeds. However, these invisible flaws can be felt through the steering wheel of your car, and will influence how your car handles.

As for your alignment, "close to spec" is certainly a cause for caution, but it may not be a cause for alarm. Because the factory specs are a range of figures, not exact numbers, by "close to spec" he may have been saying "it's within spec, and close to the median of the range". Of course, he may have very well meant that it was "almost within factory specs", in which case you are right to insult him. Factory alignment specs are very broad, and if things work out just right (or rather, just wrong), you may get bizzare handling despite the fact that the alignment is barely within specs. However, the alignment may be perfectly fine and the problem could be eslewhere.

The reason I am stressing the importance of tyre settings is because in another thread you did mention that this was the second sentra you've owned that did this, and you would have to be very unlucky to have had two sentras with the same kind of damage. Sentras do produce quite a bit of vibration in the 50-60mph area. We haven't pinpointed the cause of that oddity yet, but the shake is very noticable and gets MUCH worse with underinflated tyres.

EDIT: The imperfections that I'm talking about above are gentle elevation changes on the road surface, not holes, ridges, or anything of the sort. Just so no one gets confused.


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## Zac (Mar 10, 2004)

I95 around here is generally smooth with some imperfections. Baltimore roads are hell, they will beat your car to death. No one is going to be able to tell you what the problem is online. Like I said...http://www.mrtire.com/


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## recycled_toddler (Feb 4, 2004)

I'd also say get the alignment checked. I just had a 4-wheel align done and it made a world of difference!

And don't blame Bush for it; Blame...well...blame...Canada! Yeah, that's it!


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## jharris1 (Mar 13, 2004)

shift_of_legend said:


> Hmm, is your car lowered?
> Do you experience any heavy vibration or just the swirving?
> Have you changed the tires and/or wheels?
> Has the car ever been in a side collision or heavy front collision accident?


The car has never been in a collision, the tires have been changed, and there is a slight vibration in the wheel but it is mostly swirving that I am experiencing. Does anyone else here have a B13 Sentra, and if so, how do they hold up at high speeds? 


P.S. My car is not lowered. I am planning on taking it to my local Mr. Tire tomorrow morning.


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## shift_of_legend (Jun 2, 2004)

jharris1 said:


> The car has never been in a collision, the tires have been changed, and there is a slight vibration in the wheel but it is mostly swirving that I am experiencing. Does anyone else here have a B13 Sentra, and if so, how do they hold up at high speeds?
> 
> 
> P.S. My car is not lowered. I am planning on taking it to my local Mr. Tire tomorrow morning.


Hmm, this is puzzling indeed. Something must be bent.


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## Skinny G (May 9, 2002)

Also look at the *REAR* suspension. You would be surprised how much small problems there can make you chase the steering for fault. Make sure nothing is loose and/or damaged.

And definately, get an alignment.


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## Zac (Mar 10, 2004)

I just drove I95 through the Fort McHenry Tunnel...while going through the city on I95, my car felt the same way you described...the road is horrible condition. If it is just their that your car does this, then it is the road.


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## Junbug (Oct 21, 2002)

From your story, it just looks like the wind was batting you around. If you've got stock tires on your Sentra E, stock suspension... looks like when you passed the truck, the wind coming off of the front if it just threw you around a bit. If everything else checks out (alignment, etc.).. I'd venture to say nothing is wrong with your car. Get it lowered, and some bigger 195's and your problem will get better (althrough not go away).

Jun


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## jharris1 (Mar 13, 2004)

Junbug said:


> From your story, it just looks like the wind was batting you around. If you've got stock tires on your Sentra E, stock suspension... looks like when you passed the truck, the wind coming off of the front if it just threw you around a bit. If everything else checks out (alignment, etc.).. I'd venture to say nothing is wrong with your car. Get it lowered, and some bigger 195's and your problem will get better (althrough not go away).
> 
> Jun


Wind feel is different than what I was experiencing. I got an alignment done and it feels a bit better, though the camber is still off in the rear. I am considering replacing the rear struts because the ones on there are so old they have the tendency to push the wheels outward when weight settles on them, thus the off camber. I was looking at Monroe Sensatracs, they seem like a decent brand, probably my next choice beside KYB GR-2s. The start to good road feel begins with replacing the old major suspension components. I really don't want to shell out this kind of money (almost $500) but I think it'll be worth it. Later on I'll get the fronts but they are in better condition and dont agrivate me. Thanks NickZac for sending me to Mr Tire. Straightforward workers there and thats what I like to deal with.


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## jharris1 (Mar 13, 2004)

NickZac said:


> I just drove I95 through the Fort McHenry Tunnel...while going through the city on I95, my car felt the same way you described...the road is horrible condition. If it is just their that your car does this, then it is the road.


Today I drove 895 through the Harbor Tunnel. That's an even worse road to drive on because it's so old. The stretch of 95 that I am usually on is between B-More and NJ which is pretty smooth, yet my car still acts up on it which is making me think twice about my rear struts being the culprit.


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## ReVerm (Jan 13, 2003)

jharris1 said:


> Today I drove 895 through the Harbor Tunnel. That's an even worse road to drive on because it's so old. The stretch of 95 that I am usually on is between B-More and NJ which is pretty smooth, yet my car still acts up on it which is making me think twice about my rear struts being the culprit.


Before you go and spend any more money, I highly reccomend that you increase the tyre pressures (put the front up to at least 36 psi).


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## jharris1 (Mar 13, 2004)

ReVerm said:


> Before you go and spend any more money, I highly reccomend that you increase the tyre pressures (put the front up to at least 36 psi).


Actually, I took my tire pressures down from about 36-38 psi to 32 front, 30 rear. The high tire pressure I had before was giving my car a bouncier ride. I didn't want to think the culprit was something as pricey as struts, but after consulting mechanics and actually paying closer attention to the ride, I can feel the terrible ride coming from the rears.


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## ReVerm (Jan 13, 2003)

jharris1 said:


> Actually, I took my tire pressures down from about 36-38 psi to 32 front, 30 rear. The high tire pressure I had before was giving my car a bouncier ride.


But did you have these swerving problems with those pressures? If not, then you're going to want to put the pressures back up once you replace those dampers (which certainly sounds like a problem that needs to be addressed). I checked, and none of the BF Goodrich all-season/summer tyres are meant to be run that low on the street.


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