# My car is hard to keep on the road!!!



## lillinda317 (Nov 20, 2004)

Hi everyone,
Just got my car back on the road afte a lot of problems with the tranny now on the road less than a week I lost my back driver brake and I can't seem to keep the car on the road my mechanic says the back wheel needs a brake hose this isn't the first time with problems with that brake, but I am worried about not being able to keep the car on the road for instance in town driving it seems fine but on the highway hit a bump or something the car moves over! I literally have to hold the wheel with both hands and the mechanic says it will take time since the car sat for 6 months we started it but it didn't move I disaggree and think something is wrong with the front end, I drove this car for more than a year and the car doesn't handle the same now! Any suggestions???


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## K-1 (Jun 15, 2004)

I would have them check your suspension and steering assemblies in the front, tie rods, steering rack, steering rack bushings, tension rods, etc.

I think i heard nissan is doing 100pt inspections for free, so if you want to know that there's 100 things wrong with your car, you could check that out...


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## bridrive55 (Aug 26, 2004)

K-1 said:


> I would have them check your suspension and steering assemblies in the front, tie rods, steering rack, steering rack bushings, tension rods, etc.
> 
> I think i heard nissan is doing 100pt inspections for free, so if you want to know that there's 100 things wrong with your car, you could check that out...


Also you should probably fix the brake thing. Brakes are a good thing to have.


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## mille-16i (Jun 16, 2004)

Have your car aligned and if anything is wrong under the front end they will tell you but first fix the brakes no point fixing the front end if you are just gona rearend someone.


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## lillinda317 (Nov 20, 2004)

My brakes are being fixed today we are replacing the pads and brake hose! I know you have to have brakes guys!!! I just don't understand how come I don't drive the car for at least 5 months and now it doesn't handle the same. Anytime you hit a bump its like stepping on ice I have to keep both hands on the wheel just to keep the car in between the right lines. My mechanic thinks its just the wind he hasn't drove the car yet cause of the brake issue but will later today I just like trying to learn on my own He don't tell me much just fixes.
Linda


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## K-1 (Jun 15, 2004)

If it is difficult to steer, it probably is bad tie rods or tension rods. They have rubber bushings that dry out, crack, and go bad. This happens quicker when the car is sitting for a while, so what was bad bushings, are now broken bushings.

My car does this a little too, feels like the steering floats a little, if you hit the brakes hard you can feel the play in the front...

Suspension is tricky to learn or work on, You need good tools (power tools) and some pricey special equipment, which is why this might be best to leave to an expert. You could definatly learn the brakes yourself, and it only takes a few tools to do the work


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## sunsetsandturbos (Mar 14, 2005)

Think i would also start looking for another mechanic,

but that's just me.


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## bridrive55 (Aug 26, 2004)

K-1 said:


> If it is difficult to steer, it probably is bad tie rods or tension rods. They have rubber bushings that dry out, crack, and go bad. This happens quicker when the car is sitting for a while, so what was bad bushings, are now broken bushings.
> 
> My car does this a little too, feels like the steering floats a little, if you hit the brakes hard you can feel the play in the front...
> 
> Suspension is tricky to learn or work on, You need good tools (power tools) and some pricey special equipment, which is why this might be best to leave to an expert. You could definatly learn the brakes yourself, and it only takes a few tools to do the work


Whatever, brakes are harder to work on than suspension. Doing 240SX suspension only requires some 17mm sockets for the lower mount, 14mm for the upper pillar mount, and a spring compressor to handle to push. The brakes require a hell of a lot of monkey-wrenching. I had to use a gear-puller to compress my back pistons. Stupid Sumitomo brakes.


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## bridrive55 (Aug 26, 2004)

sunsetsandturbos said:


> Think i would also start looking for another mechanic,
> 
> but that's just me.


Sup man? Do you have a GTS-t Type M? My friend's has the full GTR body kit, and the Volk 5 spokes. Nice rides, San ni's.


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## The_guy_in_grey (Feb 10, 2005)

do u have hicas?? maybe its not aligned properly or something is loose? just a suggestion. some people have a hard time controlling HICAS at highway speeds


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## sunsetsandturbos (Mar 14, 2005)

Did the brake work fix the problem?

There could be a number of problems that could cause this (or something like what you described). Since you said that you drove the car for over a year, I can assume that you really know something is way different than it was before. Not being moved for 6 months, the brake rotor/drum can rust, and rust unevenly. So when you step on the brakes, it could pull to one side. Was the car parked witht he parking brake set? Was it set really hard? This may have caused some warpge in the rotor/drum, but it would probably be minimal if it happened at all. Rotor/drum warpage usually comes from overheat, not constant pressure applied. But I wouldnt rule out the possibility.

Which way does it pull when you step on the brakes? You mentioned that the left rear brake was inop, so if you stepped on the brakes it will naturally pull real hard to the right. One other thing I have seen before, but not very likely. Was the car parked with the wheels turned? I have seen this before, no kidding. The centering valve in the power steering pump can seat off center, so the car will contantly pull to pne side. It just seemed to be amplified when the brakes were applied.

As the other guy mentioned, if you have hi-cas, this could very well be a problem. There should be a fuse for the hi-cas system if you have it. That would be a good starting point. If you are having problems with the system, there are aftermarket hi-cas locks that are simple to install and will disable the hi-cas system all together. Its relatively cheap too.

Keep us updated.

Thanks.


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## lillinda317 (Nov 20, 2004)

Ok I had to replace the back driver brake hose, rotor and pad. That fixed the brake problem.


On to the handling and this is hard to type..... My rack n pinion is loose and I will be replacing it real soon and I need both front struts. The car has way to much play in it. Now that my mechanic looked at it and said struts I feel what he means no bounce to the front of the car hit a bump skip your cd but thats not what worries me its how the car handles on the highway when you hit a bump in the road or uneven area the car moves on its own I have to grip the wheel to keep it in my lane, since my mechanic let some of the air out of one of my tires its not as bad but I told him I do not want the car if thats the way it handles and he gave me a list and said fix these you'll have the car you want. So my baby is on the road slow for a minute I have to order the rack which is not CHEAP but nothing for this car is. 
Thanks everyone for advice and just so ya know I have a great mechanic who just doesn't like explaining things to me but since I told him about this forum he has been more willing to explain things a little better. So thanks for that to!!!!
Linda


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## K-1 (Jun 15, 2004)

You may not need to replace the entire rack + pinion assembly.

Make sure that it's not just the mounts and bushings for the rack + pinion.

You might want to take it to a Nissan dealer to have them check over this, especially if your mechanic hands you a list of things to replace, instead of telling you what is wrong with the car...


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## lillinda317 (Nov 20, 2004)

My mechanic says that the rack is loose and thats why there is so much play in the steering. And he charges me very little for the work he does on my car so I doubt he would give himself such a hard job if it wasn't needed. I am not sure exactly what all the rack is or what it does but I know that my car wasn't all over the road before and now I really have to hold on to keep her straight and he says its the rack in combination with one bad strut but he says its best to replace them both and those aren't all that expensive. I just reallly like being able to get other opions and try to learn some things.
Linda


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## K-1 (Jun 15, 2004)

he's probably right, the rack is the problem, but you don't need to replace the entire steering mechanism, when the problem might be broken mounts with destroyed rubber bushings. 

Just be careful, R+P's cost a ton of money, and the mounts/bushings are a lot cheaper ($100-300)


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## lillinda317 (Nov 20, 2004)

What is Hicas and how do I found out if my car has it?
Linda


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## bridrive55 (Aug 26, 2004)

Hicas is 4 wheel steering. It says SUPER HICAS on the side of the car in most cases. Also, check behind the diff for a Hicas steering rack. There are also rear control arms.
Yeah, most steering looseness comes from shitty bushings. Those bushings are cheap.


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## lillinda317 (Nov 20, 2004)

My car does not have hicas.
:hal:


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## bridrive55 (Aug 26, 2004)

In that case I'd be willing to bet you have rack slippage.


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## K-1 (Jun 15, 2004)

bridrive55 said:


> In that case I'd be willing to bet you have rack slippage.


Are you talking about the actual gear + teeth slipping (or skipping), or the rack slippin on the mounts/bushings and having a lot of play?


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## bridrive55 (Aug 26, 2004)

K-1 said:


> Are you talking about the actual gear + teeth slipping (or skipping), or the rack slippin on the mounts/bushings and having a lot of play?


It's almost always the bushing. A steel or aluminum steering bushing is a wise investment at this point, I'd reccomend.


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