Steering wheel shimmey.

[lok19]

Hi guys,

I have a slight shimmey in the steering wheel at low to moderate speeds and the wheels shakes at speed above 80km/h. It's driving me crazy. I've tried half a dozen different mechanics / suspension shops and they nothing is wrong with the car. Some say that it is because the tyres have flat spots in them.

I didn't believe them and took the front wheels off to have a look. I turned the rotors and noticed that there was quite an uneven drag force on them, as in they turn freely for 1/2 a rotation and then they become more difficult to turn for the next 1/2 rotation etc.

The rotors (DBA slotted) and the wheel bearings are less than 2000km old. I had them fitted at the mechanic. I have had the steering wheel shimmey since before the new rotors and bearings.

I suspect that there is either a wheel bearing problem or a brake rotor runout problem, except I don't how to check. I also read somewhere on this forum that incorrectly adjusted wheel bearings can machine a groove into the stub axles. Is there is way to check the integrity of the stub axles?

Is there anyone who has had similar problems?

Thanks for the advice.


Cheers,


Henry.

P.S. I'm in Melbourne and I was wondering if anyone could recommend a trusted mechanic? I've completely given up on all my local ones.

[DRFTR86]

dus it feel like unbalanced front wheels???, steering wheel all over the place, happens to mine, found that the wheels arent locating on the hub correctly, told by tyre shop i go to, i took my wheels off there to find them perfectly balanced.

my 2 cents

[lok19]

Hi,

dfrtr86 : Thanks for the advice. I've had hub rings made up for my wheels to center them correctly too. Yes, the steering feels all over the place, but I seem to be getting my wheels balanced and wheel alignment done every 3 months or so. It usually feels good for about two weeks after I get it done, then goes downhill from there. Not sure if that can explain the inconsistent drag on the rotor though.

Cheers,


Henry.

[DRFTR86]

might be steering rack bushes???? any one else got any recomendations, gotta fix this on mine aswell

[johl]

hmm... not too sure bout this either. maybe cheack all bushes in front susp/steering, check the bolt from steering rack to steering column is tight (long shot but maybe) have u tried changing ur front wheels to different ones? maybe its the wheels? weird problem man... goodluck with it tho

[lok19]

Hi guys,

Well the thing is I new polyurathane control arm and castor rod bushes and I had the rack reconditioned at Peddars (still under warranty). Maybe the universal joint in the steering column is worn but I'm more worried about the uneven drag on the brake rotors...

Unfortunately my wheels are really old and I was stupid and sold my stock wheels...so can't really try different wheels...

Has anyone ever tried turning their rotors (with wheels off) and noticed that they don;t turn freely? Or that they are inconsistent?

Thanks,

Henry.

[Jonny Rochester]

steering wheel shimmey: most commonly from out of balance front wheels. Can also be from out of round wheels or tyres. And commonly a combination of out of balance front wheels and some steering or wheel bearing movement.

[fergo308]

I used to get a bit of shimmy at speed in my old manual rack 86. it's alignment settings were pretty poor though.

first up,jack the car up in the centre of the cross member and check the tie rods,rack ends and outer ball joints for play.
if there's significant movement there,that'll be amplifying any other issues,like bad wheel alignment or poor balance on your wheels.

next you should rip the wheels off and take them to get balanced. ideally,stand next to the operator while he does them and make sure they're coming up zero,and that there's no obvious run out in the tyre or the rim.

as for the brake drag - check the discs for run out. 0.05mm is the max I'd allow. get them skimmed(ideally on the car) if they show signs of being warped,or replace them if they're a bit thin. check DBA's website for specs.

put the dial indicator on the hubs while you're at it,and make sure they're not running out either. if the hubs show more than 0.05mm deviation,check and adjust your wheel bearings. hopefully that will fix the problem. if not,replace them,including the outer races.


try all of that and see how you go.


Justin...

[lok19]

Hey guys,

Thanks for the advice. I'll try all those things and post what I find.

Cheers,


Henry.

[gumbie]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (lok19 @ Jan 31 2008, 09:40 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> (index.php?act=findpost&pid=478183)</div>
Hi guys,

I have a slight shimmey in the steering wheel at low to moderate speeds and the wheels shakes at speed above 80km/h. It's driving me crazy. I've tried half a dozen different mechanics / suspension shops and they nothing is wrong with the car. Some say that it is because the tyres have flat spots in them.

I didn't believe them and took the front wheels off to have a look. I turned the rotors and noticed that there was quite an uneven drag force on them, as in they turn freely for 1/2 a rotation and then they become more difficult to turn for the next 1/2 rotation etc.

The rotors (DBA slotted) and the wheel bearings are less than 2000km old. I had them fitted at the mechanic. I have had the steering wheel shimmey since before the new rotors and bearings.

I suspect that there is either a wheel bearing problem or a brake rotor runout problem, except I don't how to check. I also read somewhere on this forum that incorrectly adjusted wheel bearings can machine a groove into the stub axles. Is there is way to check the integrity of the stub axles?

Is there anyone who has had similar problems?

Thanks for the advice.


Cheers,


Henry.

P.S. I'm in Melbourne and I was wondering if anyone could recommend a trusted mechanic? I've completely given up on all my local ones.[/b]


I had this problem in an old BMW I had it was the brake disks needing machined due to the calipers binding..
That would be the first thing i would check.