steering and suspension Steering wheel shimmy at speed

[dpowell]

Hey, folks. You've all been very helpful, lately. I have one more thing to run by you all.

I started experiencing a shimmy in the steering at speeds above 65 a while ago, and it gradually began to appear at lower speeds. It was only noticeable when turning right. The car was still stable, the shimmy didn't translate to the road, just the steering wheel. The tie-rod ends are relatively new, as well as much of the rest of the perishables in the front-end.

Mechanic put it on the rack and withing a few minutes he told me it's the steering box. There is certainly a little play in the steering wheel, as is to be expected. And my mechanic is definitely trustworthy, but not a specialist. Are there any other possibilities before I go and drop $450 + shipping (!) on a refurbished box from 2002ad?

Thanks.

[TobyB]

There are multitudinous possibilities.

 

But the boxes do wear out.  And they're adjustable, which might be a fix right there.  (hint- search)

 

Tires are #1- rotate them front- to- rear one at a time and see if things change.

 

 

 

only noticeable when turning right

would make me suspect a delaminating tire or a bent rim.

 

Track rods wear out first on these cars, I've found.

 

Brake calipers can bind just a bit, heat and warp a rotor.

 

Wheel bearings can be loose.  Not usually a 2002 speciality, and I'd expect a competent mechanic to have caught that.

 

hth

 

t

[adawil2002]

Take your 2002 to Tom Jones at Casey Motorsports in Petaluma, he'll get to the bottom of the shimmy and fix it correctly. He found several small things on Vern that added up to a perfect driving car. You will not find anyone more knowledgeable in the Bay Area.

[thehackmechanic]

Agree with Toby, could just be a bent wheel or a bum tire. Jack up the front of the car, turn the steering wheel all the way to the right so you can look at both the inner and outer edge of the right front wheel, then spin the right front wheel and look at both the wheel and the tire. Then turn the wheel to the left and look at the left front wheel. Even if you don't see anything, having a competent shop do a road force balance on the front wheels shouldn't set you back much more than an evening's drinking money at a club. I'd do that before dropping hundreds on the steering box. 

[fwardell]

Sounds like a problem I had recently. Turns our my cheap Chinese 13" tires were out of round. Went to a tire truing outfit - worked great. Then, finally got a set of decent tires - Michelins.

[dpowell]

All very helpful, thank you.

I've read up on tightening the steering box. I'll consider that the first step. The bearings should be good, and I know that was double checked be my mechanic. I've heard good things about Casey. I might have to hit that shop when I can. Thanks again, everyone.

[PaulTWinterton]

Sometimes a balancing weight will fall off a wheel. Instant shimmy.

[percy]

As VP Candidate Toby (and others) have mentioned "shimmy" could be caused by a lot of things.  But since you mentioned a shimmy specific to one wheel/tire combination, I would swap the two front tires and see if the shimmy translates to the opposite side.  By doing so, you eliminate some of the guess work regarding the suspension and steering.  I noticed bearings were mentioned but moving the tires should also address any overlooked loose lug nuts or bolts.  You also mentioned "most" of the wearable front end parts were "relatively" new.  That begs the question, what parts are not new and could relatively new parts have been prone to premature failure due to poor installation, e.g., when vehicle is not at normal resting position.

 

It is not uncommon for wheels and tires to be out of round and/or unbalanced.  It is also possible for a tire to have a slight belt separation that only shows itself when under a load - as opposed to when the tire is examined on an off-the-car balance machine.  (See Rob's reference to a "road force balance.")  When it comes to balance, you might also consider searching Pat Allen's posts.

 

 

Dashboard shimmy detection tool for use with stock rims.

 

 

Shimmy detector for use with wider rims

[dpowell]

Thanks for the input, everyone.

 

I've made a list of to-dos:

1. Wheel balance check - the tires were mounted only months ago, but my rims have lost balance weights before, so that warrants a check.

2. Listen to my mechanic and swap out the box - several of you kind folks PMed with rebuilt boxes, and I bought one for what I consider a decent price. It gives me a chance to start fresh and get rid of the steering play that makes shimmy diagnosis difficult (even with one of the above-mentioned detection tools). Plus, with the car on the rack and everything out, I get a chance to:

3. Inspect all, I mean all, the bushings and joints. I'm especially curious about the steering linkage.

 

It's wonderful to have this forum as a resource. A friend of mine lamented that there's nothing like it for any of his cars, past or present. My suggestion to him: find an '02.

['76mintgrün'02]

I had dragging calipers and a shimmy in the wheel at speed.

Fixed the calipers and the shimmy went away.

Have you tried adjusting the steering box that is in your car?

Is it full of oil?

It sounds like you have a plan, but I just thought I would drop a few final thoughts into the equation.

Tom

[dpowell]

I had dragging calipers and a shimmy in the wheel at speed.

Fixed the calipers and the shimmy went away.

Have you tried adjusting the steering box that is in your car?

Is it full of oil?

It sounds like you have a plan, but I just thought I would drop a few final thoughts into the equation.

Tom

 

 

That's a good point re:calipers. But I don't notice any warp during braking. Smooth straight stops, everytime. So, I assume my rotors are pretty true. Also, the car tracks straight. If one were dragging, wouldn't it pull? I can take my hands off the wheel and she stays in the lane (I don't, but I can).

 

As for the box I have, great question. I could be okay. It could need oil and a rebuild. It could be shot and out of threads. No idea. I'm not allowed to work on my car at my apartment complex. I do, anyway. But I have to be subtle. No way I can jack the car or put it on ramps in my garage. Further, the town is basically Mayberry but swarming with parking enforcement officers and bored cops. I do my oil changes quickly, guerrilla-style, street-parked, in the middle of the night. Not going to get away with dithering over a steering box. So the change has to happen at my mechanic's.

 

I figure if the box is coming out, it's coming out, and I can't leave my car on the mechanic's rack while I inspect, clean and reseal the thing. So it'll just be a quick out with the old, in with the other, better old. I can drain and inspect the original box when I get home. Maybe clean, reseal, and sell it off to one of you fine folks. The Circle of Life...

[adawil2002]

When I bought Vern his steering box was toast. Bought a used box for $80 from a trusted seller. That one turned out to be worse so I bought another from a different trusted seller for $80 and that one was fine. Returned the bad one for a credit, I still have to redeem, it's been years.

 

Hope the used one you bought bench tests as OK.

[Hans]

I would do the steering box last. NK cars all have a bit of play in the wheel at rest which somehow goes away once the car gets moving. Perhaps 02 owners can chime in.

There are several cheaper possibilities suggested above, such as balance and rotating tires; if those don't work, I'd take it to an 02 independent tech for full front end inspection. I would not start throwing $500 parts at it in hopes of solving it, when it could be ball joints, bushings, wheel bearings, tie rod ends, idler arm bushings or just loose bolts on the steering box (seen that).

[ray_]

I'm having a hard time envisioning why a steering box would cause a shimmy.

 

Have a look to the idler arm bushings while your'e in there.

 

Good luck,

[jgerock]

What wheels/tires are you running?  

 

Missing cotter pins from the tie rod/center link nuts?

 

Loose wheel bearings can cause all sorts of funky things.

 

Old brake flex hoses can cause the brakes to drag.

 

Improper alignment (toe) can make your car handle weird.

 

Large potholes (like around here) can bend struts and control arms.