steering shake

[bornstar15]

hi all i need some help i have a massive steering shake at 50-60km/h and 70-80km/h now i know ull all say get a balance but i have done that and i took it ot my local mechanic and she said it was the caster angle was wrong due to saggin in my springs so over 700 dollars later and new shocks and springs ive still got the problem i jsut noticed that i have oil coming out from my steering box and that when i put my wheels on full lock i can still get about half a turn out of my steering wheel i think this could be the problem any ideas? or if anyone has had this problem and fixed it would be great to know how to cause its getting rather violent when im driving thanks azza

[ofr57]

steering box is shagged ..... same as mine

[bornstar15]

so have u brought a new one or priced it? cause its a real shit to drive as u would know not to mention putting extra strain on all ur steering components

[ofr57]

mines sitting in the shed with half of the other things out atm ... steering is last on the list due to the fact i gotta ask the engineer if i can get approval of a bolt on power steering kit

[ScrawnC]

Try adjusting the box, you might be able to make it last a bit longer. If you look on top of the steering box you will find a nut with a slotted screw in the middle. Jack the front wheels off the ground and then crack the nut off. Adjust up the screw till it goes tight then back it off a little. Wind the steering from lock to lock to check for any tight spots, then tighten lock nut. You may have to do it a few times to get it right.

[want33s]

Adjust the box as described and then find a new mechanic!
She? should have known it wasn't sagged springs causing it.
Adjusting the box will only take up slack from normal wear. If a bearing has collapsed you're up for a rebuild or replacement.

[11_evl]

fit a better steering damper??
have u done a wheel alignment on it??
what werre the specs??
what are factory specs??

[Big D]

lol i have the same problem around 60kays.

[11_evl]

lol i have the same problem around 60kays.

must be a suzuki thing, mine does it too

[christover1]

A heavy duty OME steering stabilizer fixed mine.

But since fitting power steering I haven't needed to put it back on.

I'm in outer east of Melbourne if anyone needs it. Its had 3 years of use, but seems ok.

christover

[ScrawnC]

A wheel alignment won't cure a shake.

The tyres could be severly scrubbed out and/or out of round. Try rotating tyres around the vehicle.

Check wheel bearings and steering joints for play.

[bornstar15]

yeah htank for the help i tryd tightening the steeringbox but couldnt get anyhting out of it i think she is stuffed ill just take a trip ot the wreckers and see if i cant get one to replace it

[Big D]

i spoke to suzisport n they said that with coilies, its cuz the trailing arm bushes are worn, which in turn makes the caster angle all shitty. so im guessing its ur caste angle or wateva its called

[bornstar15]

well i actually did a stupid thing and turned the adjuster screw the wrong way which made it alot worse so only one other thing was to screw it the otherway and it fixed the problem i spoke to the old guy who owned it before me and he said he had alot of trouble with it so im guessing he didnt know what he was doing and went the wrong way aswell but all if good now thanks alot for all ya help specially scrawnC with hte detailed instructions

[Big D]

umm i know this has nothing to do with the topic, but i was wondering if it is really hard to steer at low speeds with 30's or 31" tyres, with no powersteering on a zook. didnt wanto make another thread for it so...i thought id post here

[alien]

generally when you go to a 31" tyre or so you're using a chunky tread pattern - this means less tyre contacting the road and hence less grip - so its actually pretty dam easy to steer, my steering arm is about 10mm longer than standard too, and with 31" tyres it feels the same to turn as my mazda 323 which has mini tyres and power steer.
I also drove a vitara on 32's with no power steer and you'd swear it had it...

[Big D]

well thankyou very much. my worries about big tyres and steering has been put to rest by an alien lol nah seriously thanks.

dylan

[11_evl]

all the more reason fo rme to think my p/s setup is not working 100%.
or maybe its because of the F100 rims?? alien, do u run offset rims because it sounds like u dont to be turning so easy.

[mrRocky]

my 33"s where easy to steer on the road with standard steering

[mrRocky]

with 2" wheel spacers and f100 rims

[suzimad]

its funny , even with a loose steering box you shouldnt get the shakes , just a lot of freeplay in the steering wheel , a lot of play in the steering box feels like you are driving a boat on water , constantly trying to correct where the car is heading . providing the wheel alignment is correct and the wheel balance is fine , it shouldnt cause a shake (also assuming castor is correct)

steering dampners will only mask a shake , not remedy the underlying problem.

coil sprung sierras and jimny's are notorious for the death wobbles , and yes as someone mentioned 99% of the time is the control arm bushes changing castor angle , even when the bush looks fine . Have seen this problem in coil sprung suzukis 20k from new , the correct fix being the replacement hard nolathene bush.

the one time that it wasnt the bushes that i encountered , was a weird one . the vehicle had been for several wheel alignments/balances before i diagnosed the control arm bushes , and i was wrong ( as i found out after replacing the bushes and to my surprise the problem was still there) i took the car to city suspension (plug plug) and they did an "on car" wheel balance which corrected the problem( theres a technical name for this kind of balance but atm it eludes me)

BTW Big D , you arent the person that is soon to get a 2 inch lift , and has worn control arm bushes , and i told you not to get the front ones done because they will be replaced with castor adjusting bushes when you get the suspension lift ... by any chance ?

[alien]

mate im running the 15x7" speedy desert rats... so theyre offset... i need a 2" flare on my widetrack to cover the sidewalls (just covers).

[bornstar15]

slop in the steering box will cause steering shake, not when driving on a flat road but when you hit potholes or bumps in the road with only one tyre it causes the steering to bounce from side to side due to the slop in the steering box tightening the steering box screw allowes more presure on the gears inside which creates less slop and with the less slop there isnt as violent shake when you hit a bump or pothole and the steering dampner takes the rest of the little shake out and i agree dont just slap on the tuffest dampener you can find all you are doing is hiding the problem

[Big D]

BTW Big D , you arent the person that is soon to get a 2 inch lift , and has worn control arm bushes , and i told you not to get the front ones done because they will be replaced with castor adjusting bushes when you get the suspension lift ... by any chance ?

LOL thats awsome. yeah i am he. was starting to think that no1 from your shop even knows about this forum This is where i get all my info from.

Dylan