steering shot, major death wobble

[Ridge]

hey everyone,

had a wheel alignment done a few days ago, to try and fix the head shake i would occasionally get driving my 98 coily. it seemed to improve slightly but i still get really
bad movement at the worst of times, slowing down, cornering and sometimes when accelerating. im pretty sure that the steering bearings are well due for replacement,
how much should i be looking at for parts, is it something that can be done without a mechanic?

cheers andrew

[lay80n]

Quickly run through what you have checked, and if you have the alignment specs post them up.

Have you checked - control arm bushes, panhard rod bushes, radius arm bushes (on the diff end of the control arm), steering box freeplay, kingpin bearings, knuckle seals (true), wheel bearings, steering linkage/TRE condition?

Layto....

[ScrawnC]

You can get a full swivel hub kit for about the $70 mark. That includes king pin bearings, felts, seals and gaskets. It takes a bit of know how but not too diffcult. If you search here and other forums there is a wealth of knowledge about this subject. I would also be checking all ball joints, bushes and wheel bearings. This should have been done with the wheel alignment but might pay to re-check.

You've probably already read it but I found this one really helpful

http://www.outerlimits4x4.com/ftopic138 ... th+wobbles

[Gwagensteve]

Your sig says lifted - have you done caster correction? How much lift?

What rim offset are you running? Coilers use vitara offset not sierra - more offset makes it worse.

IMHO there's normally a collection of small problems and then a change tips it over the edge.

How bad is your steering play?

When's the last time you checked wheel bearing tension?

what condition are your shocks in?

Steve.

[Ridge]

i got the car with a sagging 2" lift on it, and recently put a 2" body lift and 1" off set rims with 30"treps about 2 months ago. i then put my rear locker in at the same time and noticed that my rear wheel bearings were a little worn out. i have picked up new wheel bearing for the whole car at an awsome price, just need to put them in.

the wobbles have only been happening for the last 2 weeks.

i have checked control arm/radius drop arm and drag link, panhard rod bushes all of them are ok (the rear right arm i picked up from the wreckers when i snapped my old one, brand new bushes in that) no cracks/tears or extra movement.

there was only a very small adjustment done on the wheel alignment, i will work out how to scan report for u to see.

still need to check steering box free play and go over steering linkage. could someone post pic of king pin bearings/ where are they?

ScrawnC
You've probably already read it but I found this one really helpful

http://www.outerlimits4x4.com/ftopic138 ... th+wobbles

i did a search and looked in the bible, but did not find this. i didnt think to look under death wobbles

thanks andrew

[lay80n]

King Pin bearings are the bearings that the steering knuckle rotates on when you steer it. The bearing cap is held onto the hub by 4 10mm(?) bolts, there are 2 bearins on each knuckle, one on the top and one on teh botton (12 o'clock and 6 o'clock). Jack the front wheels up and grab the tyre at the top and bottom. Try to wiggle the tyre in and out. if there is movement check where tis coming from, either the wheel bearings or king pin bearings. Then grab the wheel at the sides (3 o'clock and 9 o'clock) and try to wiggle it. If it wiggles, check your steering linkages. Do this for both front wheels.

Layto....

[weaves]

ScrawnC
Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 11:51 am

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You can get a full swivel hub kit for about the $70 mark. That includes king pin bearings, felts, seals and gaskets.

Where can i get these from at that price. I sell these at work and i still only get them for $85 + gst.

[ScrawnC]

ScrawnC
Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 11:51 am

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You can get a full swivel hub kit for about the $70 mark. That includes king pin bearings, felts, seals and gaskets.

Where can i get these from at that price. I sell these at work and i still only get them for $85 + gst.

I think it came from Repco? Not sure now. I order them through work so my parts guy just gets them for me. I will double check tomorrow

[zoook]

my bet is king pin bearings or wheel bearings or shocks or a combination of two or more of them

[PJ.zook]

I have the same symptoms, cause is my steering box is sloppy as a whale's vag, and i havent yet corrected the castor from a lift.

[Ridge]

figured it out the problem when i jacked the front up to check wheel bearings again, steering box and all the other junk.

could not rotate front right wheel easily, pulled it off and checked the disk brake, and it is warped slightly.

[lay80n]

figured it out the problem when i jacked the front up to check wheel bearings again, steering box and all the other junk.

could not rotate front right wheel easily, pulled it off and checked the disk brake, and it is warped slightly.

If you couldnt rotate the front right wheel easy, then its more than slightly warped. Or you have more issues than just a slightly warped rotor. Brake rotor runout will cause brake shudder under braking, but when driving normally the runout will just push the pads away from the disk and shouldnt have any influence otherwise.


Layto....

[Ridge]

it would rotate fine up to a point then become harder, but could still move.
anyway i have picked up a new a disc and it is fine now, thanks for the suggestions

andrew