Front end shake in Bundera

[LFT]

I recently purchased my first 4x4, a 1990 petrol Bundera. When first driving it it had a small vibration through the steering between 70-75 km/h. It has now progressed to a rather violent shake anywhere between 70 and 90 km/h, this however doesn't happen always. It pulls to the left on level roads and I noticed today there is no lead balancing weight on the front right wheel. Could this be enough to cause such a severe shake. I also thought it could possibly be wheel bearings as some cars I have had in the past developed a shake in the steering above 80km/h when they were buggered. As this is my first 4x4 I'm not sure where to look first. Any advice would be a great help.

[dumbdunce]

first, check to make sure all the bushes in the front suspension are good, especially the axle end bushes on the panhard rod. there are 11 individual bushes in the front suspension and they all need to be pretty tight.

is the bundy lifted? if it is, you might have to dial in some castor correction in the form of bushes, plates, or slotting the leading arm mounts. you can get some relief by dialing in a small mount of toe out on mild lifts.

what size wheels and tyres are you running and are they raial or bias ply construction? if you have radials, up to about 35" diameter, violent shaking is unlikely to be cause by the tyres unless one of them is on the way to blowing out - check for bulges in the tread and sidewalls, and for strands of steel sticking out through the tread.

I'll put $20 on worn panhard rod bushes. get an assistant to jiggle the steering wheel while you inspect the front end for abnormal movement - the giveaway for panhard bushes will be the whole axle shifting a few millimeters side-side relative to the vehicle. it doesn't take much to make a big wobble.

good luck, hope you get it sorted out.

cheers

Brian

cheers

[LFT]

Thanks for the info Brian, I will have a look tomorrow. Suspension is stock and tyres are 31/10.5/15. I was very surprised at how quickly it got bad. Went for a drive to Brooklyn today from out Penrith way. On the way up it was fine, I was remarking at how smooth it rode. On the way home however at certain points I thought the front end was going to fall out. Also it was strange as it seemed to be worse when going uphill. Once over 90km/h everything smoothed out. Could it possibly be the wheels are out of balance or would this not effect vibrations that much as I said earlier the front right wheel has no lead weight on it and there is a mark on the rim where it looks like one used to be. Hopefully it is something simple.

[v8zuki]

my bundy did the same thing to me on a trip just started shaking bad ,turned out to be panhard bushs wore out duing trip

[Gibonator]

my bundera did the same thing 2, but i just ignored it and it went away or i just turned left and right relly quick and it stopped, i just put new bushes in it all round, every single bush.....suspension works a treat now, genuine bushes cost heaps, $105 each for the trailing arm bushes, got a dobinson kit to do the front and rear for $450

[LFT]

I had a look at the bushes today and they all seemed fine. No sign of detoriation. Please excuse the lack of knowledge but is the panhard rod the one that goes from the right chassis rail to the left front of the diff housing. If so these bushes seem reasonably new.If not which one am I looking for.
When driving today I didn't experience any shake at any speed.

[dumbdunce]

I had a look at the bushes today and they all seemed fine. No sign of detoriation. Please excuse the lack of knowledge but is the panhard rod the one that goes from the right chassis rail to the left front of the diff housing. If so these bushes seem reasonably new.If not which one am I looking for.
When driving today I didn't experience any shake at any speed.

yes the panhard rod is the one that goes across the front of the axle, it is responsible for the lateral stability of the axle. it doesn't take much wear to create wobble. if the bushes are all good then start looking at your castor angles, if it is lifted then it could need correction. also the condition of the steering damper should be considered. if it is lifted or has oversize tyres it will be necessary to upgrade that baby.