i know i should check the tie rod ends, inner tie rods, ball joints, bushings, steering rack bushings, wheel bearings, and anything else that looks interesting. but does anybody have a specific suggestion or a known weak point in the front end that causes this? i mean i'd love to replace everything, but i don't have time for that, and it would be nice to know what things to give extra attention when i'm checking out the suspension and steering.

nah, i think u got everything covered. esp since i c your ASE badge as your icon.

don't forget the infamous TC rod bushings... they like to ooze silicone / rubber becomes dry-rotted over time. didn't see this-- check wheel balance on front tires or just rotate them to the back...

I'm guessing outer tie rods... but can't verify until i do a visual

well i just had the wheels balanced a few thousand miles ago when i got the car running. i don't have that much faith in that shop, though. it was a sort of "well, they're close, and the car is so bad i can't drive over 45mph" thing.

would the T/C bushings cause the steering wheel to shimmy? i have yet to have a person stand on the side of the road while i drive past them and tell me if the wheels bounce up and down visually, but that might help.

BTW, it's the worst at about 57mph. below 53mph and above 59mph it's not bad at all. but still, every other car i've owned had NO shake at all, so anybody who says it's normal to have a little must be used to driving sh!tty cars.

Motor mounts.

Ni2s4s0aSnX wrote:Motor mounts.

you think that would make my steering wheel shake? like i said, it only does it at speed. i know my motor mounts suck but that should make a difference all the time, especially at idle, where my steering wheel doesn't shake at all (except the very slight shake of the whole car due to poop engine mounts i presume).

I could. Does it stop once you get up to around 50-60 mph?

95lstegman wrote:well i just had the wheels balanced a few thousand miles ago when i got the car running. i don't have that much faith in that shop, though. it was a sort of "well, they're close, and the car is so bad i can't drive over 45mph" thing.

rotate the tires front-to-back... rule that out. I mean if they did a 1/2 @$$ed job of balancing your tires, i'd do it myself to rule it out (if i still have access to my votech school's wheelbalancer) visual check of outer tie rod ends & all the other suspension joints u mention would greatly help.

oozing TC rod bushings isn't really a main culprit in your case.

PS: to see a pic of the TC rod, check out KDashy's 1st post in this thread:

zer...44476
Modified by ricebike at 12:44 PM 11/17/2005

I'd check your tires by rotating, and by saying that you had them balance when you got your car running, how long was the car sitting? Tires could have flat spots

This happened to me begor but check if the the two bolt that hold the whole spindale I think there called bad at remembering names but trust me there is a good chace they didnt tighting the two bolt happened two me when i canged the tc rods. there the two bolts that are on the strut that hold the whole spindile and stuff hope you know what i mean. Pretty sure that it.

808DRFTR wrote:I'd check your tires by rotating, and by saying that you had them balance when you got your car running, how long was the car sitting? Tires could have flat spots

the car sat for 2 years before i bought it and towed it away. once i got it running i changed the tires but only got used tires. so it could be the used tires are bum, or it could be that the monkey that used the balance machine isn't as smart as most monkeys. i mean, you don't have to read english to work it . . .or it could be a completely unrelated issue, like 17-year-old ball joints, tie rods/ends, etc. i'll give it a thorough check-up thanksgiving weekend.

Can it be the wheel bearings? I have a similar issue and I have been working my way through the poosiblities. I replaced outer tie rods and t/c rods had tire/wheel balancing. I have not completely checked out the inner tie rods.

If I push my car around in the garage I can hear the front wheels turning, hard to explain the sound. I have thought that could be the culprit but have not had a chance to track down the associated parts and order what I need.

i noticed when i step on the brake pedal the wheel shakes violently. 2 months ago i had the rotors turned and they were perfect. is it possible that i warped them? i don't ever remember stopping short at all. so either the rotors are too thin, stock brakes totally suck balls, or perhaps the wheel bearings are toast or something else that cause the wheel to shake under braking. i'd like to vote that stock brakes totally suck balls, personally. gives me an excuse to upgrade .

Eh, i have the same problem...like the EXACT thing. I replaced the rotars also (thinking that was the problem) but it wasnt.

i havent checked to see what it could be. i havent had the time

95lstegman wrote:i noticed when i step on the brake pedal the wheel shakes violently. 2 months ago i had the rotors turned and they were perfect. is it possible that i warped them? i don't ever remember stopping short at all. so either the rotors are too thin, stock brakes totally suck balls, or perhaps the wheel bearings are toast or something else that cause the wheel to shake under braking. i'd like to vote that stock brakes totally suck balls, personally. gives me an excuse to upgrade .

If its under braking I would say most likely issue with rotors. Yep, rotors can become warped again..low budget ones are more susceptible to warping.Wheel bearings would emit a humming sound when the start going bad. My rotors were unevenly resurfaced at 50mph slight front end shake, when braking shook a lot more.

It's the tension control rod bushings. I've yet to see a 240 that had them intact. It makes the car handle very unpredictably and warps the rotors, which causes the shaking.

I had the same problem it started about 2000miles after I got my new tires... I went and got an alignment and it was still there so I got the tires balanced... gone for about a mile but it came back... I went back and had them rebalance them (weight had fallen off) it was better but not gone (happend over 45mph) So I went back a Fourth time and MADE them put sticky weights on while I watched over their sholder... guess what! when they finially did it right it was fixed.. Never bring aftermarket wheels to sams club they don't know how to handle them right! The guy said that after driving on them for a bit the wires can shift and cause a wobble..

My car (I have a '93) does the exact same thing:55-65 mph steering wheel shimmy. This is what I have done so far with no progress. Hope some of this helps.

-I have changed 4 new tires (balanced twice) ... nothing same problem-Rotated tires -- front to back ... same problem-Machined rotors -- still same shaking issue-New rotors/pads -- still the same problem

Just checked this past weekend:- Tie rod ends ... cracked and dry (but no play)- Lower control arm ball joints ... same as tie rod ends (no play either)- Tension rods ... cracked (don't know how to check them)- Drive shaft ... normal play, tough one bushing seems worn, and some one has told me that might be the cause of the problem. And I remember reading it on other threads. A friend told me to balance my driveshaft; I have to get back to him on more details about that.

I also found a TSB last week and it describes the steering wheel shake problem exactly. I think this should correct it but I am waiting on the part from the dealer.

TSB: NTB93-066 with title "Steering wheel shimmy: steering rack friction adj."Model(s): 1989-93 Nissan 240SX (S13) issued on April 1, 1993 It describes the steering wheel shimmy at aprox 55mph.

1. It recommends to road test (to verify problem)2. Check steering rack, rods and joints are secure and to specs.3. Balance front tires (done by most of us with the problem) 4. Road test. "If shimmy is not resolved, it will be necessary to adjust the steering rack friction."5. .... now it goes through to remove a screw on the rack and replace a spring and to torque it. The procedure on how to install it is about 14 more steps. I'll scan the TSB probably next week and post it. Because it will get to long to write it.

The part to replace, called by the TSB is 48237-10V02 (it is a spring retainer). Which i went to buy to the Nissan dealer (about 5 dollars) but it is not in stock and they told me it would take about 2 weeks to deliver. But it is cheaper to replace this part and follow the TSB than to change all suspension components.

If anyone who has fixed this problem, please let us know. And also if any progress or none after changing some parts. I'm sure we all want to fix this annoying problem.

Luis.

good call on the tsb, i was gonna bring it up because ive seen it before, were they had the same issue stated above and ended up with a whole new front suspension that still had a shimmy. Stuff like that is tricky because it isnt right there in your face where u can recognize the wear visually, or feel it, but u know it is there. I have been burned by jobs like that before at work and have realized TSB,s r gods gift to techs. Good luck guys

wow, doc. nice call. i'm soooo glad i started this thread. it sounded stupid of me, but it turns out i got some really really useful information out of it. please do scan that TSB procedure. i'll be ordering one of those things ASAP. are there any other parts required for the job?

so, how about that scan?

EDIT: n/m, i found it.

click here for full instructions

Some updates,

Sorry about the delay on the TSB.I don't have a scanner, and the one at my work was not setup for my PC.Also the part that is supposed to fix this annoying shimmy, "the retainer spring," is still back ordered at the dealer. So no part yet (2+ weeks already.)

My friend to a look at my car last week, since my car rear brakes lockup easily (found out I have a sticking piston caliper.) Well he noticed I don't have those hub spacers/rings mentioned on your post. Since I have some aftermarket Enkei's that came when I bought the car. We tried to center the wheels as much as possible. It helped and diminish the vibration, but after a day it went back to the vibrations. Anyone knows where to purchase this hub rings?

I also notice on highway speeds, my AT shifter vibrates back and forth. My friend also checked my AT mount and he said it is pretty worn, so I'll be buying one soon too. Any places for good quality/price deals?

I'll try to keep posted more frequently, and when progress is made.

Regards,

Luis.

i have concentric rings for my wheels. didn't fix the problem though. got them at a local speed shop b/c ebay didn't have the right size.

if you're going to buy a new transmission mount you probably should get new engine mounts, too. they're more difficult to replace, but just replacing the transmission mount will mean more strain on the engine mounts. you'll get a nice, solid feeling when cornering not having the engine flop side-to-side, too. i forget which sponsor here has them but they sell the Nismo mounts as a set for like $180 plus shipping. best price anywhere!