STEERING WHEEL SHAKES @40mph +

[finikM35]

My steering feels too loose i hate it id love to find that bolt lol any1 got pics?

[81657skier]

filet you are spot on I have fought the tramline shake steering rack tire problem for 3 years and no shop could help. my tramline soft steering pull problems cured with the turn of a bolt head.

If you do not have the torque tools go with the hit and miss a 24MM wrench fits the head. I turned to moderate tight and backed off 1/8 which was too tight so the steering wheel would not return after a turn a couple of 1/8 +- more counter clockwise and it was set.

once you have the cover plate off you can reach the head with out jacking the car which makes the tweaks easier.

don't be fooled the bolt or head looks like a drain plug mine was loose to where I could finger tighten.

Finally a post that is not replace the rack or file an NHSA complaint.
Thanks

[cji4130]

filet you are spot on I have fought the tramline shake steering rack tire problem for 3 years and no shop could help. my tramline soft steering pull problems cured with the turn of a bolt head.

If you do not have the torque tools go with the hit and miss a 24MM wrench fits the head. I turned to moderate tight and backed off 1/8 which was too tight so the steering wheel would not return after a turn a couple of 1/8 +- more counter clockwise and it was set.

once you have the cover plate off you can reach the head with out jacking the car which makes the tweaks easier.

don't be fooled the bolt or head looks like a drain plug mine was loose to where I could finger tighten.

Finally a post that is not replace the rack or file an NHSA complaint.
Thanks

dude! please please take a picture of this bolt and post it. ive owned my m for like 4 years now. brand new tires, rotors and pads, wheel alignment...still f*** shakes!!! i will be doing an oil change this week and will be under the car..would LOVE to fix this issue while im down there.

[TDot]

I've been looking for a way to tighten up the steering a little too. Anybody do a DIY with pics on this would be greatly appreciated.

[cji4130]

filet you are spot on I have fought the tramline shake steering rack tire problem for 3 years and no shop could help. my tramline soft steering pull problems cured with the turn of a bolt head.

If you do not have the torque tools go with the hit and miss a 24MM wrench fits the head. I turned to moderate tight and backed off 1/8 which was too tight so the steering wheel would not return after a turn a couple of 1/8 +- more counter clockwise and it was set.

once you have the cover plate off you can reach the head with out jacking the car which makes the tweaks easier.

don't be fooled the bolt or head looks like a drain plug mine was loose to where I could finger tighten.

Finally a post that is not replace the rack or file an NHSA complaint.
Thanks

dude! please please take a picture of this bolt and post it. ive owned my m for like 4 years now. brand new tires, rotors and pads, wheel alignment...still f**king shakes!!! i will be doing an oil change this week and will be under the car..would LOVE to fix this issue while im down there.

yep...100% spot on, i really hope that this information spreads to other M owners with the shaking steering wheel...my car feels like its brand new again.

[raysworld718]

Same issue w/ 06 M35. New rotors and pads, wheel balanced and gettin new KYB shocks and struts installed tomo. Will look into issue with bolt, wish me luck.

[TDot]

Has anybody else done this? Does anyone know which bolt this is and where exactly to find it? Lots of bolts down there.

[cji4130]

Has anybody else done this? Does anyone know which bolt this is and where exactly to find it? Lots of bolts down there.

this is a picture of the bolt. 24mm. tighten and take a cruise on the highway. thank me later.

[TDot]

Ill thank you now...thank you, appreciate it much...but any possibility of getting a wider pic if its not too much trouble?

[cji4130]

sorry, i took that picture like last month after i originally fixed it but was too lazy to post it. this bolt is underneath the smaller plastic splash guard, held up by 4 of the same bolts, and 2 of those plastic push pins. just behind the plastic engine splash guard.

[DailyDose]

I'm having the same problem here, exacerbated when braking by what i assume are warped rotors.

I have been reading a lot on this lately and have mostly just come across people swearing by conti extremecontact dws tires and how they make all the difference. Unfortunately, I have conti extreme dws tires at about 5/32 left and have a very noticeable shake.

If i were to take this to a shop to do (lack of equipment/knowledge/time) how would i begin to explain what is needed?

[Double E]

Show them this thread. When they see the image, they'll know exactly what it is. It's a fundamental part to any steering rack. Hell ...you will too if you look where it was described. They can also look up the torque spec for the bolt & tighten to spec.

[tbright]

New fix:

Was having very similar problem w my 2006 M35 after new wheels and tires installed. Here is what I found out after going to dealer, and having them diagnose a bad tire w a flat spot, getting a new tire and it not being much better:

If you've balanced your tires, and your suspension is in good shape, and your rack isn't bad and tramlining, and you still have a vibrational issue, after much screwing around, me and my extraordinarily patient mechanic have solved the issue:

On the steering rack itself, underneath the skid protector, on the driver's side, you will see a bolt about the size of your thumb.

Tighten that bolt all the way, and your car will ride like the steering is WAY too tight. Seriously, go into turns, and the wheel won't return to center. It'd be a great setup for a circus.

If that bolt is TOO LOOSE, you will have too much play in your steering wheel, and when you're driving around it will a) pull you all over the road, and/or b) give you vibration from the wobbly play in the rack.

The right torque for that bolt, after looking it up, is 48 inch pounds of pressure, and then 20-40 degree turn back toward the loose end.

Good luck getting a torque wrench in that tight spot.

My recommendation if u don't have a microscopic tool, is to figure out where you're at if you need it a little tighter, and just tighten it a smidge, and repeat by trial and error until you've gotten rid of the wobble. We did mine today and it rides absolutely perfectly. Finally got the wobble out of the steering.

My problem originally surfaced when I changed out the wheels and tires to a lighter setup. I think the heavier stock wheels jibed well with the loose amount of play, but when I went to the lighter stuff, I needed to tighten it up a little bit.

Best to all.

-Filet

+1 for this. New tires fixed 90% of my tram-lining issues with the RS-A's, but the steering still felt sloppy and loose on rough roads. Steering weight was way too light compared to our 03 FX35. Suspension/ alignment checked out OK with two different mechanics so I was ready to give this a shot.

Cranking the wheel to the right you can reach in and see the rack adjustment bolt, no jacks required. 1/2 a turn and steering wheel no longer reacts to bumps in the road, steering weight is heavier, and the car feels like it tracks better. Thanks for the tip!

[m45fix]

I had the same problem. Replaced the front suspension, steering rack, tie rods, disks, new rims and an alignment. I was so pissed when the vibration was still there after thousands of dollars of new equipment. The fix for my car was hub rings... $120 fix. It might not fix your car, but I wish I would have checked it first.

[Kirkland91]

I have a similar problem. Steering wheel vibrates when braking @speeds of 60mph and up.
Thought it was wrapped rotors. I put new rotors and pads, and it vibrates like before.
Dealer couldnt resolve it but said that steering rack started to leak.
Will try to fix in the driveway. Will post picks too

[chairmankaga]

Mine starts at 65 MPH. Dealer wanted to tear down the subframe and rebuild the entire front suspension for about $3500. I also have an issue where the car wants to change lanes in about 2 seconds, hands off the wheel. Infiniti's "acceptable drift" is 7 seconds. They believe it's all related.

I swapped front tires to back (all new, all recently balanced) just to see if that helped. Could be radial pull, could be a wheel out of round. The front right is slightly out of alignment with the front left, but it's just camber and only about .05 degrees. Dealership thinks the subframe was damaged in a previous accident but I can't see how an accident that didn't even cause airbags to deploy could do that kind of damage. Maybe?

Could also be hub bearings. I hear a bit of noise at speed but I figured that was just noise from cheap-ish tires. Would hub bearing cause vibration AND pull?

[chairmankaga]

Funny story. I have a bent wheel. Two, actually. One at the front, one at the back. When I swapped fronts and backs on the right side, BOTH bent rims were on the front. The ride got worse. I swapped both fronts to the back, and voila. It's still a bit rough, but 80% better. Now to replace the wheels. Going to have the tires checked ONE more time before I do.

Moral of the story - explore every fix you can in your own garage before paying anyone to do anything. Eliminate any possibility that only costs you some time.