Front end shake resurrected

[artemoushue1]

Hi all, I'm not new to the forum but been away. Can't log in anymore under my old name.

I have a problem that has been posted a few times with no final update as to the solution. I also have a few small differences.

I have a 95 240SX 109K miles. It is the fist S14 sold in Arizona. My dad worked with Calsonic at the time, they had dibs on the first shipment.

It starts shaking, Front end, mostly steering wheel, at about 65 gets worse all they way to 100. at which point I can't hold the wheel anymore. Steering is tight but occasionally pulls hard to one direction or the other for a short ways then stops. This is regardless of road crown, sometimes it will pull up crown, sometimes down. It will also track the road groves with a death grip. Maybe some how related, the right front tire is very easy to lock up, both before the upgraded brakes and after.

What I've done since it started: New tires, then new tires and wheels (upgrades 18 x 8) balanced several times at discount (morons) then at a specialty shop who does VERY high end, Ferrari's, Lambo, racing, etc. They used a road force for roundness, construction, fit to whee and balanced to 6 grams, Discounts balance was off over an ounce and on multiple wheels. Added concentric ring. The tires are Falken Azentis RT 615 or ice skates as I refer to them as because the temporary spare grips better.

New AGX struts, swift spings (camber corrected), Koni Mounts, Tein tie rods and ends, polyurethane rack mounts, polyurethane tention rod bushing, larger sway bars, Q45 brake upgrade, aluminum driveshaft and Nismo motor mounts and transmission mount. The last two were to fix age related problems. I even changed the valve stem caps.

My fiancee is tired of the money pit but I need to fix it. She just got a new A4, but this will have to last me until end of this year. I'm thinking either the new tension rod bushings or strut mount was replaced wrong or I have a bad wheel bearing (which is rare for this problems as I've heard).

I haven't been able to drive on the freeway for 2 years with this, old Datsun 720 time. Please, somebody who's delt with this help me.

Thankyou MUCH in advance.

[biggie]

Alignment?

[artemoushue1]

Ofcourse. Once after the struts, once after the tension rods, again after the tie rods and ends.

[compactfean]

You need to take it to a shop that can do a really good shake down. Check for play in the wheel bearings, inner/outer tie rods, torsion rod bushings, control arm bushings, etc. a shake that is that bad on a 240 should be ready to find.

[artemoushue1]

I know, diagnostic fee is incredible at repair shops. I was hoping to exhaust all other avenues before then. This thread is the last option as most people I talk to can't seem to think beyond "balance the tires" . Which is what a repair shop will do first running up the fee. I love working on cars, have done it most of my life but this one stumps me as I have essentialy replaced the whole front end already.

The wheel bearings "feel" tight by hand and don't squeal, I can't discern any play but they are the only things not replaced. Are there any "performance" front hubs for the s14? All I ever see is the conversion kits for S13 which I'm told won't fit.

I just need to hold out until used GT-R's are in the 50's and finance my butt off.

[compactfean]

If they have no play they are fine. How about the ball joints, is there any play in them? I used to be the manager of a meineke and for problems like that the most we would charge was a $35 rack fee. We would balance check all of the tires for free (unless they needed balanced) find the problem and then give an estimate for further work, once the problem was found. I never charged diag fees unless it was an actual diagnostic. Then the $35 was waved if you did the work. There has to be something your overlooking.

[ZRay251]

just fixed this problem last night in my s13, which was drifted into a tree by a buddy 2 hours later...but thats another story. replace your lower ball joints and check/replace your sway bar linkages (if you havent already). at 65 i had a horrible shake in the wheel and entire car. Replaced with new lower ball joints, and the shake is completely gone. FYI, its a b**** to do.

[artemoushue1]

Well, I must admit I spaced the ball joints. They make sense. I should do the lower arm bushing also. Any ideas on a Nismo Arm vs stock vs a completely adjustable arm? Or replacing the ball joint and a polyurethane bushing? I think Nismo's are way overpriced. They say the ball joint is stronger but what do they do to make it stronger?

On the flip side, It is lowered an inch and camber is kind of a pain. I just don't want the ride to be super harsh, its getting that way. Especially after the poly rack bushings.

Any thoughts on adjustable upper strut mounts? Will Tein work with stock?

Next is time to do the bushings in the rear. They are all well worn, there is no control back there.
I also have to drop the gas tank. Two of the lines sprung a leak. I got to two of the 3 through the access panel up top but I couldn't get the 3rd, Gotta lot of work ahead of me. Dropping the tank looks like a real (fill in the blank). I guess I should do the fuel pump at that time.

Damn car is a puzzle. See how a bad front end led to replacing the fuel pump. I'd better stop before the radio goes bad...

[compactfean]

I have poly bushings from front to back and none of them made my ride much stiffer. I mean the car handles better but by no means is it enough to say ” polyurethane makes the ride uncomfortable” id go poly bushing and new ball joint. The bushings in the back were the hardest to do and if i ever had to do polyurethane bushings I'm the back again....... I wouldn't. Lol. Upper tein mounts will work and I would recommend them (although I don't have them yet, but its on my list) the rubber In the stock mounts goes bad and can give the same symptoms as a ball joint. Not to mention, when lowered, camber up front is about 0 but goes + when cornering which isn't good. You want 1-2° negitive. The fuel pump you don't have to drop the tank. to do..... It has an access door.
So full poly kit $120
2 good ball joints $80
Rear subframe bushings $80
The feeling when done your done with all thr blood sweat and tears it took to replace all these bushings....... Priceless.

[ZRay251]

I'm looking at replacing all bushings in the rear end when i get back in town from work. After reading ^^ I'm starting to dread it a little more lol. But its a must. Whoever had it before me sent it to hell for a while. Ate up with rust and most bushings are completely blown. I have a lot of work ahead. At least the shake is gone!

[compactfean]

My best suggestion when doing the bushings is be patient. I have a huge anger problem when fighting the same thing for to long. I would pull everything you are going to out bushings in and make sure its all seperated. Once everything is pulled then start doing the bushings. Pretty much what got me in the rhythm was take a drill and drill little holes in the rubber part of the bushing until I could use some big pliers and rotate the pin and pull until it came out. Then take the saw zaw and cut the ring in half, then with a extension and 21mm socket, (grab the extension with pliers) and hammer out the ring. Then when pressing in the new bushing make sure you are pressing in the tapered side. Also, the only thing that worked for me was a vice. Some of the bushings I had to freeze to get to shrink.

[ZRay251]

Thanks for the tips. I'll probably wait and do it when i replace the subframe. Its all ate up with rust cause the previous owner lived on the beach. I'm basically bringing it back from scrap. 230,000 on the clock, which is now broken. Gonna be fun...

[artemoushue1]

Harborfreight has cheap presses for around 100 bucks that may save you a lot of headaches with the bushings. I've also heard of people burning out the bushings, that sounds a bit messy though.

[compactfean]

I worked at a shop and tried all sorts of different presses. the vice worked best for me but try what ever works for you. As for the burning, the bushings that are very small (like all the back ones) the rubber won't melt in the center because the fire keeps going out before it does anything. And this was with oxy acetylene torches. Its just one of those things you really don't know how much of a pita it is until you, get in there. Was it worth it? Yes. Very gratifying. Would I help a homie out with his for free? Nope. Lol

[Duce40sx]

S14's hubs do go bad. The front hubs on my old s14 were bad. I bought 2 new oem nissan ones for $210 bucks at the dealership. So the hub bearings you can check yourself. Take off the wheel and spin the front hubs, see if you hear anything unusually, should be smooth with no noises.

You should also check your lugs nuts, stupid as it may be who knows if it's the right or wrong kind? maybe they put acorn nuts that were too short or wrong pitch threads? Some idiot put on my lug nuts with a 200psi impact gun and i drove it 5 foot and I was like WTF? he had used the wrong pitch lugs and impact gun fused the damn nut to the stud, he had to pop out all the studs and replaced em. This was at a bmw/benz shop, lol. retards.

Lower front arm, ball joints goes bad and causes you to have camber were, replacement for s14 is a bit harder and more $$ than S13, maybe rock auto has them, easy to install, C clip and pops out if you're lucky.

That's all I can think of at the moment.

[ZRay251]

Lower front arm, ball joints goes bad and causes you to have camber were, replacement for s14 is a bit harder and more $$ than S13, maybe rock auto has them, easy to install, C clip and pops out if you're lucky.

Thats what happened with me. Cost 80 for both. Had to get creative though, we did it in the middle of the night so advance was closed and no C clip available. So i found a large socket that was just bigger than ball joint and beat it out. Presses are a lot easier, but you can wing it. Just have a buddy with you, and some bandaids if your like us and cant aim for crap.