steering vibration (i have searched)

[silviaS13milknhoney]

hey all, ive searched with no real answer, so i post this. I own a 91 240 5spd and i have a decent steering wheel vibration between 40-65 and after 65 it diminishes almost all the way. I do here a slight "humming" like a wheel bearing and instantly clears once i take my foot off the gas. I can move the driveshaft about 3/4 of an inch in both ways. Also a nice "clunk" when i shift into 1st or 2nd. Any ideas?also i just put 2 brand new tires on it and an alignmentthanks!

[MaximA32]

The vibration is going to be a wheel balance issue. The humming noise is most likely internal transmission bearing going bad. That could also be clunk you're hearing.

[silviaS13milknhoney]

awesome, thanks man. So i guess its time for a new transmission? Or can i replace that bearing without major overhaul of the transmission. Also you think it could be bad u-joints?

[MaximA32]

Without having the car in front of me, I couldn't tell you for sure.

[silviaS13milknhoney]

understand, thanks for the help

[silviaS13milknhoney]

Alright so i had all four wheels balanced today, still the same problem. I have replaced ALL the bushing up front, none in the rear. Both ball joints up front and sway bar links. The shake dies down from 65 to 75ish and then after that it gets really bad. All the struts are orginal and it has 15" aftermarket wheels. The shake is an up and down motion more than a side to side. Also before the alignment it was a lot worse, what elso do u think i should try, and thanks again

[RubyRed240]

I had a similar problem, fixed it by replacing the the tie rod ends and getting it re-aligned...No clue if that is your specific problem, but I had the exact same shake and this fixed mine...

http://www.srbpower.com/images...l.jpg

[silviaS13milknhoney]

hey thanks man, yeah i have replaced my tie rod ends, but not the inner's. In fact i just had it at a really good shop for 3 days and none of thier master techs could tell me whats wrong. At this point im at a loss, im just going to wait for school to start again in less than a month and go from there, but thank u man, another reason why i love this site

[Q45tech]

Out of spec radial force in tires, warped wheels, brake rotors, bearings then suspension steering items.

[silviaS13milknhoney]

i can understand the wheel and tire thing. But how could bad wheel bearings cause vibration? It doesn't sound like any bearings are going bad. I kinda leaning towards my driveshaft

[RubyRed240]

I hate to break it to you, but many mechanics are just 'part changers' and have no idea...I drove my car with its shake for nearly four years... and had taken it to just about every suspension shop in the duocounty area before I got fed up and gave her a looksee myself... Got the car fixed in about two hours then aligned it and all was well...

You should jack up the car and send us pictures of the different components of your suspension on each side of the car. Maybe one of us will recognize the problem... Hey its worth a shot if you're that bamboozled...

EDIT:But I just realized something... you say you think it might be the drive shaft... it could be bent or out of alignment, has your car been in an accident?

[silviaS13milknhoney]

thanks man, no the car has never been wrecked but the front frame rails have been patched previous to me buying the car. I took it to a reputable frame shop and they told me they are straight. I will take some pictures of the underbody in a little bit and post them up. So what ended up being wrong with your coupe?

[RubyRed240]

needed new tie rods, sway bar bushings, and an alignment/balance...

Good Luck man!!!

[silviaS13milknhoney]

alright well after reaplacing my inner tie rods the other day and eye balling the toe angle, it seems to be slightly better on the highway and a lot better from 45 to 60. Wierd thing is that on the highway if i go straight for about half a mile, the shaking goes away a lot, and as soon as i make a slight curve left or right, there it is again, steering wheel just shaking back and forth. I'm about to run her into a tree and walk away laughing

[silviaS13milknhoney]

Alright guys, still have the problem. My question now is what would cause your steering wheel to "dip" to the left or the right when hitting a bump. When i hit a bump or pothole on just one tire, left or right, the steering wheel will move to that direction. Please guys im out of stuff to try.

[aris_unlimited]

Well it seems to definitely be something to do with steering rather than just suspension travel, I was going to suggest taking a look at your sway bar bushings till you mentioned the steering wheel moving. Maybe have the steering gear box checked out, along with some other steering components.

I would suggest taking it to a Nissan dealership and having a master-tech take a look at it. Most mechanics aren't fantastic at diagnosing problems. Whereas Nissan for the most part has some really good training for their people.

[silviaS13milknhoney]

thanks man, i wish i could figure this thing out, im truly out of ideas. Looks like the stealership here i come.

[navysnail]

if bearings are worn, they will become loose, that is allow some degree of movement perpendicular to the axis of rotation, thus the vibration.

[silviaS13milknhoney]

Thanks man, well after shattering the rotor off of it today and check the drivers front hub, the dial indicated that the hub itself was off 50thousands. So the hub is bent and i think i have found the problem. Wierd thing is i should have heard a bearing going bad or something you would think.

[navysnail]

sometimes they make noise, sometimes the rollers just wear down, still rolls fine, but the inner and outer race are no longer tight.

hope you fixed your problem!

[silviaS13milknhoney]

WOO!!! FIXED THAT MF!!!