[Shotimes] Vibration or picky...again (update)

Tue, 12 Apr 2005 14:50:54 -0400

I'm almost tempted to say check the strut bearings for the steering
toughness. Does the steering try to 'fight' back at you when you turn the
wheel? cos that's a classic sign of worn strut bearings. I know it's a long
shot, but that seems to be what we're reduced to at this point. It's easy to
take the struts and springs out as a single unit (just don't unscrew the top
crown nut in the middle) to check the bearings; they're like a $10 part, and
you should get new mounts while you're at it (like $14? [I can't remember]
at AAP).

Jason

-----Original Message-----
From: cmichaelo@optonline.net [mailto:cmichaelo@optonline.net]
Sent: Tuesday, April 12, 2005 10:55 AM
To: Tom Smith; shotimes; David Rosicke; Bill Strobel
Subject: Re: RE: [Shotimes] Vibration or picky...again (update)

And the saga continues...(update).

Tom, I checked for bearing grease on the inside of the knuckle (i.e.,
looking into the knuckle from the engine side.) No grease to be seen.
Totally dry in there.

Checked the seating of the rotor against the front right hub. The was a
minor wobbling. Turned the rotor 72deg and it went away.

Checked the axle nuts all around.  All were at least 200 lbft.

Checked all other suspension bolts (strut pinch bolt, control arm bolts,
tension strut nuts)...everything is fine.

I checked rotor lateral runout again with a dial indicator.  Rears are
<0.001". So they are good.

CV joints:
------------
I did not check the CV joints yet.  They were checked 20k ago and were found
in good condition by the mechanic. Bill, how do I check if CV joints are ok,
or should I just replace them since they have 130k on them at this point?

Carrier bearing:
--------------------
Nor did I check the carrier bearing for the intermediate drive-shaft.

Dave, if this bearing is worn out, I should be able to measure that with a
dial indicator, no?  Do you know what the spec is?  And I suppose it's a lot
of work to replace that bearing, no?

Other clues:
---------------

Here's two new clues to as what may be wrong. Hope you guys can help here:

1st clue - front right lateral rotor runout:

Let's say the dial indicator initially shows 50 (for 50/1000 of an inch).
Then on the first single 360deg revolution the runout will typically stay
within 49 and 51. But as I continue turning the rotor on the second 360deg
revolution, it jumps to 52 or 53 and then stays between 51 and 52 (or 53)
for the revolution. Then on the third revolution it returns to the 49 to 51
of the first revolution.

So this is so weird. You'd think that the fluctuation within a single 360deg
revolution would be reapeted in the next revolution and in the next
revolution etc. But it doesn't.

Whether I turn the rotor by hand or let the engine turn it in 1st gear makes
no difference (though it is kind of hard to track the dial indicator at
800rpm in reverse.)

2nd clue - turning resistance.

When driving, and especially right after start-up, there is a resistance in
the steering wheel when reaching a specific point when turning left.  You
sort of have to turn harder to overcome the resistance.  Once it's overcome
you can continue turning normal. 

It almost feels like the steering wheel is locked at this particular spot.
And it's impossible to steer "finely" when at this particular spot.

This problem appeared suddenly about 4 years ago.  Could this be due to CV
joints? Or is steering rack more likely culprit?

Michael
94MTX,green,BOS+,Koni/Intrax,Baer,Corbeau
SHO items for sale: http://hometown.aol.com/cmichaelo/for_sale.html
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