Front End Quiz, Ok Doc Options

[r_towle]

Here is the situation.

Wobble at highway speed.
Felt in hand, in steering wheel.

New tires, new rims (several times)
Jack car up,
No tie rod wobble at all (hands at 3 and 9 oclock, nothing)
No ball joint wobble (tire in air, long bar underneath..nothing)
New bearings.

We currently have this car off the road for the winter...and we will remove the entire front end assembly this time.

so, there is the question...
Where is it???

Rich

[r_towle]

I always say that if one has front end shake, check the wheels and tires first second third and fourth.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif)

What year? There was an UpFix'n write up that I ran in our regions newsletter about a 914 that had problems but, it was while coming into a corner and loading up on a turn. It was the old style strut/ball joint.

ANY time I've had that problem it's been a tire balance issue.

I took the fuchs off my car, put them on his car, wobble still happens, yet my tires a perfectly balanced, and create no wobble on my car (I am really picky about tire balancing)

I always say that if one has front end shake, check the wheels and tires first second third and fourth. If you have completely replaced the wheels and tires with a known good set from another car and the front end still shakes the wheel, and the car is not too toed in, and the things you checked are good, move the steering wheel with two fingers to see if there is any play at all, and if so look down the column and then out to the wheels to find the play (may be the u joint at the firewall carpet)
The clunk is probably a loose insert nut holding in the strut insert.


There are some other stupid things that have to do with the calipers and rotors but that is a start.

Yup, I took my set off my car, put on his car....still shakes...
So its not wheels or tires...I figured it was...been down that route...he has new tires, diffferent rims etc..

I think it must be between the u-joints , or the rack...
Great

I need to take out the a-arms anyways to weld on the tabs for the sway bar...so I can check everything out during that extraction...

Rich

Please remember the loose shock insert nuts! that is probably from where the clunk is arising

I have two cars,
His car has the wobble.
His car has been all apart, all nuts bolts have been checked many many times chasing this...
New version of the strut tube (73) so the fastener at the bottom has been checked, its still round, and tight.
I had the issue on my 72, and upgraded to the later stut tube to fix my old problem...
Ball joints are good, tie rod ends check out, I am starting to think it really is farther up towards the steering wheel...the ujoint and rubber joint might be it, but I am starting to think its either the inner tie rod joint, or the rack itself...
I have spares...so I can test...and its winter..he is not driving it roght now...

My 72 has the clunk...its been chased to the aftermarket anti sway bar hitting the gas tank underside in a low speed pothole situation only....high speed under heavy load it does not clunk....I am just designing a good solution, I am getting sick of raising my tank up every month, and the clunk bugs me.
My car has everthing new in the suspension.
This clunk is common I have heard with the hollow aftermarket lager diameter anti sway bars...so it just needs alow profile pillow block and bearing to hold the middle and keep it from flexing so much...
Really its just a fluttering of the hollow tube when you hit a bump.

Wheels 1-3: 1)-were the bare rims balanced before mounting tires (stem in!)
2) then balanced on a machine w/tire mounted 3)balanced on the car
Then, 4) be sure a warped brake disc doesn't touch the caliper

My tires, my car, which we have used to test this..
Mine are balanced on a load balancing machine that applies the load of the road during the balancing process.
Car dealers have them to diagnose wheels.
costs a bit more, but the tires are measured for run out, and roundness using this machine.

So the tires and wheels are fine..
I put my tires on his car....it still wobbles at speed.

Rich