Well I think I have most of my engine sorted. Still some fine tuning on the carbs to go. But today when I was driving I noticed that at speed a slight back and forth motion of the wheel seems to set up a swaying pattern that could get out of control easily. To quote Jeremy Clarkson of Top Gear "at one point a little bit of poo came out."

I installed some used but still very good boge shocks. I have plans to replace the rubber bushings on the torsion bars but I am really concerned that something else is wrong.

Nothing looks wrong but I am sure that the ball joints could be worn but I have never experienced that type of sway that seemed to want to get out of control.

Thoughts on what to change or check?

Steering Rack Bolts have come loose or come out? Can you turn the Steering wheel and the wheels not move?

Good Luck...

Bearings.

Checked bearings and there was no real play n the bearings and they don't grind or make aunt noise.

Inspected the rack and all were there. Did not verify tightness. I will do that.

....Bearings as stated above or lug bolt torque

Jack up on front wheel, leave the other on the ground.
Grab the wheel at 3 and 9 o'clock.
Wiggle side to side.
If it wiggles, it could be tie rods.

Grab the wheel at 12 and 6 o'clock
Wiggle the wheel
If it wiggles from the bottom, it could be the ball joint.
If it wiggles from the top, it could be the upper strut bearing, or the strut itself.

Do both front wheels this way, but remember one needs to be on the ground.

Now the rear.
One tire up in the air.
Grab the tire and try to wiggle it in and out or front to back....you are checking the trailing arm bolt....see if you can move the wheel.

Also, spin it and listen to the bearing.


From that point I would suggest possibly an alignment.
New tires
And also check you steering linkage for play at the ujoints

Rich

Front end out of alignment may make the car seem to wander.

If the rear end is toe out it will make the car seem to get loose when turning in.

OK I bite! Are you suggesting too little torque could allow the rims to move?

......Yes.that body sway
(frontend)

If that is it then a lot more poo will come out at some point! That is a scary thought.

Also, the 'bushing' between the steering column and the rack may be worn out. (Black hockey puck in the video below)

Or the rack itself may be worn out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccihNmlBVoc

Check everything in front and rear suspension and steering.

More than one thing can be worn out or set wrong.

John

did the car do this prior to the boge install? too much horsepower now?

I wish! It had some slop in it that was noticeable but I thought it was the bushings. After driving it this weekend for a couple of days straight, it became apparent that there might be other issues.

It just seems like it wants to hit a resonance and keep swaying. My other 914 had none of that!

Did anyone mention tie rods? Mine rolls a lot when they are loose.

Actually I had my car aligned today. It was toe out big time (and making it behave exactly as the original post described). Front end elignment corrected the problem but this post mentions correcting toe out in the rear. My mechanic today was wondering how you align the rear on 914's and frankly I didn't have an anwser.
Could you enlighten? Where is the rear end alignment adjustment? Pictures would speak a gazzilion words :-)
Tanx!

When you loosen the 3 bolts that hold the out side of the trailing arm to the body you have a small amount of toe adjustment and the camber is done with the shims!

WAIT! Warning before you get someone to attempt to align the rear. Take the plastic caps off the top of the bolt holes on the rear suspension mounts and put some pen. oil in there.

Took mine to get an alignment. They broke 2 of the bolts before they told me they weren't sure know how to do the alignment. Then said they would only charge me for the front end alignment.

Terrific! Thanks for that

Also thanks! Good intel

Specifically:

- Loosen the bolts
- Pull the wheel outward for toe-in
- Push the wheel inward for toe-out

You're pivoting the whole trailing arm on the inner "ear".

- When it's where you like it set, tighten the bolts
- Double-check the measurement after the bolts are tight and the suspension bounced to settle it

--DD

Well I have a list of things to check tonight! Thanks to all. After thinking about all of the suggestions, I am leaning towards McMark's bushing between the steering column and the rack suggestion. Somehow that video just fits what I feel through the wheel.

If that is true is there a source for a new one?

Racer Chris has them

http://www.tangerineracing.com/otherproducts.htm

Pelican has stock rubber ones

You can also stack two VW ones. See this thread.

When I put my 5-lug suspension on and drove it for the first time, I couldn't go over 50mph until I did the alignment! It would start to sway like I was towing a trailer with not enough toung weight! I thought I was going to die!!

Did not get to the front end checks tonight but I got my carbs mostly synced. Still a small amount of backfire through the carbs on develop but it hits hard when you punch it.

Pretty sweet engine from McMark!

I hope to hit the front end tomorrow night.

Finally got back to this. Did the various checks on the wheels. All seemed good without any excessive travel. Looks like it is either the control arm bushings or McMarks suggestion.

Did not get to that tonight but it is next. Got set if control arms coming with the sway bar tabs. But I doubt I can get the ball joints swapped out without damaging them so it may have to wait if it is not the steering bushing.

Well after checking everything and it seeming good to me, I took it to a local914 guy who confirmed the components were good he suggested the caster was way off.

He thought someone might have reset or replaced some of the components and not done an alignment. Is this a possibility?

Yes, it is a very good possibility as I've seen alot of posts in which a new part or two was replaced in the suspension and they say they'll get an alignment later...

BUT, if the caster is off, there is only a tiny amount of caster adjustment on the front of the car (it is all in the adjustment of the top strut mount inside the trunk). SO, I am thinking it is not caster, more likely toe.

Good luck and figure this out so you can properly start enjoying your cool little car.