why is my........
03-30-2004, 08:04 AM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2003
Posts: 390
why is my........
why is my steering wheel wobbling slightly from left to right?
when im driving like 10-20mph my steering wheel shakes back and forth. it doesnt actualy make the car turn left and right, the steering wheel just moves.
when i get to higher speeds im thinking this problem intensifies and causes my car to shake at high speeds.
ive been looking for something wrong and cant see much. I also noticed a sound coming from my left wheel only when i make a left turn. It sounds like my rotor is rubbing against the splashgaurd/heat shield thing, whatever it is..that covers the rotor.
anyone got any clues?
my tires seem to be in fairly good condition and were rotated a few months back. also had an alightment done and the car drives straight.
when im driving like 10-20mph my steering wheel shakes back and forth. it doesnt actualy make the car turn left and right, the steering wheel just moves.
when i get to higher speeds im thinking this problem intensifies and causes my car to shake at high speeds.
ive been looking for something wrong and cant see much. I also noticed a sound coming from my left wheel only when i make a left turn. It sounds like my rotor is rubbing against the splashgaurd/heat shield thing, whatever it is..that covers the rotor.
anyone got any clues?
my tires seem to be in fairly good condition and were rotated a few months back. also had an alightment done and the car drives straight.
04-01-2004, 04:39 AM
#3
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2003
Posts: 390
why is this happening?
it only makes the sound when i turn left....whats up with that?
if i had a warped rotor would it make my steering wheel move like this?
im thinking its like a bent rim but when and how.....thats just what it seems like.
it only makes the sound when i turn left....whats up with that?
if i had a warped rotor would it make my steering wheel move like this?
im thinking its like a bent rim but when and how.....thats just what it seems like.
04-01-2004, 04:45 AM
#4
I had the same thing happen from a wheel out of balance...the shop balanced it 4 times and couldn't get it right. Took it to another shop and they got it first try. Sometimes this will also happen if you have a broken belt in your tire.
04-01-2004, 04:54 AM
#6
Member who somehow became The President of The SE-L Club
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Tire balance will only be felt at higher speeds. Your wobble is caused by either a defective tire or a bent rim or hub. Have the car checked out by a good front end or tire shop. You could also have loose tie rod ends.
You can try rotating your wheels and tires from front to back.
You can try rotating your wheels and tires from front to back.
04-01-2004, 06:30 AM
#7
It would be good to check all of those things out, but I think there is a good possibility, as far as ithe wheel jumping from left to right while doing slow speeds, it is a tire balance problem.
I used to work at a dealership and we had countless cars come in with the steering wheel jumping like that. As soon as we sent them to get balanced, it would stop in most of them. I don't know if that is it, but probably cheaper to try than some of that other stuff first.
I used to work at a dealership and we had countless cars come in with the steering wheel jumping like that. As soon as we sent them to get balanced, it would stop in most of them. I don't know if that is it, but probably cheaper to try than some of that other stuff first.
04-01-2004, 10:53 AM
#8
Supporting Maxima.org Member
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 275
I had this same problem ( steering wheel "walking" back and forth at low speeds) when I first got my Max. I turned out to be a broken belt in one of the front tires. I replaced the tires and have had no probs. I did not notice the noise you are mentioning. I did have some front end noise, but it was bad strut mount bearings. Good luck!
04-01-2004, 02:25 PM
#9
Supporting Maxima.org Member
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Location: san antonio, Tejas
Posts: 2,336
The problem that you are explaining is the same problem that i had with my 300zx a couple of years back. I took it to a mechanic and they said that it was warped rotors. I had been doing too much "stop and very very fast go" driving. I changed the 4 rotors and the steering wheel went back to normal.
04-02-2004, 09:16 AM
#12
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2003
Posts: 390
Brudaddy: no, you guys have been a great help.
These answers are exactly what i was looking for. Possible leads i could explore myself w/out taking the max to the shop.
Im gonna pull off that left tire to see if everything is OK inside there. Sometimes just taking something apart putting it back together resolves things. I was thinking maybe the wheel wasnt put on correctly and the rotor is like cocked on there with a silghtly cocked wheel.??? maybe....dunno...thats my only explanation for the scraping sound when turning left. Im hardly a ASE soo...
thanks again guys for the input. ill work on max sunday and post back with my results...if any...then ill tell you what the shop says if i dont have any luck myself.
These answers are exactly what i was looking for. Possible leads i could explore myself w/out taking the max to the shop.
Im gonna pull off that left tire to see if everything is OK inside there. Sometimes just taking something apart putting it back together resolves things. I was thinking maybe the wheel wasnt put on correctly and the rotor is like cocked on there with a silghtly cocked wheel.??? maybe....dunno...thats my only explanation for the scraping sound when turning left. Im hardly a ASE soo...
thanks again guys for the input. ill work on max sunday and post back with my results...if any...then ill tell you what the shop says if i dont have any luck myself.