qstick777

iTrader: (6)

I hope this isn't a stupid question.

I'm having some sort of vibration in my steering. It seems to get worse when moving to the right - but not actually turning, more of like when changing lanes. Seems to go away when moving to the left.

I also feel some sort of vibration under the driver's floor board - like something is loose and rotating around and hitting the under carriage. The frequency doesn't seem to change with speed.

Currently my exhaust is loose (hanger rusted away), so I originally thought maybe the exhaust was vibrating. And, I guess that still could be the case. That will be fixed shortly after I decide whether to have my brother weld the hanger or to just go ahead and get new exhaust.

I also have a shimmy/juttering when braking. Even though I've had them checked and they say everything is fine, new rotors and pads will be going on shortly - as soon as it's not 90+ everyday!

I've done the whole grad and shake the wheel thing, and don't think I have any issues with tie rods or any of those components. Originally I was just going to bite the bullet and replace struts, tie rods, ball joints etc, but having 2 kids in sports, summer camp, family vacation, and unexpected home repairs have eaten into my "fun" fund I have 2 other vehicles to drive, so being without the Maxima for a while isn't an issue, but the Maxima is by far the funniest to drive.

The only other time I've had a similar issue was with my first car, and it ended up being some sort of steering bushing. I think it was a steering yolk, but this was on a '76, so I'm not sure if that is the proper term now or not. It was like a u-joint on the steering column and the plastic/rubber/urethane had deteriorated causing a ton of play in the steering wheel and almost uncontrollable shaking the steering.

I've had the brakes and suspension checked when in for regular maintenance, and they all report that everything is fine. This problem isn't near as bad as that old car, but it's the only thing I can think of.

Are there any known issues with our steering? Is there anything I can check in my driveway? I'd rather see if I can pinpoint the problem before I take it in and get hit with a $100+ diagnosis charge - plus the opportunity for them to charge me for a bunch of things I don't need.

ghostrider17

iTrader: (6)

You need to get those front Brakes replaced ASAP, and make sure you either LATHE (turn) the rotors, or replace them.
If you don't know what this entails -- then you better take it somewhere to be done!

Also, make SURE you get your tires BALANCED on a Hunter Roadforce Analyzer Machine.
After you've done ALL of the above -- make CERTAIN your lugs are Torqued-down to a factory specific 85 ft/lbs each! This is important to maintaining proper alignment of your rotors/wheels/hubs.

If you still have the issue(s) after doing all of the above (much cheaper than replacing suspension components!) get back to us, and you can go from there!

good luck.

gr

slo-ryde

From your description it seems odd that they can't find anything wrong. It might be time to find another shop.

You might give the Nissan service department a call, they have a recall for the transverse link (lower control arm) that breaks and causes a fair amount of noise and knocks. You'll need to provide the VIN so have that handy when you call.

Have you tried rocking the steering wheel back and forth while the car is on level ground? Most loose steering components can be heard when you do this. If you have a set of ramps I would suggest having someone rock the steering (3 to 4 inches should be plenty) while you inspect the components from underneath.

Struts can make a lot of noise when they fail. On my '02 the front passenger side strut was toast and made a knocking noise that could be felt in the floorboard.

Also, rotate the tires front to back to see if you have a bad/damaged tire.

I bought the Steelman Chassis Ears a few years ago and they've paid for themselves several times over. You attach microphones to the suspension and drive around listening to them via headphones. The noise coming from the microphone I had attached to the top of the damaged strut was so loud it was hurting my ears.

http://www.etoolcart.com/steelman-ch...s-ste6600.aspx

Being on a budget is tough but sometimes it's actually cheaper to get a competent mechanic under the car. Getting the problem diagnosed for $100 would be money well spent. DIY repairs can save money but so many people end up replacing perfectly good parts in an attempt to fix the problem.

DennisMik

iTrader: (2)

The top of the strut is mounted in a bearing. These bearing will go bad and that allows the top of the strut to move around which causes the wheel alignment to constantly change. Many times you will hear a clunk when you turn one way or the other as the top of the strut moves. If you open the hood and look at the top of the strut, the big nut that is in the center should be perfectly centered in the hole/depression.

Similarly, if you stand next to the strut, grab the fender and shake the car sideways. If you can see that big nut on the top of the strut move, you have a strut bearing problem.

qstick777

iTrader: (6)

Guess I should update this. I did replace the rotors and pads not long after the OP. Of course that didn't fix the problem.

I decided I would let the car sit for a while until I got around to dealing with the suspension and exhaust. The idea was to let my nephew do it during winter break - give him something to keep him busy and a way to earn some extra cash.

Well, I just took the car in for the yearly safety inspection figuring they may fail me for the exhaust, but it would end up being replaced in the next few weeks. The inspector comes back and says that everything was good. Then he said that he noticed that my wheel bearing was loose and went ahead and tightened it up for me.

The car rides much better now.

Now I'm off to do some reading on wheel bearings to find out how that could have caused my problems......and how they could have become loose??

BTW, everytime I've had somebody check my struts they come back and say they are fine, so that's one less thing I'll have to spend my money on for now. But at 86k I guess they'll be due shortly - sorry but Xmas and some upcoming dental work are going to take a precedence over unnecessary car upgrades.

slo-ryde

I've enjoyed the DIY approach to working on just about everything I own since being a kid but finally realized a few years ago that paying a professional is sometimes the quickest AND cheapest route.

As far as struts, I just replaced mine a few months ago at 211,000 miles. They were obviously shot big time but the car drove fine on the freeway, where I spend 95% of the time in the car. I went with the KYB GR2 struts and OEM mounts/boots.

The wheel bearings are pressed onto the spindle I think but there's a large nut on the end that might come loose over time and allow the inner races to move around causing noise. I've never checked mine but most of these have a cotter pin that prevents the nut from coming loose.

Happy Holidays!

djfrestyl

iTrader: (89)

That's the only thing that makes sense. The bearings themselves are sealed and pressed into the hub - if your bearing was shot you'd know. It's not exactly possible for the bearing to get 'loose' - or get 'tightened' for that matter.

The inspector likely noticed the axle nut was loose - and yes, good thing that cotter pin is there!