i had my mechanic do the steering rack adjustment for me. first 1/4 turn...got a little improvement. another 1/4 turn.....steering got a little better. had him do another 1/4 turn....steering feels nice and tight. i still get the shimmy at 60mph but its better after tightening the steering rack. the problem is that now whenever i pull off or come to a STOP sign i hear clicking. i guess it's the steering rack since it started right after getting it tightened. can someone tell me if they have had this issue? is my steering rack on its way out?? the car feels fine when i drive it, only hear the clicking when the windows are down going slow. not when turning, when going straight. i have an 05 with the automatic tranny. any help or advice is appreciated.

 

bump..

 

No clicking with mine. I cant believe you got 3/4 turn on your rack. Maybe back it off 1/8 turn?

 

yeah the steering feels nice and tight but i still got the shimmy at 60mph. i guess imma try to loosen it up a bit just so it stops making that noise. hope this rack doesnt brake down on me. only time i will b able to spend 1k+ for anew rack and pinion is gonna be tax time next year.

 

bump...

 

Im new here, definition of shimmy please i havent felt any shimmy on my car at all, just got back from a road trip to California maxima felt so smooth on the hwy could it be that its a manual transmission and steering rack is different? im driving a 05 maxima SE 6 speed manual 67000 miles

 

I adjusted mine like 1/4 turn and now it's pretty damn stiff. I consider backing it a little. 3/4 turn seems alot to me. Maybe there was an issue with your steering rack?

 

+1

 

yeah there is an issue with my steering rack...it's on its way out lol. but yeah i guess i gotta loosen that bolt a bit so it stops making noise, and pray it doesnt totaly break on me till i can get the money for a new one.

 

I dont see how tightening the adjuster bolt would make the car click when coming to a stop...., but again, I dont know how the adjusting bolt works, so honestly, I have no clue..... make sure everything else is fine on your car.....

 

i'm guessing tightening the bolt is probably putting more strain on the rack. it sounds like there is some play going on in there. i do have the ebay front end kit installed also(control arms, tie rods, endlinks). i had that installed like 2 weeks before adjusting the rack and it wasnt making any noises. took the car to the same mechanic who tightened the bolt for me and he said it sounds like gthe rack is going...

 

mmm dude my car has been making so much noise since I installed that front end ebay kit..... I think it's fail.....

 

lol, what sucks is that if i cant trade my car in i think i'm gonna get a remaned steering rack from ebay to fix the shimmy.

 

I would not, cause youll get another defective rack soon. If you have to change the rack, get OEM...... they fixed it. unless you just wana get rid of the car, whatever...

 

the ebay store that i want to order it from offers a 3 year unlimited miles warranty for the steering rack, and they are only selling it for $240 after you return the old core. i called the ebay store to ask if they have had people complain about the maxima steering racks, the guy said that the 6th gens are known for the shimmy issue. he said his remaned racks have not had any problems. i don't know how true that is but even if the remmaned rack only last 3 years thats fine. i doubt i'll keep this car for another 3 years. $240 + labor is a hell of a lot better than $1200+labor at the stealership. i don't know about the oem racks being fixed.....have u checked the 7th gen forum yet, there's already a thread about the shimmy on the 2009 maximas.

this is the ad:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Nissa...Q5fAccessories

 

I dont trust ebay anymore..... see how good our front end kit is? been getting clunking for months and its getting worse. 350$ down the trash.

 

Shimmy may be caused by a bent wheel. Lift front, put it on drive and watch for wheels play side to side. Put the car down, move jack to rear, lift, and spin by hand. Repeat.
If wheels are ok, then it is your steering rack most likely. Adjusting rack may reduce the symptom, but you will never entirely get rid of it because the part is worn internally (worm gear mechanism to be exact). Unless you turn that bolt full revolution to have a feel like there is no power steering, good for your triceps though, and maybe abs too!
Do not fool around with remanned racks, buy a brand new OEM rack and get it over with. Yes it is expensive, but no pulling defective racks in and out. Those who dealt with defective parts, like alternators or starters, and do extra labor swapping parts, know exactly what I am talking about.
Good luck-

 

Mmm, seems like my clunking comes from the steering rack also. Also, I have started getting more vibration in the steering lately.

 

my clicking is finally gone!!! i had my mechanic check my car to see if he could find the source of the noise; he looked everywhere and couldnt find anything loose or bad. he said the ebay parts were in good shape. i was covinced that it was a bad driverside axle so i bought a new one and had my mechanic install it. it had 100k on it so it needed to be changed anyway. that must have been the cause. my car is now quiet as a mouse. gonna get some magnaflows soon to change that. and i just finished intalling the coryxavier BOP. now i can concentrate on the shimmy issue. will post if anything changes with the ebay kit but for now i can't complain.