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Car is all over the road..:(((

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Old May 6, 2008 | 08:00 AM
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Car is all over the road..:(((

Hey,guys, lately, my car feels all over the road over the bumps. If there is a small bump, it feels like the car has been thrown to the side, like the magic force steers it. What could it be? Tie rods? Suspention? Front sway bar? Any help is greatly appreciated . Thank you.
Old May 6, 2008 | 08:26 AM
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sway bar end links or LCA bushings are going to be your best bet...also how are the struts?
Old May 6, 2008 | 08:29 AM
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My money is on LCA bushings as well.
Old May 6, 2008 | 08:31 AM
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I just had mine replaced....they were falling out in pieces they were so dry rotted...
Old May 6, 2008 | 08:43 AM
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The LCA bushings have like 5000 miles on them and are polyurethane...The struts are Illuminas which are 3 months old, but I ran a HUGE potwhole a month after the install (, was no way to avoid, bent two of the rims... And how do I check the sway bar end links? Thanks a lot guys...
Old May 6, 2008 | 09:24 AM
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I had the same symptoms and it turned out to be the power steering rack going bad. I spent a lot of time/money reworking the front suspension. After many miles of not knowing what was wrong, I finally noticed it leaking fluid and replaced it.

Due to a mistake I made when replacing it, mine's shot again after 40k. It was only a $100 junkyard ps rack. (Make sure you clean the metal shavings completely out of the PS lines - I forgot to do that). But right after the replacement it was a lot better. Consider getting

That said, you didn't say that you had it put on the alignment rack. Get the alignment checked and have them look for loose stuff. I'll bet if you bent two rims then you have a bent tie rod or something, and if your toe setting is way off you're 1) cooking your front tires and 2) going to have a hard time pointing it straight. If the alignment and suspension checks out ok, then look into the power steering.

Last edited by dgeesaman; May 6, 2008 at 09:26 AM.
Old May 6, 2008 | 09:29 AM
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Originally Posted by dgeesaman
Consider getting

That said, you didn't say that you had it put on the alignment rack. Get the alignment checked and have them look for loose stuff. I'll bet if you bent two rims then you have a bent tie rod or something, and if your toe setting is way off you're 1) cooking your front tires and 2) going to have a hard time pointing it straight. If the alignment and suspension checks out ok, then look into the power steering.
Consider getting...?
Old May 6, 2008 | 09:30 AM
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Originally Posted by DuMKuH
What could it be?
Hold on to the wheel!! j/k

After my strut/spring install and strut brace my bump steer improved dramatically, however it was still present, but not as bad. And then after my LTBII install, my bump steer is almost, but not completely, gone. However, these mods could only be masking the problem and not fixing it.

To check sway bar bushings, pull off the front wheels and they are attached aft of the strut bolts if I'm not mistaken. Been a while since I looked.

Also, any steering play or still responsive and butter like?
Old May 6, 2008 | 09:52 AM
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Actually, my rack did leak for some time after the PS fluid replacement, but it stopped after a while lol(magic?), when I did my last oil change, they checked everything and told me that everything is fine...How do I check the end links on the sway bar?
Old May 6, 2008 | 10:28 AM
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Originally Posted by DuMKuH
Actually, my rack did leak for some time after the PS fluid replacement, but it stopped after a while lol(magic?), when I did my last oil change, they checked everything and told me that everything is fine...How do I check the end links on the sway bar?
just get under the car and find the sway bar and fallow it to the end of the bar on eather side.
Old May 6, 2008 | 02:10 PM
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Also, my steering wheel is like a Lincoln towncar feeling, so easy to turn... Besides that, there is a little knocking when turning the wheel slightly from side to side... thanks for the help
Old May 6, 2008 | 02:18 PM
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Originally Posted by MorpheusZero
Consider getting...?
... a 99 SE rack if you change the rack.

Wasn't that obvious?
Old May 6, 2008 | 02:22 PM
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man same thing happened to me it was my struts leaking....
Old May 6, 2008 | 03:44 PM
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Originally Posted by DuMKuH
Besides that, there is a little knocking when turning the wheel slightly from side to side... thanks for the help
How are your axles and CV boots/joints?
Old May 7, 2008 | 04:17 AM
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^^^Everything is fine...
Old May 7, 2008 | 08:29 AM
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when you hit that pot hole you could blew a shock or strut on one side make your cars rebound uneven. that would completely threw ur car outta whack when hittin bumps. check shock/struts even if they r new
Old May 20, 2008 | 09:04 PM
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Im almost positive its your rear struts. Whenever you get a chance, remove both rear wheels and check for wet spots on your struts, they maybe leaking if their really bad. U can also do the bounce test, which in pushing down on the rear on your Maxima and quickly releasing and see how it reacts. If it does more then half a bounce, u need struts. Just changed mine, i put on kyb gr-2. I put kyb gr-2 in the fronts about 8 months ago, their perfect. I grab right corners on a dry day at about 40mph wihout drifting into a thing.
Old May 21, 2008 | 11:55 PM
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Originally Posted by DuMKuH
Hey,guys, lately, my car feels all over the road over the bumps. If there is a small bump, it feels like the car has been thrown to the side, like the magic force steers it. What could it be? Tie rods? Suspention? Front sway bar? Any help is greatly appreciated . Thank you.
wow, you must have been the guy that IM'ed me yesterday in the eeeeeeeearrrrrrrlyyy morning with that run-on sentence...anyway, i would be last person to ask to ask about suspension problems

Last edited by VANGtastic97; May 22, 2008 at 05:22 PM.
Old May 22, 2008 | 11:04 AM
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check alignement first, axle, lca bushing, and swaybar link, and then tie rod end. Since u hit a pothole, its on the same side(front and rear)right? Rear alignment cant be changed.
Old May 22, 2008 | 12:24 PM
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Check the lower strut mounts, my car was 'all over the road' before I changed them.
http://tinyurl.com/5zme67
Old May 22, 2008 | 10:23 PM
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wat bout worn tires.. tires can make a big difference
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