Elegant TYPE S

iTrader: (2)

Basically my steering wheel isn't as firm/stiff as it once use to be. I have 55k miles on the car now. I spent half the day yesterday replacing both my upper control arms and ball joints after I saw that my drivers side ball joint was very loose after removing it from the spindle. After replacement took it for a drive and I would say it cured my sloppy handling and loose steering by 65% but still not the full 100%.

What else could be the problem? I do know that my wheels need to get balanced and an alignment as I do have shimmy at highway speeds and have pull to one direction. I will be getting that done today. I wanted to do it after I installed the upper arms. But something tells me that even after its done, its not going to solve my problem which is why I'm posting here.

Elegant TYPE S

iTrader: (2)

And to clarify, when I mean sloppy handling, I mean when I hit small bumps in the road I feel that my steering wheel shakes and causing the car to feel as if its not firmly planted. Like I said 65% of it was resolved after replacement of upper control arms.

csmeance

check your alignment, I believe if your "toe" is out, it can cause that feeling.

Elegant TYPE S

iTrader: (2)

Ok got the alignment done and its still the same. My front end just doesn't feel right, very lackluster handling.. doesn't have that 'riding on rails' feeling it once had. Ne other suggestions ne one?

djbonsu

iTrader: (3)

^^check ur sway bar endlinks. maybe loose or broken. are ur tires new? recently changed? soft side wall?

01tl4tl

all the steering bushings ck out? if the uppers went,,,

nfnsquared

OP, are you aware of this thread?

Lower control arm bushing failure

Might be the other 35%....

Elegant TYPE S

iTrader: (2)

Ok so alignment was done yesterday, and when I drove it out, it drove straight but did not fix the problem of loosy goosy steering wheel. But check this.. today.. the car is starting to pull to the right again and its like my alignment went out of spec again. Awesome!

I dont know about the endlinks, but my tires are fairly new. Less than 8k miles on them. They are the Conti DWS.

No.. I was not aware of this thread, but thanks. However I do not know the symptoms of what this would cause as its still not clear to me. Maybe you can explain.

01tl4tl

you replaced uppers because they failed right? how bad?
so why not the lowers?
you tested them with car on the lift or what?
On most cars- I would replace both up and lower when one area is found or you end up with leftover shake~

01tl4tl

ball joints/tie rod ends ok?- those loose will allow alignment to move

SouthernBoy

Hint. Never turn your front wheels when your car is not moving.

Slpr04UA6

Are your tie rods suppose to have a little play in them or none at all?
OP-Not to thread jack, just trying to see if this could be an issue.

TacaoBell

Stabilizer bar links maybe?

Elegant TYPE S

iTrader: (2)

I'll try to get them all checked... how many ball joints do we have?

08WDPTL

Did you get a spec sheet from the alignment place after they adjusted everything?

Camber may be out (or at least at the low end of the specs). The more camber you have the straighter the car will track (and steering will be tighter).

Also, I've noticed with past vehicles, once I add larger wheels/tires, the steering tends to get "looser" (which I haven't been able to explain yet). Also, the larger wheels/tires could be contributing to that bump steer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bump_steer)

jurena

I'm having the same problem elegant is having and it freaking sucks because none of the mechanics that I've taken the car to know what's wrong with the car. They tell me "everything looks ok", I've gotten 3 alignments in 2 months and it still doesn't feel right. I just recently ordered a camber kit to see if that helps, I'm also gonna try to take the front spacers off.

jurena

It really doesn't feel very safe to drive the car In that condition and I've been driving it like that for 5 months smh.

EL PESADO

iTrader: (5)

why u dont take to the dealer if u want i have a friend he work in a acura dealer maybe he can help u and gonna be more cheap he live in brooklyn

jurena

because dealers charge an arm and a leg, thats why i try to stay away from them.

dejame saber si el me lo puede checkiar.


Im at the point of burning the crap out this car, i been getting problems left and right.

I hate cars

It's rare to find someone to properly align these cars and it's not because it's hard, it's because they're lazy. Tell them you want toe at 0 on both sides. They always get it "close enough" but the car will still feel weird. Toe out causes an unstable feeling and it will want to follow any bump or rut in the road. Toe in makes the steering feel dull. Wider tires make toe out more noticeable.

Compliance bushings are another. You can't align a car with torn compliance bushings, as soon as you back it off the alignment rack, the alignment changes as the bushings shift around.

Tires, I've had the sidewalls get soft after many heat cycles and miles.

Swaybar end links, just replaced mine due to a terrible knocking sound. Car is more stable and responsive even under braking. Usually if these are going bad you will hear a noise.

Then there's the rear suspension. Same thing there, toe should be 0. If you regularly carry weight like subs in the trunk, make sure the alignment is done with the weight in the trunk.

The "shimmy" that was mentioned will wear all suspension components out quicker.

How old are the shocks?

Sohaib92

Hey Guys.. Hope y'all are doing well out there and I have been having the same issue on bumps.. i got my alignment and wheels changed about 3 months ago and the steering just feels loose and shaky in bumps. Ive attached a video and let me know if i'm tripping out or there really is a problem..

pohljm

I haven't looked yet but you are trippin on a 9 year old thread!

just looked and cant see a problem?

Jackass

Because the wheel is moving around as you go over road imperfections? To note...this thread and specific forum is TL focused, so our feedback won't be too specific about the ILX. I didn't see anything too crazy in the videos, then again I don't usually have my hands off of the wheel most of the time to notice if my TL behaves in that manner. If you are getting bad bump steer or jumping around a bunch on road imperfections, I would suggest starting with an alignment and a detailed inspection of the suspension.