NoTLoud

Been having some issues with my steering lately. The more I think about this, I believe the issue has been getting slowly worse since I bought the car 10 months ago. Current mileage is 113k. The entire front end of my car just feels loose.

Symptoms:

• Without my hands on the wheel, if I hit a bump, the steering wheel will jump. The bump can be as little as the raised turn arrows on the road.
• Front end just feels loose. Car does not inspire confidence while driving. Absolutely does not feel like the car is riding on rails.
• Car was aligned last Friday, but is drifting fairly hard to the right.
• When I had the car on stands 2 weekends ago, I had considerable play when rocking the front wheels at the 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock positions. Both wheels were off the ground. Moving one side would cause movement on the other and movement at the steering wheel.
• Steering wheel has dead play at 12 o'clock position. I can wiggle it while parked in the "dead" zone and see very slight movement in my front wheels.

Unfortunately, based on my quick research, it seems like the issue is most likely with my steering rack. Seems to be a common failure on these cars, so I wouldn't be too surprised.

Any thoughts? I know this is probably one of those questions not really answerable on the forums, but I want some opinions before taking the car into the shop tomorrow.

I think with the age of the car, it's probably just time to replace most of the front steering and suspension components. The rack will just sting the wallet because I know it's not a cheap and easy fix and I can't do it in my parking lot.

On the positive side, I paid the car off last week, so it's all mine.

b15

How are the tie rods (inner/Outer)? Are your LCA bushings torn?

jimmyfu

i'd check tie rod ends too. outer looks to be pretty easy, inner a little more rough but still doable. i found this video to be extremely helpful


Also, I remember you were having wobbling issues; I don't remember reading anything about tie rod ends being related to wobbling, but I did stumble upon a different youtube video wherein a guy with an altima (i think) also had steering wheel vibration and nobody could figure out what it was. he decided to change the tie rod ends on a whim and reported that there was no more vibration.

NoTLoud

LCA bushings were replaced about 8k miles ago (105,700 miles). They still looked find the other week (and I hope they are fine). OEM bushings.

I am hoping it is just my tie rod inners or outers, but I guess I will find out tomorrow. I won't have time to look at the car today.

I am almost certain the wobbling issue is my front right axle. The dealership showed me some play in it and every symptom I have point towards bad inboard joint on the axle. I will be giving Raxles a call after I get another confirmation written down that the axle is bad. I am just wondering whether or not my intermediate shaft is torn up some how and the splined shafts are messed up.

Thanks for the replies!

jimmyfu

I just had the passenge raxle replaced after 10k miles. it definitely lessened vibration but still had some wobbling, which mechanic suspects is the remaining driver side. marty is pretty understanding but told me that he can't figure out why manual TLs at least keep having issues with his axles. he said he'd gladly send me a replacement but couldn't guarantee that it wouldn't do the same thing again. additionally, upon first inspection mechanic suspected that the issue would either be axle or some axle support bearing, but after he was able to take the axle off he confirmed it definitely was just the axles.

dope!

iTrader: (28)

Didn't check the ball joints? Seems to be common..it will cause the extra play on the steering wheel as well as make the front end feel "loose." What about the suspension?? Also the rack and pinion..had mine replaced a couple thousand miles ago.

I would check the ball joints first and see how your tires are wearing out as well.

NoTLoud

Well, I took it to a shop and they said everything up front seems tight and there isn't any play. They recommended I get an alignment from a shop that specialized in aligning lowered cars. I'm running Tein Street Advance Z coilovers with about 8k miles on them. Looseness doesn't feel like suspension, but with steering over bumps.

I still think something is wrong. I had the car aligned two weeks ago, but wasn't happy with results and the shops printer was conveniently broken, so I have no idea what the spec on the alignment were. I'm gonna make a call to a shop today to see about getting one done there. This will probably be my 5 or 6th alignment in the 10 months I've owned this car.

Steering still has some dead play on center while parked.

My passenger side ball joint was replaced, but with a non-OEM balljoint. I am seriously thinking about just re-hauling my entire front end. I'm not keen on the non-OEM balljoint, but was in a bind and had to get a new one replaced ASAP to drive 6 hours home. Cost me a lot of mine, but for the piece of money, I guess it was worth it at the time for the peice of mind.

Steering will jump when going over bumps though. Front end still feels loose. Shop told me "You're lowered and running wider wheels and tires, so it won't drive like OEM." I can maybe see the steering being slightly more numb, but that answer doesn't really satisfy why the car feels like shit. Issue with steering is certainly not something I had when I first did the mods.

NoTLoud

Got my second alignment in 3 weeks yesterday. Car feel tight, steering feels fine, HOWEVER...

This car is just a piece of shit. I've been told everything under the car, steering and suspension components are tight, no play, by multiple shops now. I've looked myself and would agree.

I let go of my wheel for 1 second and it darts to the right. The car is just going full Mustang on me the way it wants to go into curbs. I dunno WTF is wrong with this car. Would a bad steering rack cause the car to pull hard a certain direction? The issue seems semi-intermittent. Like I can let go of the wheel and it will be fine, but other times, I'm literally over the line the second I let go of the wheel.

I had one of my tires replaced because the shop yesterday told me it was most likely radial pull, but the second I got on the road, the issue was still there, if not worse now.

NoTLoud

Did a little more research, I am thinking my front right caliper may be sticking. Since the issue seems to be somewhat intermittent, I am thinking the caliper is just getting stuck periodically, causing the car to pull hard. I have noticed brake pulsation recently, which I wasn't getting before about a month or so ago. I just noticed the hard pulling a couple weeks ago, so these two pieces would make sense...

jimmyfu

If it's intermittent caliper sticking then maybe you can try to see what the temperature is on a wheel? Amazon sells IR thermostat guns that are only $15 and they're pretty fun. Wouldn't you also see increased brake pad wear on the sticking caliper vs the others?

NoTLoud

I checked by hand yesterday, but there was no obvious difference in temperature. I think I'm gonna go to Harbor Freight to pick up an IR thermometer this weekend to check myself.

I was told by a shop my front pads were at 20% life, so I'm due for new pads and new rotors, since I am getting brake pulsation. With the potential of a bad caliper, I want the issue I am currently having with the pull to be identified first before I replace all the parts.

Any one have any other idea on why the car could be pulling so hard to the right? The alignment feels great, except for the pulling. The car responds better than the previous alignment 3 weeks ago, but the pulling is concerning and a safety hazard.

My only guesses are the caliper sticking or the rack going bad. The pulling is pretty constant now and certainly not getting any better.

Jackass

Items I think can cause a pull:
- alignment
- control arm bushings
- tie-rod ends
- tires

I think you have already checked off most other than rotating the tires. So a shop replaced a tire, have you just tried rotating the tires to see if it has any impact?

To note, I had a bad alignment from hitting a bad pothole. The car tracked perfectly straight as long as I wasn't on the gas and the road was smooth. Jab the accelerator and the car darted hard to the right. Let go of the wheel and coast, perfectly straight.

As for a sticking caliper....if your pads are worn in a similar manner on the inside and outside pads on both sides, unlikely a sticking caliper.

BreezyTL

iTrader: (8)

I would check both front and rear calipers on the right side. Rears are known to fail more than fronts. Did you ever figure out the vibration issue? This car seems plagued!

NoTLoud

Unless there is just some mystery component causing issues, the alignment should be good. Latest alignment has the car feeling tighter than the one 3 weeks ago. I had the compliance bushings done on the LCA about 6-7 months ago, which was about 6-8k miles. Multiple mechanics have mentioned all of the steering and suspension components look fine. Tires have like 5k miles on them. Now that the front right has been replaced, it has like 25 miles.

I called the shop who did my most recent alignment (who suggested radial pull as issue). He told me try switching just the front tires and seeing if it fixed anything. I will do that ASAP. If that doesn't do anything, I'm gonna bring it back to him next week, since we now are just going through process of elimination. Mechanic also mentioned he seemed to only notice the pull while accelerating, saying potentially the axles could cause the issue. I will test on way home, but I am fairly sure car still pulls hard even while coasting. I have only noticed the pulling issue recently and the Raxles have been on for 5k miles. I have a new front passenger axle in, just waiting on an intermediate shaft from Delray Acura to come in before replacing both.

Sure seems like it. I am cursed when it comes to cars, my last car literally never didn't have an issue either. I owned it for 2 years...

I will get the IR thermometer and run on all 4 wheels to see if there are significant temp differences.

No, still having shaking during acceleration. As mentioned above, new front passenger axle from Marty is in, just need intermediate shaft. My HOPE is that the bearing is bad in the intermediate shaft, causing some play. There is one thread where multiple people confirm that fixed their issue. Multiple mechanics I have asked said either they have never replaced one or replaced VERY few. Considering my shaking issue was present before and after replacing axles, it's the only common component. My main suspicions are 1) replacing LCA compliance bushings stiffened front end up, making the bad bearing more noticeable and 2) lowering car and new suspension geometry exposed bad bearing. I would say I am probably dropped about 1.5in to 2in, so far from slammed.

At this point, I am just trying to eliminate as many variables as possible. Debating just returning car to stock and selling if I can't solve at least one of these issues.

NoTLoud

Tested on my way home, car seems to really only pull when on the accelerator. Coasting seems to track straight.

Not sure if that indicates anything in particular, but I tested on multiple road surfaces on the way home from work. Once I corrected steering, it seemed to track straight each time I coasted.

NoTLoud

Scratch the above post.

Car was definitely still pulling while coasting this morning. The pulling seems to be more pronounced when on the accelerator though.

NoTLoud

I swapped the front wheels after having the front right tire replaced. Car was still pulling after new front right tire. Car seemed to pull less after swapping front wheels.

After swapping in a new intermediate shaft and passenger axle this weekend, I noticed the pulling is now back. I did hang the brake assembly while pulling the axle out, which definitely was putting weight/stress on the outer and inner tie rods.

Also, not sure if related, but there is now a grinding/scraping noise coming from the front right wheel after I changed the axle and intermediate shaft. I did screw up the threads on the ball-joint (not OEM), which I had replaced after replacing the passenger axle the first time. When I had the ball-joint out, it seemed to move around fine, not freely. It was spinning when I tried to tighten with a ratchet, but went on fine when I took my impact to it.

thewhatupkid

Hi.

I've been having this exact problem with my 05 TL for the last few months. I took a turn the other day at approximately 40km/hr and as I gently released the steering wheel to allow it to rotate back to neutral position, the front wheels became stuck and I continued to turn. The steering wheel was kind of in la la land at that moment. I had to jerk the steering wheel the opposite direction to compensate. I've had the same experience with the car dragging one direction while accelerating and having the steering wheel feel loose.

I'm also trying to trouble shoot this. As bad as this sounds, I'm glad someone else is having this problem lol ;D

A mechanic where I work said it could also be the rack and pinion ujoint or steering ujoint. I'm not a mechanic but am hoping it's something relatively easy to fix once I can isolate the problem. Unless of course it's the strut rack then my wallet will be taking a hit. I haven't had a chance to check the control arm bushings, tie rod ends or sticking caliper.

On a side note, the grinding noise from the front tire that you hear could be the dust shield rotting/corroding inwards towards the wheel and dragging on it. I had this problem with my rear tire a month ago and bent the dust shield back into place but it needs to be replaced.

I'm going to try to rule out the bushings tie rod ends and caliper this week and will post any updates. Good luck.

NoTLoud

I haven't had the wheel bind on me yet. Keyword: YET.

I'm wondering if one of the steering components is slightly bent or something. I did frame-bang the car pretty damn hard going through an intersection about a month and a half ago. Didn't realize the rode sloped down and back up as quickly as it did.

I know the steering racks on these cars aren't the most reliable. I am hoping mine is fine because it's not a terribly cheap part and does not look like a fun job.

Don't think my brake heat shield is rotting or corroding, but there's a good chance I did bend it in when I was doing the intermediate shaft and passenger axle. Lucky for me, this car has been a North Carolina car its whole life and honestly doesn't have any rust on it. I think the passenger rear may have a similar issue, except I hear a whirring noise from it at highway speeds.

I just called the mechanic I am now trusting. He was saying it could be that a caliper is hanging. I have been experiencing brake pulsation recently, so I am wondering if the caliper is hanging slightly, I dunno. I need new rotors and pads for the front, but I wanna rule out a hanging caliper before I ruin new stuff.

The weird thing is, the issue went away for about a week when I had swapped my front wheels. After I replaced the intermediate shaft and put the passenger wheel back on, I was getting the pulling again.

NoTLoud

After a little more research and some new symptoms, I think the issue is my wheel bearing.

Pretty much at all speeds now, the car feels gritty and is shaking. I was doing some research on bad wheel bearing symptoms and one of the symptoms is pulling to one side. Another one was loose steering. Another one was vibration in the wheel at speeds. I wasn't getting any steering wheel vibration until a couple days ago. Now with the shaking at all speeds, I am almost certain it has to be the wheel bearing. The only symptom that seems really common I am not noticing is the roaring noise. I will spend some time listening on the way home today.

When I removed the axle from the hub assembly two weekends ago, the bearing didn't look like it was in good shape. I may have also mentioned after I installed the intermediate shaft and axle, I began to notice a scraping/grinding noise. My guess is that's the wheel bearing as well.

I still have some shaking/wobble during acceleration. Wondering if it just the axles or if it's the wheel bearing. Hmm..

WDPanda

I'm not sure if you properly diagnosed the tires/wheels, but i would look at that again if I were you. The times I've been told by even tire shops that the tires weren't the issue when it ended up being the tires after all. A road force balancer would have helped.
Borrow 4 wheels from somewhere.

NoTLoud

I will throw the OEM wheels back on next chance I get. I will also see how freely the wheels are spinning. Given that the car is shaking slightly at even low speeds, getting progressively worse with speeds, that seems to point towards a wheel bearing issue as well. I guess a bad bearing could cause the car to pull as well because that wheel isn't moving with as little resistance as the other.

I was listening today and I can hear that wheel bearing low-pitched humming noise while I am on the accelerator at highway speeds.

I honestly just can't believe how many issues this car has for only having 114k miles. It seemed to be well taken maintained and taken care of...