Thread: Steering / Suspension issue

Aloha

I've got a 93 SE-R with about 25k on the axles, 45k on Hypercoil Gen II springs, 50k on AGX struts, 55k on wheel bearings and ball joints, and 50k on tie rod ends .. that's about as far back as the previous owner was documenting maintenance.

My problem is this; When in the middle of a turn, or going into/out of a turn and keeping the steering wheel steady, occasionally the car will suddenly swerve out a bit as if the tires suddenly change steering angle without moving the steering wheel. Once it does this, I just correct the steering wheel a bit and it will hold the line again. For example; on a right turn on ramp to a highway, once I get into the turn I will hold the wheel steady. About half way through the turn, the car will jump out of line a bit and turn to the left. I'll then turn the wheel more to the right and it will hold it's line again.

Is this a tie rod issue, or possibly something in the steering system? I checked the wheel bearings, they seem to be ok. Ball joints, tie rods and everything has the usual grime on the outside, but there is not any motion in them. My mechanic also told me nothing needs replaced at the moment and doesn't know what it is.

Any help is greatly appreciated .. I'd like some guidance before replacing it all, though I'm tempted to do that anyhow. If money weren't tight, I would.

Thanks
Kyle

Our strut suspension design and geometry is fairly susceptable to bump steer. Any time there's a dip, seam, or other undulation that will upset the suspension, the wheel will momentarily change toe and jerk the steering a little. This effect can be magnified by alignment, component wear, tire sidewall height, etc.

There are points on the suspension where rubber bushings can introduce deflection, like the back of the control arm and top strut mount. These could be considered wear items after a lot of miles. Also, front swaybar bushings and endlinks can wear out, and possibly create some odd binding or motion when the suspension is loaded up.

Something easy is to replace the tie-rod ends and have the car aligned. It's cheap insurance and should be done periodically, anyway. Does the car pull or track poorly in a straight line?

Yes actually, it will pull in different directions depending on the road surface. I noticed that this issue (pulling one way or the other) increased after putting on some wider summer tires earlier this year. It's needed an alignment for a while, and the one place I took it to (a tire shop here locally) told me they could not adjust the front left tire's Caster, and would need to be taken to a frame shop to have the frame aligned .. I've been meaning to replace the tie rods and take it to a different shop for a second opinion.

Bump steer is a function of suspension geometry, and it can get pretty involved. There are probably some good descriptions and diagrams on the Internet.

In fact, some of what you may be experience may not even be "bump steer." Or it could be a combination of that and other things, like bushing wear and increasing your scrub radius with lower-offset wheels and wider tires.

Whiteline makes offset caster bushings that replace the stock rubber ones. Per Mike Kojima, these add caster to reduce bump steer. If the converse is true, it's possible worn control arm bushings could produce the opposite effect and cause slight caster differences on the alignment rack.

Fresh tie-rod ends and a trip to a different alignment shop would be a start.

Coincidentally im having the exact same problem. Its so bad on the freeway though that it scares me that I wont be able to regain control. I already replaced my tie-rod ends, i just bought tires and am going to have that and the alignment done asap. I know my shocks need replaced. Other than that my suspension components seem to be intact. Bushings dont look damaged. Me thinks mine is majority to blame on the bad alignment. I wore through one tire really fast, the other one still has about 75% tread life.

soooo, I'm an idiot and let that be my disclaimer.

After reading about a similar issue on an XJ jeep in jeepforum.com, I decided to check my power steering fluid (solved that guys problem)... I just checked the resovior and it's about an inch short of touching the level-check stick and is pretty brown and nasty... I'll be flushing the system on thursday and will see if that helps it. I checked tie rods, ball joints, LCA bushings, tire pressure, wheel balance and wheel bearings and never thought to check the stupid fluid lol ... *facepalm*

Well, I have the same problem and the ps fluid level is not my problem. Tie rods (inner and outer), from what I can tell are tight. All of the bushings and bearings are fine. I think my car might be too low. Anything over 55 or 60 mph is pretty scary. When I apply the gas the car squirms to the left and then immediatly to the right. The exact opposite happens when I let off the gas. Might also be the steering rack. It might have some blown seals...I have no idea.

well not sure about on our cars, but i have the same problem on my suburban and its problem is that the front wheels are toed in and that makes it jump once i turn far enough to get the left wheel turned. so, you might have the alignment checked. just an idea.

Oh yeah, forgot to mention that. I just had the alignment done about a month ago.

Steering rack bushings, maybe?