gretchen/jason Posted March 26, 2008 Share Posted March 26, 2008 I had the same issue with my z , i did it all new rack new tie rod ends new eurthane bushings that hold the rack in place . I even welded up a bracket that helped hold the rack to the cross member but still the stering wheel shook . I tried rims off of a known z that didnt shake no luck i did my alingment at work my self 3 times replaced controll arm bushing and swar bar end links still it shook . Untill one day i pushed up on the steering wheel while driving it quit shaking !!!!! So i took the steering wheel off and rite behind it in the column was a bearing pack sorta like wheel hub bearings . Little tint pellets for bearings a couple of them were missing so i found a local very well stocked supply shop and found bearings " the balls " in the bearing and managed to fill in the missing ones about 30$ it cost me as they did it for me while it was in my car " great place " And lordy lordy the shaking went away dont quote me on it fixing youre problem but after buying AZCars controll arms $$$$$$ and rack and such yike who would of thought it could have been so cheap . Jason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N3RB Posted March 26, 2008 Author Share Posted March 26, 2008 I had the same issue with my z , i did it all new rack new tie rod ends new eurthane bushings that hold the rack in place . I even welded up a bracket that helped hold the rack to the cross member but still the stering wheel shook . I tried rims off of a known z that didnt shake no luck i did my alingment at work my self 3 times replaced controll arm bushing and swar bar end links still it shook . Untill one day i pushed up on the steering wheel while driving it quit shaking !!!!! So i took the steering wheel off and rite behind it in the column was a bearing pack sorta like wheel hub bearings . Little tint pellets for bearings a couple of them were missing so i found a local very well stocked supply shop and found bearings " the balls " in the bearing and managed to fill in the missing ones about 30$ it cost me as they did it for me while it was in my car " great place " And lordy lordy the shaking went away dont quote me on it fixing youre problem but after buying AZCars controll arms $$$$$$ and rack and such yike who would of thought it could have been so cheap . Jason OMG, I hope your right, im gonna go check that out right now. (yes I do sound like a teenage girl) LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gretchen/jason Posted March 26, 2008 Share Posted March 26, 2008 OMG haa haa it happens to he best of us Just kidding . Well it was a freak thing how i figured it out , before i replaced the " balls " bearings i even wraped wire around the shaft in the coulmn to take out the slo just to see if it would work . but when i applied pressure upwards or down or even to the side it quit shaking . If what i did works for youre problem then ive helped someone but like i said dont quote me as i mechanic i always warn of other things to come or a may not fix at the moment cause . Jason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RB26powered74zcar Posted March 26, 2008 Share Posted March 26, 2008 I have also stopped a shimmy by loosening the large lock nut on the steering rack and taking the slack out of the tension adjuster. If you loosen that large lock nut, then have someone turn your steering wheel back and forth very slightly (you can feel the play, or slop in the wheel) while you are turning that big adjuster with the flathead slot in it, just enough to take the slack/slop out of the wheel, you will have a much tighter feel to your steering, and prolly no longer have play in the rack which allows your front wheels to shimmy back and forth, ever so slightly.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
veritech-z Posted March 26, 2008 Share Posted March 26, 2008 I had the same problem with my 240sx, what was wrong with it is that my rotors needed to be resurfaced, or so I was told. I bought new ones and that solved the problem. I would expect that to happen under light braking if you had warped rotors, otherwise they shouldn't really affect the steering in my experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N3RB Posted March 26, 2008 Author Share Posted March 26, 2008 well, i pulled the steering wheel off and now im stuck..... there are ball bearings missing. but i dunno how to take them off to replace them and add more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gretchen/jason Posted March 26, 2008 Share Posted March 26, 2008 Looks just like mine did . I cant tell ya how it comes apart al i know know is the place i took mine to did it for me , i looked at it after they were done seems to me they sorta pushed them into the slot cant really tell though . Maybe all z cars are like that i dont know . All i know is they added bearings and bang problem solved for myt z at least . The current z i own now doesnt shake ill take a look at the bearing today and see if any bearings are missing im curious if they are all loike that from factory . Jason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Careless Posted March 26, 2008 Share Posted March 26, 2008 You could probably pry a bit on ONE side and slowly fill with correct size bearings. try this first: Try and take one ball out, and then go to a bike shop. Ask to see their steering column bearings or "fork" or "goose neck" bearings that go in between the frame and the goose neck and fork (top and bottom). I bet you'll find bearings that large, and for like 2-5 bucks for an entire ring of them. Or just show them the ball bearing and ask them for a set of ball bearings that are the same size. I used to mix and match bicycle bearings all the time, it just takes a fine hand. As long as you bend the metal sheath back correctly, it will be ok (if you do not want to remove the entire thing. Gravity makes putting ball bearings back in pretty easy if you start with a little space at the top Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Careless Posted March 26, 2008 Share Posted March 26, 2008 I'm not an admin, but at times I can be pretty anal. For search purposes, should this string be titled "Shimmy" at the steering wheel instead of "Seizure". Keeping titles correct helps a lot in searches, and so far I've read nothing dealing with a locked or seized steering wheel or rack (which can happen, but this string does not appear to address this). 100% agreed. I thought someone had a seizure and wrecked a Z (and themselves) while at the wheel. Not a pretty visual. I think "LOCK UP" is a better word than seizure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N3RB Posted March 26, 2008 Author Share Posted March 26, 2008 thanks guys for the tips, im going to try and put them in soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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