I have been having a steering wheel shimmy that has gotten worse over the past month. I checked the tie-rods, ball joints, idler, etc. and have not noticed any significant freeplay. However, I reached and grabbed the steering column shaft and can move it about 3/4" top to bottom and side to side.

Is this normal freeplay?

jeff

 

Don't know how many miles on components but, to try to narrow your search down......

Correct air pressure in tires?

Are lugnuts tight?, if so, then,

jack front end up and try to move the entire tire from side to side and up and down (might be wheel bearings AND or ball joints), if no change,

Put front tires on back and back tires on the front (might need rotation or out of round rim(s) and or tire(s) and or out of balance), if no change,

There should be NO play at all in the tie rod ends and idler arm connections. Our stock tie rods can wear out very fast.

With the ignition OFF, there should be free play in the steering upper and lower shafts. However, the lower half shaft u-joint can develop too much play.

Is the wheel shimmy worse when you apply the brakes? If so, you may need to have the rotors "turned" (machined). If you do this, you want them machined ON the vehicle and you will want to replace the brake pads. Do the rotors have build up on them? What condition are the brake pads? All of the above can cause the rotors "run out" to be out of specs. They need to be machined in relation to the spindles. Replacing them with new ones can lead to the same problem. A Pro-Cut-On-Vehicle-Brake-Lathe is considered the best, if you can find a shop that uses it.

 

OE812,

I asked a similiar question as yours back on 8/26/04 in the "Other Drivetrain" section but I did not get any responses.

I was checking for a rattling noise coming from the front end of my truck when I noticed the steering shaft moved alot when I grabbed it. The one thing that interested me more than that was that when I moved it up and down, I got a "clunk, clunk" noise near the firewall that I thought might be my rattling noise while driving.

I asked the technicians at FlatRateTech.com about the shaft movement and one of them said that the movement was normal, but did not really say anything about the "clunk" noises.

Just wondering if yours also make the clunk noise, since the shaft movement seems normal.

Thanks.

 

I do have a clunk noise but think it is derived from the brake calipers.