[AScheib5088]

Sloppy is the best way i can describe it...for one the steering wheel is not centered...if that makes sense...and once you hit like 60mph it feels as if you could loose control any time...the wheel doesnt shake bad but its kinda gittery i guess...but anyways i was wondering if anyone had any ideas to what might help take care of that?? i have replaced all 4 ball joints and fron outter tie rods...i was thinking of replacing the front inner tie rods...and other than that i wasnt sure...any help would be great thanks.

 

[MR2Fast2Catch]

Check both of your front wheel bearings for play. Just jack the front of the car up and see if the wheels have play from top to bottom. My car felt the same way when I bought it and it was because both front wheel bearings were REALLY bad.

 

[Kosan]

- bushings
- ball joints
- shocks
- tie rods
- alignment

they could all be the culprit

 

[AScheib5088]

yeah i have heard that the reason the steering wheel could be overcentered like it is is because of a bushing on the steering rack...i hope to save up enough for some Koni adjustables this spring/summer to replace my tokico hps. any other thoughts on what my problem could be?

 

[Kosan]

since u dont have the funds to do them all, the cheapest way for now, is getting a proper alignment....

 

[Grimsby53]

I say the first thing you should do is get under the car and check out the steering rack. If one or both of the bolts that hold it to the car have loosened or disappeared (anything is possible), that would explain your symptoms completely. Or the bushings could be shagged. Grab it and shake it back and forth. If you can feel it move, you need to replace those bushings. You can do that for not too much cash (go urathane!). Then start wiggling the other bits (tie rods & wheel bearings are likely culprits, as suggested).

Going straight to the alignment shop is not guaranteed to fix it, but is guaranteed to cost ~$100.

 

[Seagondollar]

I agree with Grimsby - Get the front end up on jack stands and start shaking and wiggling stuff. Slop that makes itself evident is the place to start. Especially when alignment shops aren't filled with "experts".

 

[Papo J]

And after you check under the car look at the steering rod inside the steering shaft. The rubber coating on that wears out and it gets loose and creates a lot of extra play.

 

[AScheib5088]

alright thanks...looks like this could be the project for the weekend i suppose. thanks a lot i will see what happens and post from there if i have any more problems.

 

[CheerioKing]

I felt this once in my corolla. A proper rotation and balancing of the wheels solved it. It is the cheapest solution by far. After that jack it up, check for wobbles and then do the other stuff too. Steering is what makes the mark I fun, make sure its up to par!

 

[AScheib5088]

yeah i know that is what is making me mad...i just got it painted got my gze swapped in...and i want the thing to handle like it should.