multiple problems in the front (1 Viewer)

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Sep 4, 2003
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Hey everybody i took my cruiser for its 1st long trip this weekend and am still recovering from the ride. truck wanders all over the road, random vibrations from 45 mph and on, shimmies when braking and makes the smallest bumps feel like mountains. Im ready to tear in but would like some suggestions where to start. Oh ya power steering motor is howling and leaking a little. The funny thing is i still like it better than any car or truck i have ever had. so i know it's worth working on. I have read a bunch of posts but am not sure where to start. I would like to deal with safety issues first. Any advice would be appreciated. Also is there any way to get service records from toyota in different states. I think my l/c is from Tempe
 
Are you located in AZ?
 
8) Same things happened with me when I got mine and started really paying attention. Start with letting everyone know how your rig is set up, IE; stock or modified(in any way). I would suggest puting your rig info in your signature line so you don't have to keep clarifying how your rig is set up. It helps everyone determine your problems more accurately and quickly. There is a GREAT wealth of info here that can save you A LOT of $$$$. Having said that, I would definitely start with the brakes. These beasts are HEAVY even bone stock. You may have to clarify "shimmy", Do you get pulsating feel when you brake? is it pulling to one side when you brake? Do you have vibration transmitted through the steering wheel? Be as specific as you can with problems, someone has almost always had the same or similar problem and can help you out. I would guess that you are looking at replacing the rotors, possibly rebuilding the calipers and wheel bearing repack/replace and adjustment of preload. If you don't have a factory service manual, GET ONE. It is probably the single best investment you can make. Post back with more specific info and you'll get the answer/solution.
Sorry for long post, kinda wanted to take the opportunity to thank everyone for all the help and being patient with cruiser newbies. :D
 
Thanks i,m pretty new to this whole thing and will try to brak it down a little better.

1. shimmies evenly when braking but only when the car is vibrating st any speed.

2. vibrates through driveshaft but not sterring wheel sometimes.

3. vibrates through steering wheel sometimes at different speeds.

4. pull sometimes not all the time and the same with drift.

5. I dont know to much about the components but believe it to be bone stock. It has kelly tires stock size. pretty good tread but if you rub your finger across the tread it is rough going from the outside of the wheel in but not the opposite.
 
Um, Turtle.....Hi.

We still need to know what you are driving. ::)


My crystal ball is fogged up today :D


Dan.
 
Sorry I thought it showed up, 94 cruiser, 92k looks stock to me, no service records so i dont know whats been done. Its a one owner from Tempe 4.5L auto, Thats about all i know.
 
No need to apologize... :D


After all If I had read ALL of the thread header I would have seen 94 cruiser, no? We are just used to seeing a vehicle description in the body of the thread or in your sig line (see below, my sig line)

Before I toss out my thoughts on your observations I want to ponder it for a bit so my response will not be fragmented.

Dan.
 
One definite possibility regarding the shimmy, is tires out of balance, I have had good luck balancing tires at a shop that has the Hunter GSP9700 machine, it is a "road force" balancer, truly light years ahead of the normal computerized balancers, you can locate a shop near you through this link: www.gsp9700.com

Some other possibilities are the alignment if you have pulling and uneven wear on the tires and warped rotors causing brake shimmy.
 
The fact that the shimmies are intermittent is making me wonder if something is loose up front maybe a bearing or something. Sometimes it drives perfectly. And sometimes the brakes work perfectly.
 
You could cretainly have loose wheel bearings or perhaps loose trunion bearings. Loose wheel bearings can also have an effect on braking as the rotor can wobble in between the pads.
You can check for loose bearings by jacking up a front tire and grasping it at 6 and 12 o'clock. Try to rock the wheel in and out. there should be almost no noticable movement. If the tire can be rocked, things need attention. Correct that and see what comes up next.
 

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