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Again, want to shout out to Mud. You guys are awesome, and an amazing resource for someone who is interested in all of this but has almost no baseline knowledge to work from. Great community!
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Now.....How much of this are YOU gonna chase down.Again, want to shout out to Mud. You guys are awesome, and an amazing resource for someone who is interested in all of this but has almost no baseline knowledge to work from. Great community!
Well, I’d be more inclined after I work out the registration issues on my E46 M3 (yeah, I’ve got my dream stable with just these two vehicles) and have another DD ready… that’ll be a few weeks though, at which point I’ll be more able to do things like disassemble front steering and suspension components, which would otherwise leave me temporarily stranded.Now.....How much of this are YOU gonna chase down.
You know you want to.
That's because you speak too much Latin......Well, I’d be more inclined after I work out the registration issues on my E46 M3 (yeah, I’ve got my dream stable with just these two vehicles) and have another DD ready… that’ll be a few weeks though, at which point I’ll be more able to do things like disassemble front steering and suspension components, which would otherwise leave me temporarily stranded.
I’m just a lawyer living in the Dallas burbs whose parents always paid for oil changes rather than do them themselves, so I’ve pretty much always got limited time to wrench, and have only been learning this stuff intermittently when there’s a problem over the last couple of years. I love it, and find it immensely satisfying, but a lot of stuff people talk about on here is simply out of my league for now…
Doesn’t anyone who speaks any Latin probably speak “too much”?That's because you speak too much Latin......
Just don't ask "How much for a Rim Job?" and you'll be fine.New tires are on order and should hopefully be in in another month (going to 315/75R-16s), and will definitely get those balanced before going on, of course. I’ll try to remember to ask them about rim straightness (are we still doing phrasing?)
I don't think so, but you can ask.Does Discount Tire do it? That’s where the new shoes are going on when they arrive…
I didn't read all the posts, not because I'm lazy but more that I'm accustomed to seeing quality responses pertaining to subjects posted. But I will comment on the fact that the tie rod clamps in the above pictures are categorically in the wrong position. They both are 90* clocked out of position and will hit the radius arms and limit turning radius.Hi all, here with another potentially dumb question, because I am not actually mechanically literate (see username).
From what I've been reading about death wobble, it tends to happen when you hit a bump, or occasionally on sharp stabs of the brakes?
The problem that I've been having is that if I get it up over about 45 mph, then pretty regularly when I brake down back through that same range (about 50-40 mph or so), even when braking smoothly, it still sometimes starts the steering wheel shimmy and the whole front end gets squirrely. It's usually pretty mild or even absent, but on too many occasions recently it is getting semi-violent and very unnerving. I'm not sure if that is "death wobble" exactly, or another problem. Also, I've read that death wobble is usually countered by braking harder, whereas my problem seems to get better if I let off the brakes, then get back on them again, though it sometimes takes 2-3 off-and-ons to stop it happening. This scares the crap out of my girlfriend if the reason we are stopping is because there is another car stopped in front of us...
So does that sound like a typical case of death wobble in an 80? Or is it something else? I've fairly recently (recently enough that this shouldn't be a problem) had tie rod ends redone, and no other steering or suspension issues were noted by the shop at the time. The only thing I can easily notice underneath is that the boots/bushings/whatever on the ends of the straight rod that goes across behind the front axle (I do not know the name of this rod/bar thingy, so please feel free to enlighten me) appear to be crushed on one side and possibly oriented on somewhat different angles... see attached pictures for the left (first pic) and right (second pic) of that observation...
Any ideas? If people are going to suggest checking things like panhards or other components, it would be really helpful to have a pic or description of where those are on the 80, since I haven't had great luck trying to find a breakdown of what and where all the components of the front axle are, and even if I did, I don't actually know what I'd be checking... Hell, I only just learned what a pitman arm is, and I'm still not entirely certain what it does (guess is just locating other components?).
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Well, I’d be more inclined after I work out the registration issues on my E46 M3 (yeah, I’ve got my dream stable with just these two vehicles) and have another DD ready… that’ll be a few weeks though, at which point I’ll be more able to do things like disassemble front steering and suspension components, which would otherwise leave me temporarily stranded.
I’m just a lawyer living in the Dallas burbs whose parents always paid for oil changes rather than do them themselves, so I’ve pretty much always got limited time to wrench, and have only been learning this stuff intermittently when there’s a problem over the last couple of years. I love it, and find it immensely satisfying, but a lot of stuff people talk about on here is simply out of my league for now…
I had this issue. Loose bolts front panhard and radius arm. Tightened and issue went away.Hi all, here with another potentially dumb question, because I am not actually mechanically literate (see username).
From what I've been reading about death wobble, it tends to happen when you hit a bump, or occasionally on sharp stabs of the brakes?
The problem that I've been having is that if I get it up over about 45 mph, then pretty regularly when I brake down back through that same range (about 50-40 mph or so), even when braking smoothly, it still sometimes starts the steering wheel shimmy and the whole front end gets squirrely. It's usually pretty mild or even absent, but on too many occasions recently it is getting semi-violent and very unnerving. I'm not sure if that is "death wobble" exactly, or another problem. Also, I've read that death wobble is usually countered by braking harder, whereas my problem seems to get better if I let off the brakes, then get back on them again, though it sometimes takes 2-3 off-and-ons to stop it happening. This scares the crap out of my girlfriend if the reason we are stopping is because there is another car stopped in front of us...
So does that sound like a typical case of death wobble in an 80? Or is it something else? I've fairly recently (recently enough that this shouldn't be a problem) had tie rod ends redone, and no other steering or suspension issues were noted by the shop at the time. The only thing I can easily notice underneath is that the boots/bushings/whatever on the ends of the straight rod that goes across behind the front axle (I do not know the name of this rod/bar thingy, so please feel free to enlighten me) appear to be crushed on one side and possibly oriented on somewhat different angles... see attached pictures for the left (first pic) and right (second pic) of that observation...
Any ideas? If people are going to suggest checking things like panhards or other components, it would be really helpful to have a pic or description of where those are on the 80, since I haven't had great luck trying to find a breakdown of what and where all the components of the front axle are, and even if I did, I don't actually know what I'd be checking... Hell, I only just learned what a pitman arm is, and I'm still not entirely certain what it does (guess is just locating other components?).
View attachment 2674191
View attachment 2674192
I didn't read all the posts, not because I'm lazy but more that I'm accustomed to seeing quality responses pertaining to subjects posted. But I will comment on the fact that the tie rod clamps in the above pictures are categorically in the wrong position. They both are 90* clocked out of position and will hit the radius arms and limit turning radius.
Now as far as the wobble issue, I'd first start by checking my toe adjustment. I set my toe with a tape measure and have recently been in conversation with a guy who had good caster numbers but a wondering or sorts. The print out from the alignment shop showed total toe top be negative. WTF, they left it that way.
I magnetically place 2-36" 3/4x3/4 angle iron on my front rotors so they are centered and level and adjust the tie rod so the tips of the front are 1/8" closer together than the rears.
HTH
also, if hitting the radius arms is a thing, would that explain a click from the front end when at full lock and going over any sort of slope change (like an angled driveway)? Because if so, you may have resolved a separate issue/concern…
You have Slee or a similar caster plate installed so the tie rod in general will contact the arms. However with the clamps clocked like that they are definitely hitting the arms and limiting travel.So in the pictures from the initial post, is that the tie rod going behind the axle? If so, is the disparity between the boots and the bad angle of the tie rod probably a f*** up by the shop that did the tie rods?
also, if hitting the radius arms is a thing, would that explain a click from the front end when at full lock and going over any sort of slope change (like an angled driveway)? Because if so, you may have resolved a separate issue/concern…
I hadn't heard about this weak point, and thought it might explain a noise I've heard recently on my RHD 80 drivers side when turning sharply. I took a look at my rig today, and looky here:Pics of a cracked panhard frame bracket and some ugly welding to glue it back together.
In the first pic, the rusty line where the bracket meets the frame is the crack.
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