Weird Steering (1 Viewer)

[COS80]

It seems like my 97 pulls right under throttle, straightens up off throttle, and could go either way under braking. Brakes are all new, all around; rotors are roughly equal temps L to R. It's on a 2" Ironman lift with caster bushings (both installed by the PO). I don't see any cracks in the frame by the steering box. I just replaced all tie rod ends and had it aligned, but camber is out of spec (basically 0* both sides). Is this it? What do I do about it, if so? The spindle nuts were torqued to 35 ft*lbs. and there's no play in the wheels.

 

[robnicko]

With the 'could go either way under braking' matter, mine was doing this a bit more noticeably the last few months in that it would wander under braking and uneven road surfaces and ended up being the front panhard bushes.

The old (original) bushes looked fine but obviously werent as the new ones made a night n day difference

 

[cruzinfj1]

It just started doing it? Track bar bushings is where I would start.... front and rear

 

[COS80]

No, I think it's done it since I bought it. It's not getting worse, per se, but I finally figured out (more or less) the pattern.

 

[Squeegee]

More castor will help. But check your rear bushing. When they die, they can cause some dartiness under throttle and breaking

 

[COS80]

Which rear bushing?

 

[Squeegee]

Which rear bushing?

check every rear control arm and the panhard. They can all cause the car to shimmy under load and can contribute to dartiness on uneven surfaces

 

[lastresort576]

those radius arm caster bushings could already be toast.

 

[jpoole]

I'd be looking for loose bushings and I assume that your axles are moving around as forces on them change. I'd also check all 4 wheels for loose bearings/wheel play.

 

[COS80]

Is there a better way to check a bushing than visually? I know they can be bad but look fine, but I don't know of a test.

 

[jpoole]

You may have luck using a tool to pry the joint back/forth in different directions to detect excess play. I assume that this may be more effective with the vehicle resting at ride height / weighted as that's where the wear is. I've had mixed results with this approach as the weight of the vehicle / driveline pressure / etc. may or may not allow for easy movement.

If the history of the bushings is unknown or you suspect that they may be old then you should probably go ahead and replace them all. If you are a DIY guy it's not that expensive and you can do them in phases vs. all at once. Use new, OEM bushings for best results. You can find the parts list on mud and discussions of how to do the work. See my post #27 below for the parts:

Wanted - OEM Bushing Kits?

Thanks. What do you mean that "looks to be" OEM? How confident are you in this? Thanks They aren't OEM labeled so I can't be certain.

forum.ih8mud.com

I burned/melted the old bushing centers out then used a sawzall to cut the shells followed by an air hammer to drive them out. I then used a Harbor Freight press to push the new bushings in. I cleaned and painted the arms/etc. as part of the process. There are probably better ways to do this but I think my approach was a reasonable amt of work and the results were well worth the effort. Don't neglect the sway bushings / etc. I replaced bushings in phases, drove a bit, then replaced more and found that all of the replacements contributed to better handling and driving feel.

 

[COS80]

I am planning to do a new lift... sounds maybe like justification to do it sooner than later.

 

[BILT4ME]

Also check your tire pressures with a RELIABLE and CONSISTENT gauge.

Even one PSI difference can make a difference to pulling one direction or another.

When the brakes were done, what calipers were installed and were new rotors installed as well?

Were the brakes properly bedded?

What are your caster numbers?

 

[COS80]

Also check your tire pressures with a RELIABLE and CONSISTENT gauge.

Even one PSI difference can make a difference to pulling one direction or another.

When the brakes were done, what calipers were installed and were new rotors installed as well?

Were the brakes properly bedded?

What are your caster numbers?

34psi all 4.
New Greenstuffs and rotors installed by me; ABS delete by PO. Calipers unknown but heat evenly.
Pads/rotors properly bedded.
Caster in spec: L 2"43'; R 2"00'

 

[jpoole]

To keep it easy before you dive in too deep, what process did you use to torque the spindle nuts when you did the brake work? Check for and address loose wheels soon since it's so easy and common if you used the FSM / fish scale procedure.

 

[COS80]

35 ft*lbs

 

[BILT4ME]

34psi all 4.
New Greenstuffs and rotors installed by me; ABS delete by PO. Calipers unknown but heat evenly.
Pads/rotors properly bedded.
Caster in spec: L 2"43'; R 2"00'

I recently was having similar issues and check all the same things you did.

I started getting death wobble out of the blue.

Turns out my TRE were worn more than I thought. I bought new Toyota ones. I had 555 in it and they had about 150K on them (highway miles)

Swapped out and wandering and wobble gone. I couldn't feel a loose end, only figured it out because the rod could rotate easily by hand back and forth.

I need to look at when I changed the ends on the drag link to make it a little tighter.

 

[COS80]

Mine have about 400 miles on them.