Shimmying in steering wheel >65?

[nemo]

Glad to see that the problem is significantly improved.

Originally Posted by Baltothewolf

I have had my dad and 3 mechanic shops look at the car and nobody can find out what the problem is. I'm at a complete loss.

From what you have posed it was not one thing. There were three (or four?) bent rims plus issues with both control arms. My guess is someone ran it over a median or parking curb. Sometimes finding the solution is a process. They may not be able to get to the bottom of it the first time.

I would not have changed mechanics three times without good reason. Not saying you didn't have.That said you need to find a shop you trust and treats you fairly so the next time you have a difficult problem you are not afraid to take it back. Multiple times if required.

Consider this a cheap lesson in buying used cars. Look back over the whole process and see what you should or could have done differently in both the buying process and repair experience.

PS If you are totally sick of dealing with the problem you could try moving the right front wheel to a different location to see if there is any change.

[Baltothewolf]

Originally Posted by nemo

Glad to see that the problem is significantly improved.



From what you have posed it was not one thing. There were three (or four?) bent rims plus issues with both control arms. My guess is someone ran it over a median or parking curb. Sometimes finding the solution is a process. They may not be able to get to the bottom of it the first time.

I would not have changed mechanics three times without good reason. Not saying you didn't have.That said you need to find a shop you trust and treats you fairly so the next time you have a difficult problem you are not afraid to take it back. Multiple times if required.

Consider this a cheap lesson in buying used cars. Look back over the whole process and see what you should or could have done differently in both the buying process and repair experience.

PS If you are totally sick of dealing with the problem you could try moving the right front wheel to a different location to see if there is any change.

I changed mechanics because they said they didn't know what the problem is... The Tierods match up and aren't bent, the control arms have been replaced, all the bent rims are replaced. I'm about to drive this car into the desert and pack it with explosives. I'm so done with this car at this point. It drives me crazy that it drives so smooth up to 65mph where it's just unbearable. At 90MPH it's smooth as butter, why 65? What is causing it? Who knows. Nothing some explosives can't fix -.-.

[user removed]

In 1999 when Nissan came out with the new 2000 Model Maxima the local dealer had 6 of the 1999 Models left over on sale. The wife and I went there and to my utter amazement she decided to buy one for something like $17,850 brand new. It had Yokohama tires and the one next to it had Michelins. The price was something like $6K off of the sticker. I tried to negotiate with them to switch the tires. The sale manager tried to give me a total lie speil about the tires being specifically designed for that exact car.

I got so friggin mad, I told him, "you can imagine how much you have just pissed me off with your bold faced lie about tires that come in by the tractor trailer load and are installed as they are recieved at the assembly line". The car had steel wheels and plastic hub caps. I almost walked out and told them to shove it, but the wife was buying the car for herself and it was her decision, not mine.

She bought it.

The car had a vibration or shimmy. I could tell it was an out of round tire. After two trips to the dealership and a 20 mile test drive, with wheel balance check both times, the service manager, who I had known for a decade, told me I needed to take the issue up with the tire manufacturer, which I did with no resolution.

The wife would not buy new tires, so I put the crap tire on the right rear wheel and it sat there for 40,000 miles until it wore out and I got the Michelins I had tried to get 40,000 miles ago. Every revolution of that wheel I could feel.

For four years everytime I rode in that car I wanted to strangle that lying sales manager who could have swapped the tires in 15 minutes.

If I knew a wheel was bent it would never have gone anywhere near my car, and even then with a new wheel (or excellent used one) I would still have checked the tire for runout and tossed it in the trash if it had been more than 1/8th inch or if I could feel any vibration and I mean what normal people would probably consider normal.

Had you car come to my shop, it would have been properly diagnosed and you would have been informed, to the best of my abilities of the exact price to repair it so it rode just like that Maxima did at 40,000 miles when the orignal crap tires were replaced.

I looked at your video and it reminded me of that Maxima. Why would any competent repair shop put bent wheels any where on a car unless they were the last wheels on the planet that would fit on that car.

I read about a replaced strut, maybe it was a control arm and not a strut. By now my head is spinning trying to help someone I will probably never see in my life. Partial information, incorrect information, still not sure how many wheels were replaced, whether tire run out was checked, I'm just confused, even by the summary of things done.

One thing I am sure of is this. With about 1 hours labor I could have diagnosed
the problems and corrected the issues you have had in one trip. I would have had to had the alignment checked by someone I trusted and it would be finished, but no alignment would have been done with bent parts that would be discovered with a visual inspection, unitl after those parts had been replaced.

In much less time than I have spent posting on this thread.

Baltothewolf, drive it as it is and save your money. When you can afford it, take the damn bent wheels off your car and then make sure the tires are round, within 1/8th of an inch and you will be finished with your nightmare.

At least you did not buy the car new and pay almost $19,000 dollars, try to solve the problem before it ever occured and have a lying jerk not allow a simple tire-wheel change solve the problem and then have to live with that memory for 40,000 miles.

regards
Mech

[j12piprius]

What is the camber, toe and caster of the wheels?

[Baltothewolf]

Originally Posted by Old Mechanic

In 1999 when Nissan came out with the new 2000 Model Maxima the local dealer had 6 of the 1999 Models left over on sale. The wife and I went there and to my utter amazement she decided to buy one for something like $17,850 brand new. It had Yokohama tires and the one next to it had Michelins. The price was something like $6K off of the sticker. I tried to negotiate with them to switch the tires. The sale manager tried to give me a total lie speil about the tires being specifically designed for that exact car.

I got so friggin mad, I told him, "you can imagine how much you have just pissed me off with your bold faced lie about tires that come in by the tractor trailer load and are installed as they are recieved at the assembly line". The car had steel wheels and plastic hub caps. I almost walked out and told them to shove it, but the wife was buying the car for herself and it was her decision, not mine.

She bought it.

The car had a vibration or shimmy. I could tell it was an out of round tire. After two trips to the dealership and a 20 mile test drive, with wheel balance check both times, the service manager, who I had known for a decade, told me I needed to take the issue up with the tire manufacturer, which I did with no resolution.

The wife would not buy new tires, so I put the crap tire on the right rear wheel and it sat there for 40,000 miles until it wore out and I got the Michelins I had tried to get 40,000 miles ago. Every revolution of that wheel I could feel.

For four years everytime I rode in that car I wanted to strangle that lying sales manager who could have swapped the tires in 15 minutes.

If I knew a wheel was bent it would never have gone anywhere near my car, and even then with a new wheel (or excellent used one) I would still have checked the tire for runout and tossed it in the trash if it had been more than 1/8th inch or if I could feel any vibration and I mean what normal people would probably consider normal.

Had you car come to my shop, it would have been properly diagnosed and you would have been informed, to the best of my abilities of the exact price to repair it so it rode just like that Maxima did at 40,000 miles when the orignal crap tires were replaced.

I looked at your video and it reminded me of that Maxima. Why would any competent repair shop put bent wheels any where on a car unless they were the last wheels on the planet that would fit on that car.

I read about a replaced strut, maybe it was a control arm and not a strut. By now my head is spinning trying to help someone I will probably never see in my life. Partial information, incorrect information, still not sure how many wheels were replaced, whether tire run out was checked, I'm just confused, even by the summary of things done.

One thing I am sure of is this. With about 1 hours labor I could have diagnosed
the problems and corrected the issues you have had in one trip. I would have had to had the alignment checked by someone I trusted and it would be finished, but no alignment would have been done with bent parts that would be discovered with a visual inspection, unitl after those parts had been replaced.

In much less time than I have spent posting on this thread.

Baltothewolf, drive it as it is and save your money. When you can afford it, take the damn bent wheels off your car and then make sure the tires are round, within 1/8th of an inch and you will be finished with your nightmare.

At least you did not buy the car new and pay almost $19,000 dollars, try to solve the problem before it ever occured and have a lying jerk not allow a simple tire-wheel change solve the problem and then have to live with that memory for 40,000 miles.

regards
Mech

I don't know what to say other then I'm sorry... I just did another test, I know it was stupid but I had to do it. I jacked the car up, put the parking brake on and put it in drive and let the wheels spin freely and it doesn't look like they are warped in any way, but I do have this question. Shouldn't the wheels spin for a good amount of time if I put the car in neutral with the wheels spinning? The E-Brake doesn't apply any front brakes does it? Because the wheels only span for about 1-3 second after I put it in neutral(Car running)... And I kinda can hear some scraping coming from the rotors... Unless the E-Brake applies front brakes I don't think that's normal is it...?

[user removed]

Don't worry about it friend.

Front wheels on an automatic will not spin for a very long time in neutral.

Not unusual to hear some drag noise from disc brakes.

To check for tire out of round, with the wheels spinning pay particular attention to the part of the tire that contacts the pavement.

E brake only works on the rear wheels.

regards
Mech

[user removed]

My experience with the wifes 99 Maxima was just to show you that the same (or similar) thing can happen to anyone, even the most qualified to fix it. I am still married to the same wife. 25 years this November, but she should have tossed those tires, and I should have slugged the liar, but then I would have a criminal record.

Life's lessons learned.

You'll get it fixed. It's just a shame it has to be so expensive and frustrating.

regards
Mech

[ecomodded]

Don't feel to much like you wasted money as the shimmy improved, that means the looseness was taken out of your front end , not the cause of the shimmy but the weakness showed up because of the vibration.
You bent rims showed you the loose front end.
Like mech mentioned, bad rubber , bruising caused by the rim impact , I think your problem is solved - replace the tires or wear them out like is.

I will suggest to replace the tires (at least keep your speed down for now) as they are more n likely damaged internally from the impacts , also the vibration will start to wear out the front end parts.

[Baltothewolf]

Thanks for the encouragement guys. I have to drive the car for 2 weeks, because that's how long it's going to be before I get paid. It might be 3 I'm not sure when the last pay period fell. I only make 9.75 an hour so yea. If I only get paid for 1 week it will be 3 weeks, otherwise, if I get lucky, the pay period starts tomorrow (that's when I return to work) so I'll get paid for 2. Bad thing is, no spare tire so if one is bad and it goes, well... Yea I'm gonna be screwed. I'll just drive at 55mph and draft trucks for the next 2 weeks.

Also, I don't know if this means anything, but the shimmy is worse when it's hot outside, right now, after getting home from watching Godzilla with the family(It was awesome GO SEE IT IN THE THEATERS) I took my car out for a spin and it was about half as bad as it was when it was 100F outside.

On another note (sorry for so many things) I got my Ultra-Gauge today and set up in my car, but the UG kept throwing temp warnings (UG was 167F and the limit is 145) if I take it out of my car when I go inside, will I lose all the calibration I do on it? Because I would like to be able to take it out of my car when I'm not in it because it does get 100F+ out here and the inside of cars can easily get 150+.

[j12piprius]

Originally Posted by Baltothewolf

the UG kept throwing temp warnings (UG was 167F and the limit is 145)

Was that the default setting? You set any limit that you want. I'm not sure what the limit would be in your car but maybe at least 185. I think in the 190's is fine for my civic so I set the limit for 204, unless you mean the inside the car temp. If that's the case, please disregard.

if I take it out of my car when I go inside, will I lose all the calibration I do on it?

No, the ultragauge keeps your settings.