99BoomFinder Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 I have a 1999 2 WD Nissan Pathfinder with the 3.3L V6. I have been experiencing problems with steering wheel shaking back and forth at 65-75 MPH, and have become tired of it. I have had ALL of my tires rebalanced and had the Pathy re-aligned. However, the problem still continues. I have had 2 different mechanics say that everything is aligned and balanced right. Does anyone know what else I should look at? I have new tires, but the problem has been around for about a year now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CDNBullrid Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 have u checked steering linkages. if a ball joint or tierod end is shot, it could be bouncing back and forth with the road terrain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
90seven Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 (edited) I beleive this is refered to the "death wobble" as I read earlier. I'm experiencing this as well. I would have added the link, but it's a bit difficult using my Blackjack II. I'm sure you can find it or someone will be nice enough to find it for you. Edited November 19, 2008 by 90seven Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inanima Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 Get your tires balanced on a Hunter machine (hub-centric). It's the only thing that will cure it (if it's just shaking the front end/steering wheel and not swaying (death wobble)) http://www.gsp9700.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beastpath Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 check your ball joints arent kaput also. especially if you take her wheeling and drive over dirt bike jumps...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
99BoomFinder Posted November 20, 2008 Author Share Posted November 20, 2008 Thanks everyone for the help so far. Keep posts coming. More info.....the better! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
99BoomFinder Posted November 24, 2008 Author Share Posted November 24, 2008 I was looking at my tires last night and they are wearing uneven (more wear on the inside). This will be my second pair on new tires in the front in 2 years. Could the ball joints be bad? If that is a possibility, how can I tell? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin517 Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 I was looking at my tires last night and they are wearing uneven (more wear on the inside). This will be my second pair on new tires in the front in 2 years. Could the ball joints be bad? If that is a possibility, how can I tell? inside tire wear can DEF be bad ball joints. check them. I put it up ona lift/stands and try to cmpress the ball into the socket usinga big channel lock pliers, it there is movement, theyre shot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
99BoomFinder Posted November 24, 2008 Author Share Posted November 24, 2008 inside tire wear can DEF be bad ball joints. check them. I put it up ona lift/stands and try to cmpress the ball into the socket usinga big channel lock pliers, it there is movement, theyre shot. Thanks! I am going to do that this afternoon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vengeful Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 Also check: Strut mounts and bearings for excess play, this can throw off your camber and cause the uneven wear you're experiencing. Tie Rod ends Steering Rack Bushings can cause the steering rack to move back and forth and cause alignment issues which can mask as a shaking steering wheel. Make sure the wheels are mounted properly and they aren't bent. Also, be sure that your lug nuts are torqued to the CORRECT torque. Overtorqued lug nuts can also cause wobbling in the front end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tekazgtr1984 Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 Also, be sure that your lug nuts are torqued to the CORRECT torque. Overtorqued lug nuts can also cause wobbling in the front end. Just out of curiosity, the lugs should be torqued to 100 ft. lbs.??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vengeful Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 90-110. I torque to 110. Be sure that ALL of the lugs are torqued the same, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
99BoomFinder Posted November 25, 2008 Author Share Posted November 25, 2008 I just had it inspected at Pep Boys. I was told that my front struts are bad and needed to be replaced. That was causing my wheels to be angled wierd. My ball joints were fine as of now. $77 (2 total) per strut, $70 for alignment, and $109 for labor. Does this sound reasonable? Any opinions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
csutke Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 well if you have some basic mechanical knowlegde you can do the struts your self and save on the labor, but I would recommond getting it realigned if you do it your self. Also as stated before your wheels may be out of round and that may be causing the problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psychopathy Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 Check your brake rotors, too. They could be warped badly and causing some vibration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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