BoneZ Posted December 31, 2008 Share Posted December 31, 2008 The shimmy I am getting in my steering wheel is not noticeable except in the steering wheel, Passengers can not feel the shimmy at all, The pathfinder still drives straight, but the steering wheel shimmy's almost 1/2" each way as you drive, It seems to have a little less shimmy when you are turning over about 45 degrees. I was hoping someone can help point me in the right direction. At first I thought ball joints, tre's or wheel bearings but can not find any play in them. before you say use the search function I tried and found several post but I could not find one about the steering wheel shimmying and the vehicle still tracking straight. If anyone knows of a post describing a problem like this please post a link. Thanks for your time everyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingman Posted December 31, 2008 Share Posted December 31, 2008 The shimmy I am getting in my steering wheel is not noticeable except in the steering wheel, Passengers can not feel the shimmy at all, The pathfinder still drives straight, but the steering wheel shimmy's almost 1/2" each way as you drive, It seems to have a little less shimmy when you are turning over about 45 degrees. I was hoping someone can help point me in the right direction. At first I thought ball joints, tre's or wheel bearings but can not find any play in them. before you say use the search function I tried and found several post but I could not find one about the steering wheel shimmying and the vehicle still tracking straight. If anyone knows of a post describing a problem like this please post a link. Thanks for your time everyone. Mine does the same thing. I was told it could be the center link, blown tension rod bushings and idler arm. Does yours get worse when you hit uneven pavement or little bumps here and there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoneZ Posted December 31, 2008 Author Share Posted December 31, 2008 Mine does the same thing. I was told it could be the center link, blown tension rod bushings and idler arm. Does yours get worse when you hit uneven pavement or little bumps here and there? Yes it sounds like we have the same problem I will look through those things this weekend thanks for some more ideas. If anyone else has any suggestions please let me know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingman Posted December 31, 2008 Share Posted December 31, 2008 Yes it sounds like we have the same problem I will look through those things this weekend thanks for some more ideas. If anyone else has any suggestions please let me know. Also, drive down some uneven pavement and watch to see if the front wheels flutter around and wobble, etc. Stick your head out the window and have someone else look out the passenger side. That'll tell you which side is causing the problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edicer2 Posted December 31, 2008 Share Posted December 31, 2008 (edited) i have the same problem ill try to look into it also. Mine only does it every once i na while on certain roads so i almost thing its the road in my case but it has the same syntoms Edited December 31, 2008 by edicer2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpawela Posted December 31, 2008 Share Posted December 31, 2008 Mine is very slight and probably will get worse as time goes on. I was told by my mechanic that the pittman arm was a little loose and the compression rod bushings were shot. It's definitely something with the steering since, like in your case, my passengers don't feel it at all—only I do through the steering wheel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glenn Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 I agree ;it probably is the bushings on the steering linkage, this is a known problem on an older Pathy. You should also get your tires balanced again as this is the most common cause in my experience. An alignment check would be helpful too. These all contribute to the vibration and the loose bushings on the steering linkage make these more noticable. Good luck ! - glenn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88pathoffroad Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 There is no way for the pitman arm to be "loose" aside from having loosened the nut underneath it, which I would be worried about! The pitman arm has ZERO moving parts. I would rotate tires first to see if it's the tires, then check steering parts for looseness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jgt Posted January 3, 2009 Share Posted January 3, 2009 same shimmy here. Had the centerlink replaced, upper and lower BJoints, and 1 tierod end. Then 4w alignment. Cost alot, and the thing still shimmys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoneZ Posted January 20, 2009 Author Share Posted January 20, 2009 Just thought I would let you know that the shimmy was coming from one end of my centerlink. The hole that goes through had became egg shaped and was allowing it all to shift around while driving. when the pathfinder was parked you could not feel any movement in it, it was found because i started taking all of the steering apart to find the problem. This is not recommended but since I had no money at the time i found the problem I drought it to a friend that runs a fab shop he welded the area and re machined and drilled it for me 4 free. After putting the front end back together and doing a driveway alignment the pathfinder drives straight with no shimmy. Before anyone starts going off on thats not a safe fix, I am going to replace it on payday and keep this one as a spare part for on the trails. be safe and I hope this helps some others with the same problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bitemedoughboy.com Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 Just thought I would let you know that the shimmy was coming from one end of my centerlink. The hole that goes through had became egg shaped and was allowing it all to shift around while driving. when the pathfinder was parked you could not feel any movement in it, it was found because i started taking all of the steering apart to find the problem. This is not recommended but since I had no money at the time i found the problem I drought it to a friend that runs a fab shop he welded the area and re machined and drilled it for me 4 free. After putting the front end back together and doing a driveway alignment the pathfinder drives straight with no shimmy. Before anyone starts going off on thats not a safe fix, I am going to replace it on payday and keep this one as a spare part for on the trails. be safe and I hope this helps some others with the same problem. nothing wrong with welding a whole and re-drilling and reaming it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 /\ Agreed, as long as it is a hole... B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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