Thread: Need diagnostic help on SEVERE steering wheel shake

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Before the coilovers and power brakes, did the car ever have any issues? How many miles do you think you drove it prior to the new work? Do you know whose kit was used to put the MMII stuff on the car? Are those rods I mentioned in place or omitted?

Don

Originally Posted by Itoldyouso

Before the coilovers and power brakes, did the car ever have any issues? How many miles do you think you drove it prior to the new work? Do you know whose kit was used to put the MMII stuff on the car? Are those rods I mentioned in place or omitted?

Don

Only issues were related to some wandering and hard as a brick braking... drove the car a couple hundred miles before laying her up to work on. No "Death Wobble" at all. Sorry, Don't know whose kit was used as the installation was done almost 20 years ago and PO has no idea. Don't see an steady rods installed.

I reread your original post and you said you had it aligned. What specs did they use? Reason I ask is that I think I remember seeing somewhere that if your MMII suspension has power steering they like a little more caster than a stock Pinto/'MMII would call for, something like 3 degrees, I think. Could it be that when you changed the coilovers you also lowered the front end, which would reduce your caster? Insufficient caster can cause some goofy handling issues, like you describe.

Don

Originally Posted by Itoldyouso

I reread your original post and you said you had it aligned. What specs did they use? Reason I ask is that I think I remember seeing somewhere that if your MMII suspension has power steering they like a little more caster than a stock Pinto/'MMII would call for, something like 3 degrees, I think. Could it be that when you changed the coilovers you also lowered the front end, which would reduce your caster? Insufficient caster can cause some goofy handling issues, like you describe.

Don

Looking at the paperwork, they used the specs from a 1974 Mustang. I did lower the front end, when running 155.60.15's, but since have raised it back to original height & I put on 185's yesterday.. problem still evidenced this morning.
Any possibility that the problem is related to the caliper's? though I see no scoring on the disc surfaces... just a thought.

Something is loose in the steering/suspension, whoever inspected it missed something. Did they unload the ball joints when they checked? You may not be able to detect a bad ball joint under load. The death wobble Pops refers to on beam axles is usually loose king pins which allow the harmonics of the rotating wheel/tire to do the wobble. Very likely that at least one of the components that holds the wheel straight is loose or broken. Strut rods like Pops mentioned would show up on braking too, so another symptom to check.

Originally Posted by Bob Parmenter

Something is loose in the steering/suspension, whoever inspected it missed something. Did they unload the ball joints when they checked? The death wobble Pops refers to on beam axles is usually loose king pins which allow the harmonics of the rotating wheel/tire to do the wobble. Very likely that one of the components that holds the wheel straight is loose or broken. Strut rods like Pops mentioned would show up on braking too, so another simptom to check.

I don't know if they did unload the ball joints, so I'll put her up on the lift later today and look. Will check the strut rods as well.

Strut rods..........thanks Bob, couldn't remember the correct term.

Don

MM II front end with the stock type lower arms only need the strut rods, because of the narrow mounting, the ones with the wide spread don't use them.
Sounds like they said, something must be loose, and you missed it. Are you sure your new rims are seated all the way to the rotor flat, and not hanging up on the center of the bearing hub somewhere?

Pat

Originally Posted by HemiTCoupe

MM II front end with the stock type lower arms only need the strut rods, because of the narrow mounting, the ones with the wide spread don't use them.
Sounds like they said, something must be loose, and you missed it. Are you sure your new rims are seated all the way to the rotor flat, and not hanging up on the center of the bearing hub somewhere?

Pat

I don't doubt that I must have missed something, but , for the life of me I cannot see anything! I just had her on the lift and rechecked everything I could reach/see. Didn't take the rims' off, but they look, from the back/side to be fully seated. I do see about a 1/4" of spline showing where the steering rod mates to the rack...
Bart