Suspension

Timon · 10-21-2009, 08:38 PM

Well I'm finally having suspension issues. This one is a bit odd, which is why I'm posting it up.

Between the speeds of approximately 35-55 MPH I get a wobble in the suspension when holding the steering wheel straight. However, if I slightly turn the wheel to the left (which oddly enough makes me start to veer left - go figure, right?) the wobble goes away. I've tried looking under the car and the suspension seems find, everything is connected and pretty stiff. Anyone have ideas to get me started?

328FTW · 10-21-2009, 10:41 PM

Is the the suspension aligned and the wheels/tyres balanced?

Timon · 10-21-2009, 10:56 PM

Wheels and tires are balanced perfectly, thanks to a buddy I have that works at a tire shop, but the alignment I was kinda wondering about too. I'm guessing there's really no way to test it other than to get it done?

Sh0ty · 10-21-2009, 11:29 PM

It seems like you're taking the slop out of whatever's wiggling when you turn the wheel. Check for worn bushings and alignment. Also look for loose parts.

mr2tim · 10-22-2009, 02:34 PM

Try getting the car up in the air and try to wobble the entire tire and rim and see if you can isolate any loose tie-end connectors, possible bad wheel bearings, loosened rack and steering mounting bolts.

While this thing is up grab those strut bars that extend forward from the spindle assembly and check to see if the front suspension mounting hole has been hollowed out.

Nothing you grab onto or shake should have any give what so ever. Be sure to snug up all the bolts and nuts while it's up including the ones you have to take the wheels off to do.

BTW if you wobble the wheels and there is any play in the bearing it's on it's way out and start shopping for replacement bearings or a spindle. There is an inspection plate on the inside of the spindle that you can loosen up to see the bearing but these nuts are crimped into position and don't usually back off to create trouble.

Here's some drawings of what front spindles are composed of.

mr2tim

kbrew8991 · 10-22-2009, 04:51 PM

sounds like a wheel bearing issue to me - jack the car up and feel / listen for grinding as it turns and see if there is play in any direction

Timon · 02-22-2010, 08:50 PM

I know this is a bit old, but I finally got it up in the air today and hopefully plan to have this fixed by the end of the month for inspection.

The tire has a bit of a wobble left to right. I pulled the tire off along with the caliper and rotor assuming it was most likely a wheel bearing. The wheel bearing sounds fine, no noises, and it's very solid. Now that I have that all out of the way I think the culprit may be a bit different. The passenger's side steering rack seems to have a torn boot.

Front passenger's side

As you can see there is some surface rust inside. Could this potential be the source of the problem given the that fact there is about a half inch or more of play here?

I'm assuming it is, and if so, what's the easiest replacement method at this point?

Madlife · 02-23-2010, 11:14 AM

If that doesnt fix the issues, I had the same issues on a subaru once because I didnt grease the caliper pins, etc good while changing pads. It turns out that the caliper/pad was getting a big hung, and it would wobble from about 40-55 and stop at faster speeds. It would also wobble for about 5 mintues, then stop, the start up again etc.

If I turned the wheel slightly one direction it would stop all together.

dirocyn · 02-24-2010, 04:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Timon

IThe passenger's side steering rack seems to have a torn boot. As you can see there is some surface rust inside. Could this potential be the source of the problem given the that fact there is about a half inch or more of play here?

I'm assuming it is, and if so, what's the easiest replacement method at this point?

Play in the steering rack will definitely cause your prob, you need to replace whatever part of it is messed up. You have to take the tie rod ends loose and remove the crossmember to reach any of it. It's all described in the BGB. Easiest way is replace the whole steering rack with new (or used that somebody else pulls

)

The boot covers the rack end and a bushing, you may be able to replace just that part, which will be cheap compared to a whole steering rack.

Timon · 02-24-2010, 10:24 PM

I pulled a good portion of the boot off. I'm assuming Toyota in their brilliance put the clamp for the inner side of the boot facing the top of the vehicle, requiring the whole steering rack to be removed to properly remove the boot. It's torn anyway, so I'm going to rip it the rest of the way off tomorrow. From what I can see there's a joint that is somewhat rusted, but the play is further towards the middle of the passenger's side. I assume the bushing is right before it connects to the other end.

Anyone know if the cross member has to come down to replace this bushing? There's quite a bit of room with the cross member on there, and if I can avoid playing with those rusted bolts, it'd be ideal.

dirocyn · 02-25-2010, 09:15 AM

The BGB says pull the crossmember and remove the whole steering rack, and that probably is the easier way to do it IF you have the car on a lift and you have an impact wrench. I'm guessing it's a whole lot harder to do if the rack's still in the car. There may be a special tool, I can't guess exactly how special from the pics in the book. Possibly you can make it work with a bench vise and a pair of pliers.

Here's a linky to the BGB:
Free File Hosting Made Simple - MediaFire

Timon · 02-25-2010, 08:24 PM

^ Thanks, i'll check the BGB. I've been using my Haynes book and it's worked fine. The only issue is it doesn't explain what is inside the boot. I'm still working on getting the boot removed due to the fact the clamp is facing up and I can't get it off. I plan to replace it anyway so I think I'm just going to rip it off.

I just downloaded the BGB and it explains how to remove the rack and disassemble it too. This should help out a lot. From the looks of it I just need to remove the passenger's side rack end to replace the rack bushing. A lift would make this a lot easier, but all I have for now are jack stands lol.

I'm going to attempt to replace it with the steering rack on the car. If anyone has tips, great, if not I'll post up here with more info once it's done or I get stuck

.

Thank you dirocyn.

Timon · 02-27-2010, 08:50 PM

Edit:

Alrighty, easy as cake. Pulled the whole rack out and now I'm attempting to pull the bushing out. I took off the inner tie rod, and I just have the one end of the steering rack, which the bushing looks like it can slide over with no problems; however, when I pulled up on the bushing it goes to far and then slips off and retracts into it's original position. Anyone have any ideas on this?

mr2tim · 03-01-2010, 09:14 AM

Hope you marked the steering column shaft and the Universal joint atop the steering rack? this makes for easier and accurate replacement of the steering wheel to the correct position without ****ing around.

Ditto: If you pull the tie-rods off the end racks mark them too.

You'll notice lots of specialized tools for tearing apart the Steering Rack Housing, if your not a profesional mechanic think about these BEFORE you get the rack on the workbench.

Lots of racks will only require the outer rack bushing and nothing else, be sure you understand what parts your there to repair and don't go crazy!

There are several aftermarket bushing sources available thru this Website.

Almost anytime you see any torn boot you should assume that the interior has been compromised unless you know differently. Just changing a torn boot is never a good idea.

I'm with dirocyn: Replacing the rack with a known good unit is way way simpler.

Timon · 03-01-2010, 12:55 PM

Yes, I marked the tie rod ends, the universal joint, etc. I plan to replace both inner and outter tie rods, ball joints, etc. So I already budgeted for a full 4-wheel alignment as well.

I have everything out, I have the rack readily available, I just cannot get the old bushing out. There is a metal housing with holes in it that seems to hold the bushing in the rack. This seems to be the only issue with the rack, but the way I see it, I don't want to pull the rack again so I'm going to replace the inner tie rods while it is out.

I'll be ordering the bushing from Aaron as soon as he verifys the 91-92 bushing is the same as the 87-89, I just can't get the old one out

. worse case scenario I'll find a local shop that can either replace the bushing or rebuild the whole rack if aboslutely needed, but at $600, I think a new rack is out of the question.

Ever played with the steering rack mr2tim?

Timon · 03-02-2010, 03:28 AM

I don't mean to double post again, but I'm just letting everyone know the resolution to this. It took me over an hour of prying the bushing out before I put enough pressure on it that I turned the steering gear, which pushed the rod down. Push it down far enough and the bushing comes right out. I'll post pictures once I clean everything up and get the new tie rods, claw washers, bushings and ball joints on the car.

Thanks to dirocyn, Aaron of Lithia Toyota, and mr2tim.

10-21-2009, 08:38 PM	#1 (permalink)
Timon MR2 MKI AW11 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Utah Posts: 669 Thanks: 13 Thanked 42 Times in 37 Posts My Google Map iTrader Rating: (1/100% )	Suspension Well I'm finally having suspension issues. This one is a bit odd, which is why I'm posting it up. Between the speeds of approximately 35-55 MPH I get a wobble in the suspension when holding the steering wheel straight. However, if I slightly turn the wheel to the left (which oddly enough makes me start to veer left - go figure, right?) the wobble goes away. I've tried looking under the car and the suspension seems find, everything is connected and pretty stiff. Anyone have ideas to get me started?

10-22-2009, 02:34 PM	#5 (permalink)
mr2tim SUPERcharZed ToyZ RacZer Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: South Florida Posts: 1,789 Thanks: 8 Thanked 118 Times in 111 Posts My Google Map iTrader Rating: (6/100% )	the wOBbLEs Try getting the car up in the air and try to wobble the entire tire and rim and see if you can isolate any loose tie-end connectors, possible bad wheel bearings, loosened rack and steering mounting bolts. While this thing is up grab those strut bars that extend forward from the spindle assembly and check to see if the front suspension mounting hole has been hollowed out. Nothing you grab onto or shake should have any give what so ever. Be sure to snug up all the bolts and nuts while it's up including the ones you have to take the wheels off to do. BTW if you wobble the wheels and there is any play in the bearing it's on it's way out and start shopping for replacement bearings or a spindle. There is an inspection plate on the inside of the spindle that you can loosen up to see the bearing but these nuts are crimped into position and don't usually back off to create trouble. Here's some drawings of what front spindles are composed of. mr2tim Attached Thumbnails

02-27-2010, 08:50 PM	#13 (permalink)
Timon MR2 MKI AW11 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Utah Posts: 669 Thanks: 13 Thanked 42 Times in 37 Posts My Google Map iTrader Rating: (1/100% )	Edit: Alrighty, easy as cake. Pulled the whole rack out and now I'm attempting to pull the bushing out. I took off the inner tie rod, and I just have the one end of the steering rack, which the bushing looks like it can slide over with no problems; however, when I pulled up on the bushing it goes to far and then slips off and retracts into it's original position. Anyone have any ideas on this? Last edited by Timon; 02-28-2010 at 06:40 PM..

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10-21-2009, 10:41 PM	#2 (permalink)
328FTW Crazy Nasty Honey Badger Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: New Zealand Posts: 5,235 Thanks: 24 Thanked 266 Times in 239 Posts My Google Map iTrader Rating: (1/100% )	Is the the suspension aligned and the wheels/tyres balanced?

10-21-2009, 10:56 PM	#3 (permalink)
Timon MR2 MKI AW11 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Utah Posts: 669 Thanks: 13 Thanked 42 Times in 37 Posts My Google Map iTrader Rating: (1/100% )	Wheels and tires are balanced perfectly, thanks to a buddy I have that works at a tire shop, but the alignment I was kinda wondering about too. I'm guessing there's really no way to test it other than to get it done?

10-21-2009, 11:29 PM	#4 (permalink)
Sh0ty Armchair Racer Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Novi, MI Posts: 1,273 Thanks: 22 Thanked 57 Times in 54 Posts My Google Map iTrader Rating: (3/100% )	It seems like you're taking the slop out of whatever's wiggling when you turn the wheel. Check for worn bushings and alignment. Also look for loose parts.

10-22-2009, 04:51 PM	#6 (permalink)
kbrew8991 gimme some turns Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 1,685 Thanks: 76 Thanked 82 Times in 70 Posts My Google Map iTrader Rating: (5/100% )	sounds like a wheel bearing issue to me - jack the car up and feel / listen for grinding as it turns and see if there is play in any direction

02-22-2010, 08:50 PM	#7 (permalink)
Timon MR2 MKI AW11 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Utah Posts: 669 Thanks: 13 Thanked 42 Times in 37 Posts My Google Map iTrader Rating: (1/100% )	I know this is a bit old, but I finally got it up in the air today and hopefully plan to have this fixed by the end of the month for inspection. The tire has a bit of a wobble left to right. I pulled the tire off along with the caliper and rotor assuming it was most likely a wheel bearing. The wheel bearing sounds fine, no noises, and it's very solid. Now that I have that all out of the way I think the culprit may be a bit different. The passenger's side steering rack seems to have a torn boot. Front passenger's side As you can see there is some surface rust inside. Could this potential be the source of the problem given the that fact there is about a half inch or more of play here? I'm assuming it is, and if so, what's the easiest replacement method at this point?

02-23-2010, 11:14 AM	#8 (permalink)
Madlife Cage Fighter Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Cental NY Posts: 211 Thanks: 8 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post iTrader Rating: (2/100% )	If that doesnt fix the issues, I had the same issues on a subaru once because I didnt grease the caliper pins, etc good while changing pads. It turns out that the caliper/pad was getting a big hung, and it would wobble from about 40-55 and stop at faster speeds. It would also wobble for about 5 mintues, then stop, the start up again etc. If I turned the wheel slightly one direction it would stop all together.

02-24-2010, 10:24 PM	#10 (permalink)
Timon MR2 MKI AW11 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Utah Posts: 669 Thanks: 13 Thanked 42 Times in 37 Posts My Google Map iTrader Rating: (1/100% )	I pulled a good portion of the boot off. I'm assuming Toyota in their brilliance put the clamp for the inner side of the boot facing the top of the vehicle, requiring the whole steering rack to be removed to properly remove the boot. It's torn anyway, so I'm going to rip it the rest of the way off tomorrow. From what I can see there's a joint that is somewhat rusted, but the play is further towards the middle of the passenger's side. I assume the bushing is right before it connects to the other end. Anyone know if the cross member has to come down to replace this bushing? There's quite a bit of room with the cross member on there, and if I can avoid playing with those rusted bolts, it'd be ideal.

02-25-2010, 09:15 AM	#11 (permalink)
dirocyn Cage Fighter Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Murfreesboro, TN Posts: 1,178 Thanks: 14 Thanked 110 Times in 108 Posts iTrader Rating: (0/0% )	The BGB says pull the crossmember and remove the whole steering rack, and that probably is the easier way to do it IF you have the car on a lift and you have an impact wrench. I'm guessing it's a whole lot harder to do if the rack's still in the car. There may be a special tool, I can't guess exactly how special from the pics in the book. Possibly you can make it work with a bench vise and a pair of pliers. Here's a linky to the BGB: Free File Hosting Made Simple - MediaFire

02-25-2010, 08:24 PM	#12 (permalink)
Timon MR2 MKI AW11 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Utah Posts: 669 Thanks: 13 Thanked 42 Times in 37 Posts My Google Map iTrader Rating: (1/100% )	^ Thanks, i'll check the BGB. I've been using my Haynes book and it's worked fine. The only issue is it doesn't explain what is inside the boot. I'm still working on getting the boot removed due to the fact the clamp is facing up and I can't get it off. I plan to replace it anyway so I think I'm just going to rip it off. I just downloaded the BGB and it explains how to remove the rack and disassemble it too. This should help out a lot. From the looks of it I just need to remove the passenger's side rack end to replace the rack bushing. A lift would make this a lot easier, but all I have for now are jack stands lol. I'm going to attempt to replace it with the steering rack on the car. If anyone has tips, great, if not I'll post up here with more info once it's done or I get stuck . Thank you dirocyn.

03-01-2010, 09:14 AM	#14 (permalink)
mr2tim SUPERcharZed ToyZ RacZer Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: South Florida Posts: 1,789 Thanks: 8 Thanked 118 Times in 111 Posts My Google Map iTrader Rating: (6/100% )	Hope you marked the steering column shaft and the Universal joint atop the steering rack? this makes for easier and accurate replacement of the steering wheel to the correct position without ****ing around. Ditto: If you pull the tie-rods off the end racks mark them too. You'll notice lots of specialized tools for tearing apart the Steering Rack Housing, if your not a profesional mechanic think about these BEFORE you get the rack on the workbench. Lots of racks will only require the outer rack bushing and nothing else, be sure you understand what parts your there to repair and don't go crazy! There are several aftermarket bushing sources available thru this Website. Almost anytime you see any torn boot you should assume that the interior has been compromised unless you know differently. Just changing a torn boot is never a good idea. I'm with dirocyn: Replacing the rack with a known good unit is way way simpler.

03-01-2010, 12:55 PM	#15 (permalink)
Timon MR2 MKI AW11 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Utah Posts: 669 Thanks: 13 Thanked 42 Times in 37 Posts My Google Map iTrader Rating: (1/100% )	Yes, I marked the tie rod ends, the universal joint, etc. I plan to replace both inner and outter tie rods, ball joints, etc. So I already budgeted for a full 4-wheel alignment as well. I have everything out, I have the rack readily available, I just cannot get the old bushing out. There is a metal housing with holes in it that seems to hold the bushing in the rack. This seems to be the only issue with the rack, but the way I see it, I don't want to pull the rack again so I'm going to replace the inner tie rods while it is out. I'll be ordering the bushing from Aaron as soon as he verifys the 91-92 bushing is the same as the 87-89, I just can't get the old one out . worse case scenario I'll find a local shop that can either replace the bushing or rebuild the whole rack if aboslutely needed, but at $600, I think a new rack is out of the question. Ever played with the steering rack mr2tim?

03-02-2010, 03:28 AM	#16 (permalink)
Timon MR2 MKI AW11 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Utah Posts: 669 Thanks: 13 Thanked 42 Times in 37 Posts My Google Map iTrader Rating: (1/100% )	I don't mean to double post again, but I'm just letting everyone know the resolution to this. It took me over an hour of prying the bushing out before I put enough pressure on it that I turned the steering gear, which pushed the rod down. Push it down far enough and the bushing comes right out. I'll post pictures once I clean everything up and get the new tie rods, claw washers, bushings and ball joints on the car. Thanks to dirocyn, Aaron of Lithia Toyota, and mr2tim.