In desperate need of help with steering / front suspension issue.
01-08-11, 02:31 PM
#1
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In desperate need of help with steering / front suspension issue.
First, the facts. I have a 1995 SC400, lowered with Eibach springs, staggered 19" wheels and 216,000 miles.
I'm pretty sure that last bit, the miles, are the culprit here.
This is what's going on. My car's front end has felt "unstable" for quite some time now. I've jacked it up, looked around, and didn't really find much that seemed to be the problem except for a loose sway bar end link. Reattaching the sway bar didn't really change what I was feeling much though. I felt the usual "clunking" in the front end and have always assumed it was control arm bushings. I have actually purchased a set of Prothane bushings to replace them, but haven't gotten around to it. However, I don't really think ANY of this is causing this latest headache.
I had a 4 wheel alignment done years ago and ever since then the steering wheel has set a little to the right, even with the wheels tracking straight. Wasn't really that big a deal and I just never got around to setting the wheel where it was supposed to be. Well, in the last few weeks I've noticed that the steering wheel will go from that slight right to what I would call an EXTREME right. I'm talking like a good 45 degrees of rotation to the right in the steering wheel, but with the front wheels of the car actually pointing straight ahead. Just last night I hit a bump and actually "felt" the steering wheel shift in my hands from it's "normal" position to this extreme right position. My first guesses would be something to do with the steering rack or possibly bad ball joints, but I'm not exactly sure where to start. I did a search but didn't read anything with the mysteriously shifting steering wheel center position. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.
I'm pretty sure that last bit, the miles, are the culprit here.
This is what's going on. My car's front end has felt "unstable" for quite some time now. I've jacked it up, looked around, and didn't really find much that seemed to be the problem except for a loose sway bar end link. Reattaching the sway bar didn't really change what I was feeling much though. I felt the usual "clunking" in the front end and have always assumed it was control arm bushings. I have actually purchased a set of Prothane bushings to replace them, but haven't gotten around to it. However, I don't really think ANY of this is causing this latest headache.
I had a 4 wheel alignment done years ago and ever since then the steering wheel has set a little to the right, even with the wheels tracking straight. Wasn't really that big a deal and I just never got around to setting the wheel where it was supposed to be. Well, in the last few weeks I've noticed that the steering wheel will go from that slight right to what I would call an EXTREME right. I'm talking like a good 45 degrees of rotation to the right in the steering wheel, but with the front wheels of the car actually pointing straight ahead. Just last night I hit a bump and actually "felt" the steering wheel shift in my hands from it's "normal" position to this extreme right position. My first guesses would be something to do with the steering rack or possibly bad ball joints, but I'm not exactly sure where to start. I did a search but didn't read anything with the mysteriously shifting steering wheel center position. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.
01-08-11, 02:51 PM
#2
Lol....sounds like you need complete front bushings. Install the prothanes you bought. The steering is probably the rack bushings. Daizen makes the poly replacements, but they are on back order (i just bought a pair). Once you do the fronts get an alignment and it will feel way more stable. Once you get new rack bushings your woes should be gone. Oh and use the search function...alot of people will get on you if you don't. Especially since this has been a topic for a lil while.
01-09-11, 06:41 AM
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Lol....sounds like you need complete front bushings. Install the prothanes you bought. The steering is probably the rack bushings. Daizen makes the poly replacements, but they are on back order (i just bought a pair). Once you do the fronts get an alignment and it will feel way more stable. Once you get new rack bushings your woes should be gone. Oh and use the search function...alot of people will get on you if you don't. Especially since this has been a topic for a lil while.
01-09-11, 07:08 AM
#5
Since we got the typical cookie cutter answers in here, allow me to chime in.
My car has similar miles. I drove it 300 miles to my home when I bought it.
On the way home, the car would drive straight, but the steering wheel had a bunch of slop in it.
I figured as well, it was probably the bushings or ball joints somewhere. I did, after all, get the car for $600, so no surprise there.
Well it turns out, my bushings, ball joints, and alignment are all fine. The problem?
My Steering shaft "U-joint" was completely blown out. Barely held to the rack, borderline reckless.
Point is, wiggle every joint, bushing, and bearing. Visual confirmation isn't always enough!
My car has similar miles. I drove it 300 miles to my home when I bought it.
On the way home, the car would drive straight, but the steering wheel had a bunch of slop in it.
I figured as well, it was probably the bushings or ball joints somewhere. I did, after all, get the car for $600, so no surprise there.
Well it turns out, my bushings, ball joints, and alignment are all fine. The problem?
My Steering shaft "U-joint" was completely blown out. Barely held to the rack, borderline reckless.
Point is, wiggle every joint, bushing, and bearing. Visual confirmation isn't always enough!
01-09-11, 09:00 AM
#6
Since we got the typical cookie cutter answers in here, allow me to chime in.
My car has similar miles. I drove it 300 miles to my home when I bought it.
On the way home, the car would drive straight, but the steering wheel had a bunch of slop in it.
I figured as well, it was probably the bushings or ball joints somewhere. I did, after all, get the car for $600, so no surprise there.
Well it turns out, my bushings, ball joints, and alignment are all fine. The problem?
My Steering shaft "U-joint" was completely blown out. Barely held to the rack, borderline reckless.
Point is, wiggle every joint, bushing, and bearing. Visual confirmation isn't always enough!
My car has similar miles. I drove it 300 miles to my home when I bought it.
On the way home, the car would drive straight, but the steering wheel had a bunch of slop in it.
I figured as well, it was probably the bushings or ball joints somewhere. I did, after all, get the car for $600, so no surprise there.
Well it turns out, my bushings, ball joints, and alignment are all fine. The problem?
My Steering shaft "U-joint" was completely blown out. Barely held to the rack, borderline reckless.
Point is, wiggle every joint, bushing, and bearing. Visual confirmation isn't always enough!
Completely agree 100%! But vespid82, as far as the Daizen bushings go unless you have some inside info or a hook-up from a homie or bro, good luck with trying to get them from TME, their service is horrible and you never know when you'll get them. I live only 65mi. from them and still couldn't get them by trying to will call them. Your best bet in my opinion is to get the R2 bushings from MVP and all your problems will be sovled. Heres a link:http://www.mvpmotorsports.com/merchant/supramkiv.shtml#
BTW: not sure if you know this, but their for a Supra MKIV TT and all that means is that their completely compatible with the SC300/400 hope this helps and good luck with your issue.
01-09-11, 10:16 AM
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Since we got the typical cookie cutter answers in here, allow me to chime in.
My car has similar miles. I drove it 300 miles to my home when I bought it.
On the way home, the car would drive straight, but the steering wheel had a bunch of slop in it.
I figured as well, it was probably the bushings or ball joints somewhere. I did, after all, get the car for $600, so no surprise there.
Well it turns out, my bushings, ball joints, and alignment are all fine. The problem?
My Steering shaft "U-joint" was completely blown out. Barely held to the rack, borderline reckless.
Point is, wiggle every joint, bushing, and bearing. Visual confirmation isn't always enough!
My car has similar miles. I drove it 300 miles to my home when I bought it.
On the way home, the car would drive straight, but the steering wheel had a bunch of slop in it.
I figured as well, it was probably the bushings or ball joints somewhere. I did, after all, get the car for $600, so no surprise there.
Well it turns out, my bushings, ball joints, and alignment are all fine. The problem?
My Steering shaft "U-joint" was completely blown out. Barely held to the rack, borderline reckless.
Point is, wiggle every joint, bushing, and bearing. Visual confirmation isn't always enough!
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01-09-11, 10:27 AM
#8
Dysfunctional Veteran
First, the facts. I have a 1995 SC400, lowered with Eibach springs, staggered 19" wheels and 216,000 miles.
I'm pretty sure that last bit, the miles, are the culprit here.
This is what's going on. My car's front end has felt "unstable" for quite some time now. I've jacked it up, looked around, and didn't really find much that seemed to be the problem except for a loose sway bar end link. Reattaching the sway bar didn't really change what I was feeling much though. I felt the usual "clunking" in the front end and have always assumed it was control arm bushings. I have actually purchased a set of Prothane bushings to replace them, but haven't gotten around to it. However, I don't really think ANY of this is causing this latest headache.
I had a 4 wheel alignment done years ago and ever since then the steering wheel has set a little to the right, even with the wheels tracking straight. Wasn't really that big a deal and I just never got around to setting the wheel where it was supposed to be. Well, in the last few weeks I've noticed that the steering wheel will go from that slight right to what I would call an EXTREME right. I'm talking like a good 45 degrees of rotation to the right in the steering wheel, but with the front wheels of the car actually pointing straight ahead. Just last night I hit a bump and actually "felt" the steering wheel shift in my hands from it's "normal" position to this extreme right position. My first guesses would be something to do with the steering rack or possibly bad ball joints, but I'm not exactly sure where to start. I did a search but didn't read anything with the mysteriously shifting steering wheel center position. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.
I'm pretty sure that last bit, the miles, are the culprit here.
This is what's going on. My car's front end has felt "unstable" for quite some time now. I've jacked it up, looked around, and didn't really find much that seemed to be the problem except for a loose sway bar end link. Reattaching the sway bar didn't really change what I was feeling much though. I felt the usual "clunking" in the front end and have always assumed it was control arm bushings. I have actually purchased a set of Prothane bushings to replace them, but haven't gotten around to it. However, I don't really think ANY of this is causing this latest headache.
I had a 4 wheel alignment done years ago and ever since then the steering wheel has set a little to the right, even with the wheels tracking straight. Wasn't really that big a deal and I just never got around to setting the wheel where it was supposed to be. Well, in the last few weeks I've noticed that the steering wheel will go from that slight right to what I would call an EXTREME right. I'm talking like a good 45 degrees of rotation to the right in the steering wheel, but with the front wheels of the car actually pointing straight ahead. Just last night I hit a bump and actually "felt" the steering wheel shift in my hands from it's "normal" position to this extreme right position. My first guesses would be something to do with the steering rack or possibly bad ball joints, but I'm not exactly sure where to start. I did a search but didn't read anything with the mysteriously shifting steering wheel center position. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.
3 weeks later, I T-boned a silverado that had run a red light. No more ES
01-09-11, 10:30 AM
#9
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It's always nice to check/consider everything, but I gotta say, your symptoms are classic for really bad steering rack bushings, however typical that response may be. The good thing is that if it's as bad as you describe, it should be fairly obvious to detect the cause (whatever it may be) when it's properly inspected. Let us know what you find.
Last edited by good2go; 01-09-11 at 10:35 AM.
01-11-11, 06:07 PM
#10
So the problem that everyone is having is turning the steering to the right or left and the having the steering wheel off center yet the car is still driving straight?
Thats the exact problem Im having, but even when I rotate the steering wheel 90 degrees either way(Hand starting at 12'o clock then rotating to 9'o clock then to 3'o clock) My car only slightly reacts to that motion, and if my steering wheel is at 11'o clock (hand starting at 12 oclock then rotating and stopping at 11'o clock) my car is still driving straight. Is this is the same problem everyone else is having?
And from this thread Im concluding it could be my bushing or my entire steering rack. Also when I checked under my car i noticed a leak for one of my ball joints, what could that mean?
sorry if this is confusing and sorry for threadjacking OP
Thats the exact problem Im having, but even when I rotate the steering wheel 90 degrees either way(Hand starting at 12'o clock then rotating to 9'o clock then to 3'o clock) My car only slightly reacts to that motion, and if my steering wheel is at 11'o clock (hand starting at 12 oclock then rotating and stopping at 11'o clock) my car is still driving straight. Is this is the same problem everyone else is having?
And from this thread Im concluding it could be my bushing or my entire steering rack. Also when I checked under my car i noticed a leak for one of my ball joints, what could that mean?
sorry if this is confusing and sorry for threadjacking OP
01-12-11, 02:05 PM
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So, this company, TM Engineering...
They have no phone number on their website, just a fax number. I sent them an email in regards to the availability of the Daizen bushings TWO days ago and haven't received a response. Should I take my business elsewhere?
They have no phone number on their website, just a fax number. I sent them an email in regards to the availability of the Daizen bushings TWO days ago and haven't received a response. Should I take my business elsewhere?
01-13-11, 03:24 PM
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www.jegs.com
Prothane
311-18-207-BL. CONT ARM BUSHINGS LEXUS, $56.99 + S/H. (Front, upper and lower, left side AND right side, control arm bushings.
311-18-304-BL. CONT ARM BUSH LEXUS SC3/4, $92.99 + S/H. (Complete rear bushing kit for upper,lower left and right control bars PLUS arm and rod, 14 pieces total).
I bought them both will let you know how the car feels after installing.
Prothane
311-18-207-BL. CONT ARM BUSHINGS LEXUS, $56.99 + S/H. (Front, upper and lower, left side AND right side, control arm bushings.
311-18-304-BL. CONT ARM BUSH LEXUS SC3/4, $92.99 + S/H. (Complete rear bushing kit for upper,lower left and right control bars PLUS arm and rod, 14 pieces total).
I bought them both will let you know how the car feels after installing.
Last edited by Servidor; 01-13-11 at 03:28 PM. Reason: Incomplete.
01-13-11, 11:04 PM
#14
Hmmmm, weird no response. PM this guy: LSin75075 and he will let you know all about TME and how long it took them to finally send his bushings. He was selling the bushings he purchased from TME last I talked to him. He bought the bushings from MVP because of the long wait With TME and received them right away, I dont know about you, but when I fix something on my car, I just want to buy the part and fix it ASAP! Just my 2penny's
01-14-11, 07:22 AM
#15
dont go to TM...they are "back ordered" for 3 weeks min. Get the prothane control arm bushings for 56$ at jegs, then the steering rack bushing from MVP for 68$ shipped. My steering wheel does the same thing. If you have someone turn the wheel while you look at the rack you can see the points where the bushings are move until it catches and actually moves the wheel. at least for mine its like that...