Misery at Highway Speeds

[az_rat210]

Problem.

The car feels loose in the steering, shaky when hit by the wind, vibrates a bit going down the road. I know its not a performance vehicle but it just does not feel as tight even as my stock 78 B210 did or my 310GX.

 

The car has been back on the road since February/March 09.

 

I have the following:

New Inner/Outer Tie Rods

New Lower Control Arm bushings

New Idler Arm

New TC Rod Bushings

New Ball Joints

New Sway Bar Bushings, to Frame and Control Arm

New Leaf Spring Bushings/Pads (Polyurethane)

New Strut Inserts

New Rear Shocks

280zx rims 14", New Tires 14/185/65's

 

Front End Alignment, and the rims were tested and straightened by NU Wheel and are Balanced.

The steering gear box has been tightened, everything is torqued down, and I could use a fresh viewpoint.

 

Possibilities I am thinking of.

Springs have slipped.

Bolts are loose now that the new parts have had some time to wear in, but before I start tearing into it I wanted to get some thoughts.:confused::confused:

[b210in]

when you say the rims were straightened, were they bent originally? at what speed does it vibrate? does it vibrate at one speed and then goes away and then returns at a higher speed? is it lowered?

[az_rat210]

I took all 4 rims to NU Wheel and asked them to check if the rims were warped or out of round and they tested them. 2 Rims wobbled on the Spin Test and had to be straigtened out (those 2 are on the rear).

 

The Faster I go, the worse the car feels...stars feeling sloppy and difficult to control around 60. To be more exact, at 4000 rpm in 4th gear (1 to 1) to a 3.9:1 rear-end (my speedo is broke) but I think this is around 70 or 75 its gets down right frightening.

[datzenmike]

Are all 4 tires the same brand and size?

 

Are they at the proper pressure?

 

Raise each wheel and spin it. Watch from directly in the front (or rear) that there is no 'squirm' of the tire tread or lumps or high spots on the tread. The rims could be true but the rubber tire damaged.

 

Swap the rear tires to the front and try it. internal tire damage may not be evident to the eye. If the problem moves or changes a tire (or rim) may be the cause

 

Are the wheel bearings set to the proper torque/clearances?

 

Set the wheels straight ahead on level pavement and use a small magnetic level on the front rims. Set it vertically on the rim and check that the bubble indicates that the rim (and camber) is also very close to vertical. Just by eye, do the front wheels appear to be pointing ahead just like the rear ones behind them? Generally camber is almost equal to the rim and tire being vertical. Toe in should be barely noticeable (if at all) If both the tires appear to be pointing outward (toe out) then something is amiss with the alignment.

 

Raise each front wheel from the ground and hold the top and bottom of the tire. Pull in and out at the bottom and then at the top. There should be almost no play in the ball joints and wheel bearing. Now hold the tire at the front and back and gently push/pull with both arms. Sloppiness here would indicate looseness in the steering components. Have someone watch while you wiggle and try to locate where the most slop is. New components do not necessarily guarantee they are not at fault.

 

Raise both front tires and turn the steering wheel from lock to lock. There should be absolutely no increase in effort, no 'tight' spots. If so then the box was incorrectly adjusted. I doubt this is the problem but it may be an indication that the box is beyond adjustment and needs renewing.

Edited September 16, 2009 by datzenmike

[yellowdatsun]

With everything you've replaced, the car should be pretty tight. Is the steering box tightened too much? This can cause problems as well. Also check to make sure the steering shaft is tight on the box, if this is left loose and wears, it can cause bad steering problems.

 

You need to figure out whether the shakiness is coming from the front or the back. Does it feel like the rear end steps out, or the front? Could be loose hub nuts as well.

[az_rat210]

I will check do the front end check this weekend.

 

Some of the sway is from the rear-end for sure. Could it also be under draft, as its double or triple when behind a Semi. The car has 9" from ground to under carriage.

[Buzzbomb]

Watch from directly in the front (or rear) that there is no 'squirm' of the tire tread or lumps or high spots on the tread. The rims could be true but the rubber tire damaged.

 

Swap the rear tires to the front and try it. internal tire damage may not be evident to the eye. If the problem moves or changes a tire (or rim) may be the cause

 

I had this happen to my truck..I'll tell you what, I thought the whole front end was going to fall apart! It was shaking the front end of the truck to the point where it was basically undriveable..I limped home and by the fluke of having just the right tire position, I saw a pretty big lump right on the tread by the sidewall. The tire guy said the belt in the tire slipped..Swapped it out, and it was fine.

[jesusno2]

might wanna check that alighment again. sounds like to me ya got zero caster in the front end. a car with no caster in the front end can feel funky at freeway speeds. (dont ask me how i know this! lol)

[ggzilla]

You need more caster. Datsun cheated with the B110 & B210. They put the very minimum castor on it to make steering light, yet keep going in a straight line. At thier best they still wandered. Wider tires make it worse.

 

 

Don't know if that will cause vibration, but wheel balance definitely will, very common on very light cars. The shop needs to be extra careful and balance down to 1/3 oz.

From the 1978 B120 factory service manual:

 

Maximum allowable unbalance at rim flange: 10 gr (0.35 oz)

You don't need a dynamic right/left balance geewhiz job. It can be balanced all on inside and still be good, but make sure they balance it down to 10 gr. Bigger wheels and tires don't need that much precision.

[az_rat210]

Thank you for all the tips.

 

I took the car back to Discount Tire and had them balance all 4 Rims/Tires since they have only been on their a month.

 

Took the car back to Sears and had the Alignment checked under warranty and it was out. Watched the guy who redid the Alignment for a bit, he was very thorough. The car feels much better even on in-town driving. We will see how it handles the Interstate on the way to work tomorrow.

[a.d._510_n_ok]

Took the car back to Sears and had the Alignment checked under warranty and it was out. Watched the guy who redid the Alignment for a bit, he was very thorough. The car feels much better even on in-town driving. We will see how it handles the Interstate on the way to work tomorrow.

 

Dumb question - did they know that your 210 is not a front wheel drive car?

 

I had to beat that into the heads of the monkeys who aligned my 510.

 

Most shops assume Japanese = front wheel drive.

[2dat0z9]

Dumb question - did they know that your 210 is not a front wheel drive car?

 

I had to beat that into the heads of the monkeys who aligned my 510.

 

Most shops assume Japanese = front wheel drive.

 

 

hahaha same thing happen to me, my neighbor was trying to sell me an engine and tranny out of his acura:eek::eek::eek: he said he would do the swap if i buy the engine...... dumb honda guy:fu:

[nukeday]

I used to do my own alignment on my '63 Rambler, using this:

 

Do-It-Yourself Alignment Guide

[az_rat210]

I Bookmarked that...will give it a try to double check Sears re-alignment

[nukeday]

A little FYI on the masonite. Chock the pieces of masonite before you try to drive up on them. They can shoot out if you don't. Make sure there is no grit, dirt or gravel under or on them. Another method is to jack the car up an inch and just slide them under the tires.

 

There are a couple of different ways to mount the string too. For a long time, I just used a couple of old 4" speakers and masons line. When I finally had it painted I bought a dollar store toy gun with suction cups and used purple fishing line. The masons line was too heavy for the little sucker darts to hold tight.

 

Have fun!

Edited September 20, 2009 by nukeday

[nukeday]

What happened? Did you solve the problem?