[Supras] 89 NA Ball Joints... the continuing quest

[Bob]

Now after all of the work to change the ball joints and check over the rack
I have now come to a new conclusion.  There is play in the rack but it now
appears to be so minor that it isn't the problem.  

After spending several hours looking thing over and rotating the tires I
took the car out for a test drive.  The car was smooth until about 60 mph
and this time the vibration wasn't in the steering wheel (I had rotated the
tires and removed the front hub-centric rings and it actually seemed to
help).

Now the vibration is completely in the floor board and it is so bad at the
gas pedal that my foot was getting numb.  From 60-80 mph it is horrible but
the steering wheel is almost perfect.  The only vibration I notice seems to
be transmitted from the floor to the steering column and even that is minor.

When I push in the clutch the vibrations is there until the car coasts down
below 60 mph. There doesn't seem to be a connection with the engine or
engine speed.  Leaving the car in 4th gear over 60 mph doesn't change the
vibration and shutting off the engine doesn't seem to cause a difference.

I had a thought that the harmonic balancer could have slipped but the timing
is fine 

I checked the motor mounts and they are dry and the motor doesn't rock.  

The engine cradle has never been off and the bolts appear tight and the
mounts are in one piece.

Though I can feel some vibration in the shifter it is much less than the
floor board and it just might be a resonance given that the rest of the car
is vibrating
 
I have thrown an oem driveshaft assembly and a transmission mount at the car
so at least I know those aren't the problem.  

It could be coming from the rear of the car and I haven't sat in the back
seat but it sure feels strongest at the front of the floor board and I
couldn't feel anything when I rested my hand on the transmission tunnel in
the back.
 
Is a clutch problem a crazy guess?  

I would think that changing the load on the clutch or shutting off the
engine would have some sort of effect on the vibration but if it does it
isn't noticeable.

I am running out of parts to replace...


Bob


For those of you who have nothing better to do then follow my exciting
exploits as I chase the elusive vibration in the front of my car. well the
next chapter has begun.

 

After replacing tires, brake rotors and calipers I decided that since I had
not replaced the ball joints, well. that was next on the list of things I
had to do before I die.

 

Surprisingly only one was bad and even that one may have been ok.  The
driver's side ball joint was not properly tightened down so the ball joint
shaft was spinning in the spindle.  It didn't do any damage to the spindle
and if the nut had not been rusted in place I might have been able to just
tighten the nut and been fine.

 

It looks like this ball joint had been loose since it left the factory, I
have owned the car since 1990 or so and I don't remember having to touch the
ball joints before. 

 

Anyway, I changed both of the joints as a precaution and A clunk went away.
The car feels tighter but the vibration is still there above 60 mph.

 

Now I have found a different clunk when I rock the steering wheel back and
forth.  I can tell it is coming from the driver's side of the rack and I
suspect it is from the inner tie rod end.  

 

The outer tie rod is fine and I find it hard to believe the inner one has
failed at 60K but there is a clunk.  Is there any other problem related to
the rack that could cause this noise and potentially the vibration?

 

Grabbing at straws.

 

Bob

 

_______________________________________________
Supras mailing list
Supras at supras.com
http://supras.com/mailman/listinfo/supras_supras.com


-- 
No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition. 
Version: 7.5.503 / Virus Database: 269.16.8/1153 - Release Date: 11/26/2007
9:08 PM