joemun

Is it possible and or necessary to remove it, clean it, and repack it? If so, how would I go about doing it?

Renntag

As far as strut bearings go....if it is bad, replace it. If you are replacing the struts and the bearing is questionable, replace it. As far as maintenance for the strut bearing? God, there are so many other things to maintain...its allmost like..."whats a strut bearing? my car has one? ...cool! "

Dont know your particular sitch. Hope this helps.

joemun

Actually, I'm not sure what the problem is but, hopefully someone can point me in the right direction. Whenever I drive over a bumpy road or lane markers on a freeway, I hear a rattle coming from the front end. Also, when turning at highway speeds the steering wheel begins to vibrate. Otherwise, on smooth roads the suspension feels fine.

Joe
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'83 944

Renntag

ok now we have more info. Could be many things. Have you checked the suspension at all? Tried bouncing each of the front corners? Jack the front up and check for play in the front wheels, check for play in the strut bearing and the sway bar. Essentially the front suspension needs to be thoroughly inspected for what ever loose part is giving you trouble.

Good luck.

joemun

I've looked it over briefly and there is nothing obvious. Tomorrow I will be more thorough and give additional information if possible. With the info you have now, what would you suspect to be the most likely culprit?

Joe
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'83 944

Tabor

My guesses:

1. Out of round wheels/poorly balanced tyres/bad tyres.
2. Bad ball joint
3. Bad tie rod ends
4. Bad/incorrectly adjusted wheel bearing
5. Bad bushings? (A-arm, etc).
6. Strut pivot bearing (I hear that the older (3 piece?) ones like to fail more than the newer one piece ones)

Renntag

I agree, but if it was fine on smooth roads and rattling on bumpy roads, shaking in fast turns...I wouldnt suspect a bad tyre or wheel.
However, I have seen the strangest suspension problems turn out to be a bad tyre/ wheel. best way to eliminate the possibility of that one is to swap wheels with a known good set or move the rears to the front. Even though the sizes are staggered, it will be fine for diagnostic purposes. If the problem goes away, you know it could be wheel/tyre related. (a bad tyre is more noticeable up front)

let us know what you find.

Good luck.

Danno

I had a similar problem with a shaking problem in the front end when I turned the wheel slightly around corners. Turns out I flat-spotted a tire at the track and even though it rolled OK in a straight line after I rebalanced it, at certain speeds the rotational frequency of that flat-spot coming around would match the frequency of the suspension and it would shake the steering wheel. Why it only did that in a corner, I have no idea. But putting that tire in the back solved it for me.

Renntag

Sometimes tire problems are allmost unexplainable. strange.

joemun

Went under the car today and found the following:
1)Worn sway bar bushing
2)Torn steering rack boot
3)Torn tie-rod end dust covers
4)Grease seeping from around upper strut
mount
As for my tires, they are crappy no name generics that have too much tread left on them to justify buying new ones. These tires were on the car when I bought it and would vibrate at all speeds until I rebalanced the them.


Joe
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'83 944

Hans

Looks like the shocks are on the way out.
When you replace them (with inserts) then leave the original oil in, filling the chamber between the strut and the insert. This will spare you some rattles and will allow for better heat transfer.
Also replace the top bearing

Take Care