Stealth 993

It just started to happen after a weekend of spirited driving. Around 55mph, there is a little vibration in the steering wheel, my first thought is a wheel out of balance. My second thought is worn tie rods.

The car just clicked 40k, it's a 97 C4S, with stock rims & stock size S03 rubber.

Is there any quick test for the tie rods? I just found out that I do not have the wheel lock key, as my Dealer decided to keep it, so taking the wheels off right now is not going to happen, a new key has been ordered from the dealer.

tfm

Happens that I have two 993s that are identical; one developed a front end shimmy last week but only right at 50mph and slightly above. I swapped front tires between cars, balancing the one pair ...result: both cars are shimmy free.
Hope this works for you too.

chris walrod

Cracked forward lower control arm bushings have been known to be the culprit of such shimmy as well. Best to have the front wheels balance checked as a first measure.

groovzilla

i would bet an alignment at an inexpensive place like discount tire or les schwab will fix the problem...

when i purchased my car the PPi found a shimmy at 55mph...les schwab was next door and they balanced all 4 tires for $90

fixed the problem

2ndof2

This is very scientific so pay close attention:
Lift the front of the car up, pull off the front wheels. Bang your fist against the tie rod on each side. If you notice any play that will tell you your tie rod(s) are shot. Think of it as a valve guide wear "wiggle" test for your tie rods.

David Schiff

+1 for Les Schwab, same prob, same solution
97C2 100+Kmiles.ds

FLYT993

I'm with Chris. Damn bushings are probably the culprit. Mine are cracked and it does the same thing every now and again. But you have to replace the entire control arm...(and they're not cheap) to replace the Fcukin things!!!

NP993

But his car has 40K on the odometer! I would really be shocked if the control arm bushings are bad.

What is more likely the culprit is the tires -- I had the same shimmy for a couple of thousand miles, and it fixed itself as the front tires wore. Or you could always have the front tires re-balanced for good measure. How much are they worn?

chris walrod

That is what I used to think until I replaced the bushings on a 37K mile turbo -- cured its troubles.

Peter B

[QUOTE=Noah;4683587]But his car has 40K on the odometer! I would really be shocked if the control arm bushings are bad.

Its called old age. I'm 58 and nearly completely fooked out and I've never done anything!

SPIKES

[QUOTE=Peter B;4683800]lol

Adrienne

I remember reading here (famous last words) that excessive brake dust or dirt can cause an imbalance. The fix was to blast the crap out with the water hose and give it another drive to see if it is fixed. So there, yet another free diagnosis.

Stealth 993

Thanks all, I'll check things out, but I can NOT remove the rims until my new key arrives.

I'll jack her up, & wiggle the tie rods with a wrench & try to move the control arms around. It's not a bad shimmy, but enough that I don't like it.

After I get the wheel lock key, I am going to get the wheels rebalanced & have the car aligned.

The rubber is almost brand new, they were put on back in April of this year, & have about 3500mi on them.

FLYT993

Chris, how did you do THAT! I thought you had to replace the entire freekin' control arms??

Stealth 993

Well, today I said, WTH, & checked all the tires, DF 24, PF 20 ,DR 28 ,PR 25
So I did 34 F 36 R & the car feels totally new, it turns in better, doesn't tramline as much, & just feels more stable

YES, the shimmy is gone!!! I think that wheel alignment will have to wait, I can't believe it was so simple!