Hey Guys,

Just picked up an 02 X-type with 88K for $5400 (Great price, I think!) to take me through the winter here in Seattle. V. good condition and some service history; although I bought it knowing that it had one issue to sort out (so far). I get really bad steering wheel wobble when I brake, and a little (very minor) when I'm driving around 65 MPH . I'm assuming the judder under braking is down to warped rotors, so I've ordered new front rotors and pads (although they don't physically look too bad; redstuff ordered after reading this site). I've had the wheels balanced and the tires are new, so that's not playing a role.

A couple of Q's!

I've checked all the front suspension/control arm bushes visually and none are split, although there is some movement. How do I determine wear and tear on the front bushes, or how much movement should there be?

Could bush wear be partly responsible for the wheel wobble?

I can turn the shock absorber nut (the one under the bonnet) on the front strut assembly with a wrench (the nut is locked to the threaded bar, the whole assembly just rotates). Is this permissible/normal, or should that be locked in place?

I'm just not convinced that the brakes are not the main/only reason for the wobble under braking.

Any suggestions/ideas greatly appreciated.

Otherwise, fantastic ride

 

dalecan, when it comes to the front bushings/ball joints, if you can see side to side movement, then that is excessive and they need to be replaced. As for it causing your wobbling, it is probably adding it, but not the cause of it. More than likely it is your rotors.

As for the shock nut, if you can turn the nut with a wrench and the shaft spins too, that is not a problem in my book. that just tells me that it may be a bit of a bugger to get the shock out of the mount later unless you have a spot where you can put a wrench (either allen or standard open end style) and hold the shaft. Most shocks these days have either an allen hole in the top of the shaft or up near the nut, there is some sort of piece where you can put a wrench and hold the shaft that way. In the past, when I have had shocks without this feature, I have found it easiest to tack weld a small piece of metal on to the shaft so I can get a good drip with a set of channel locks. From there, the nut comes off really easy.

Happy driving. I need to make it back up that way. My son lives over in Silverdale.

 

dalecan, when it comes to the front bushings/ball joints, if you can see side to side movement, then that is excessive and they need to be replaced. As for it causing your wobbling, it is probably adding it, but not the cause of it. More than likely it is your rotors.

As for the shock nut, if you can turn the nut with a wrench and the shaft spins too, that is not a problem in my book. that just tells me that it may be a bit of a bugger to get the shock out of the mount later unless you have a spot where you can put a wrench (either allen or standard open end style) and hold the shaft. Most shocks these days have either an allen hole in the top of the shaft or up near the nut, there is some sort of piece where you can put a wrench and hold the shaft that way. In the past, when I have had shocks without this feature, I have found it easiest to tack weld a small piece of metal on to the shaft so I can get a good drip with a set of channel locks. From there, the nut comes off really easy.

Happy driving. I need to make it back up that way. My son lives over in Silverdale.

 

Thanks Thermo,

New rotors and pads sorted the brake judder out.

Now, I just need to find the cause of the rumble sound / feel that increases with road speed.

 

Dalecan, try greasing your center bearing on the rear driveshaft. A lot of people comment on this "rumble" and the greasing seems to take care of it. Get a grease gun, a needle attachment and some Termaline grease. Inject the grease in 3-4 spots around the bearing and drive the car to spread the grease around. All should be good. If that doesn't fix it, then we will take it from there.

 

Dale -

Even though you had your tires balanced, have them recheck them for warpage/damage. The person you bought it from may have run aground on a curb. I had a pickup that did that (wheel shudder as speed increased), and after a few balances, they showed me that the rims were warped.