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The steering is really loose on my ’05 Cavalier. I just bought it, put new tires on it, and had it aligned. Every time there is a strong side wind, a dip or rise in the road it really throws the car off course and I have to over correct to get the car back straight. When I correct I have to turn the wheel so much it then goes the other direction so I have to correct for that. So if there’s a strong wind I will zigzag down the highway like a drunk driver. What is causing this? They mentioned nothing when I did the alignment.
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Dry park test:
with the car on the ground, gut a buddy to turn the steering wheel from stop to stop. You get under the car and look for play in any of the steering/suspension components.Check wheel bearings & steering/suspension
with the car up in the air, before you take off the wheel, shake the with your hands at the 12 & 6 o’clock position. this will check for play in the wheel bearings. put your hands at the 9 & 3 o’clock position and shake the tire. this will check for play in steering/suspension. play in steering/suspension could be due to inner or outter tie rods or rack and pinion.Front-end shakedown:
with the car up in the air. put your hand on every steering/suspension component and ‘shake’ the various components in order to detect play or looseness. put a jack under the tire or control arm to unload the lower ball joints. use a pry bar to check for play and looseness. check for power steering/rack and pinion fluid leaks.Other:
Steering column components, such at the intermediate shaft or u-joints, could be damaged.They mentioned nothing when I did the alignment.
The amount of play in your steering system may still technically be ‘in spec.’ at least in the commercial driving world, pre-trip inspection requires that no more than 2″ or 10 degrees of play be present at the steering wheel.
This video contains a lot of footage on front-end inspection:
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSWdf_7HcqI[/video]
You might be heading down this road… luckily, señor car guy has a video on a cavelier rack and pinion replacement:
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPvYE7fM-Os&feature=youtu.be[/video]
Final thoughts:
Your vehicle (due to fine GM engineering) is notorious for bad engine/cradle mounts. I would check these first and make sure your cradle does not move around when you shake it (with car up in the air.) I’ve performed this repair many, many, many times.:stick: Tie Rod Ends inner and outer seem to be good, ball joints appear to be good the rack looks dry; no power steering leakage that I can see. Will worn out bushings do that?
With the car in the air and the wheels off I shook the steering wheel and I can hear a sound of something loose but cannot determine what it is. There is not much play when I do it that way but it sure makes a difference toolin’ down the highway. Could the column be the cause? The power steering fluid is full on the reservoir. I shook the tire at 12&6, and the 9&3. There’s not anything moving, but it makes a rattle when I shake the steering wheel.Is it just the steering wheel that has play? does it have play turning or play up and down? Chevy for awhile had a problem in the steering column that would make the steering wheels loose both turning and up and down.
The steering wheel has play but the sound I’m talking about comes from under the hood when I shake the wheel. It’s only when turning.
If that is the case than you want to look at the Power steering system and rack. Did you check your PS Fluid?
Is the steering rack properly bolted down? No missing/loose bolts? Have you had someone inside turning the steering wheel while you look from under the vehicle? Have you had the vehicle on jack stands and tried to wiggle the wheels on each side to see if there is any movement? Is it both wheels when you’re turning and shaking or just 1 that is making noise? Is the axle nut tight?
Is the steering rack properly bolted down?
+1. Seen bad rack bushings many times. This should become apparent on a dry park test.
I would try to adjust the power steering gear box and see if it needs tightening or you might need a new one completely.
also recommend checking the rack mounting hardware as previosly stated. also check the connection were the steering shaft attaches to the rack.
The sound seems to be coming from the inner tie rod. could that be causing the steering issues it’s having? the boots are busted on the outer tie rod but they are still firm at the moment. The PS fluid is full, axle nuts are tight. everything tests out good. It’s has to be coming from inside a boot somewhere on something I can’t see directly like the inner tie rods. I just don’t want to fix something that’s not broken, I don’t have the money to spend.
If the boots are busted I’d replace inner and outer tie rods on both sides probably the ball joints too. Then you’ll only have to have 1 alignment done, as you will need one if you replace any of these parts. You can get an inner tie rod tool at Harbor Freight for about $40. or you may be able to get a free loaner from your local parts store. There are videos on you tube for replacing inner tie rods, Eric may even have one. It’s not a hard job, just requires an alignment after parts are replaced.
Hope this helps.
John
Try putting some lubricant on the Tirod joints where the boot is some Oil or WD40 should work see if that has any change. If the boot is broken the joints wont last long so i recommend to replace them ASAP.
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