Driver side wheel play at 12 o'clock, wobbly ride

laramik

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So, I have a 98 GT convertible they just replaced ball joints on as well as a driver's wheel bearing hub. Both the ball joints were shot even though the car only has 67,000 miles on it but it is 20 years old and the boots were torn to pieces so I replaced with new moogs thinking this would correct the wobbly feeling I'm getting from the driver's side front wheel. After the install still seem to have the same wobbly ride. There's also some slight cupping to that tire. Got out and checked it again yesterday to see if I could figure out where the movement might be coming from and with the suspension loaded and me pulling on the top of the tire towards the outside of the car at 12 the wheel moves maybe a centimeter towards me with a hard pull. So I decided to replace the wheel bearing hub which I did with a new timken hub. after the installation of the hub which I did torque down to specifics at 250 ft pounds I still have the same play. So I had someone else pull on it today at the same 12 division and I'll be damned if it doesn't seem like it's coming from inside the strut somehow. I checked the hub from the back side, the ball joint, the caster camber plate, the control arm as well as a strut mounting bolts and none are showing movement. All of the lug nuts torqued to spec and probably 40 pounds more just to make sure I was 100% tight. Is it possible for the strut to be moving internally question mark it definitely appears as if the ride is moving within the dampener out of track. When I have somebody pulling the wheel on the opposite side it doesn't seem to have any play and also the strut doesn't seem to move in that kind of way it's almost as if it's bending inside. Sorry for the long explanation but let me know if anyone else has experienced this and if it could be something as simple as a strut.

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Silver95bird

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If the strut were so far gone that it were wobbling around inside the cylinder, you'd hear a ton of clunking driving around. Had that happen on a rear shock on my old neon, it was noisy as hell and it felt all over the place driving around.

Are all the bolts at the top of the shock tower tight and not wobbling?

Are the control arm bushings shot, and the arm is moving around on the bolts?

Still, if your car has 20yr old shocks it's time to buy new. Love my orange konis on my car. Consider new insulators for the springs too while you're in there.
 
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laramik

laramik

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If the strut were so far gone that it were wobbling around inside the cylinder, you'd hear a ton of clunking driving around. Had that happen on a rear shock on my old neon, it was noisy as hell and it felt all over the place driving around.

Are all the bolts at the top of the shock tower tight and not wobbling?

Are the control arm bushings shot, and the arm is moving around on the bolts?

Still, if your car has 20yr old shocks it's time to buy new. Love my orange konis on my car. Consider new insulators for the springs too while you're in there.
Not hearing clunking but more wobbly. Sometimes a clunk on heavy bumps. Strut bolts are all tight. I'm thinking it could also be the spindle. The bearing that was on there that I did replace seemed to be shot. The back seal basically fell out and the bearing was loose. The spindle looked ok but is it possible it got worn down from the old bearing? I figure I'll go ahead and swap sides with the front struts this weekend to rule out the strut. If the strut passes when on the passenger side then I'll get a new spindle.

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KeeperZoo

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Not hearing clunking but more wobbly. Sometimes a clunk on heavy bumps. Strut bolts are all tight. I'm thinking it could also be the spindle. The bearing that was on there that I did replace seemed to be shot. The back seal basically fell out and the bearing was loose. The spindle looked ok but is it possible it got worn down from the old bearing? I figure I'll go ahead and swap sides with the front struts this weekend to rule out the strut. If the strut passes when on the passenger side then I'll get a new spindle.

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Check if there is movement between the wheel and the steering knuckle or caliper when you pull on the wheel. If there isn't, then the failing part is on the other side of the knuckle.

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greg94

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Check steering shaft, rack and if tires are still culped rotate or replace. Sometimes our cars can have a few more miles than indicated due to odo replacement due to wear. Also over torque rotors can wrap and add to the problem.
 
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laramik

laramik

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Sorry I never replied to this. So it was definitely the driver front strut. Took it off and it had movement within the shaft that was very noticeable. Now that she's all fixed up on the front I will take her in for an alignment. Looks like somebody kept throwing parts at this prior to me then tried to align it and it's obviously out of whack now.

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