[wbferran]

not so bad at the lower speeds. seems like rotors out of round. new front pads and turned the rotors only 15,000 miles ago.

can they get out of round that quickly? anything else that could be causing the shimmy? thanks-

 

[Bad69cat]

Did you torque the wheels in the correct star sequence? It's possible to overdo it and warp them. What kind of shape is the rest of your suspension in? Tie rods, control arms...etc

 

[69eliminator]

Rotors can warp very quickly if they get overheated. Maybe your calipers aren't releasing properly and holding the pads too tight??

 

[wbferran]

thanks for the replies.

the front end is almost all replaced. spent some money on it. owned the car since 1979 so it was worth it to me.

still after all that, i do get one or two strange "clanks" that seem to come from the right front wheel area, particulary with the brake pedal applied in a right hand turn.

same kind of sound sometimes coming to a stop, as the front end comes up when the stop is complete.

all very annoying after changing out inner and outer tie rods, idler arm, ball joints, almost everything up front with the exception of the drag link. and there does seem to be some play where the inner tie rod connects to the drag link. maybe the drag link hole is worn out? that's never been changed since i bought the car in 1979.

how would i know if the calipers are not releasing properly?

 

[67.5xr7]

if strut rod bushing are worn or lose,....when braking the rearward movement of the lower control against the strut bushings will cause excessive toe in. That clank/clunk sound could be the lower control arm shifting in the eccentric cam block.

 

[wbferran]

if strut rod bushing are worn or lose,....when braking the rearward movement of the lower control against the strut bushings will cause excessive toe in. That clank/clunk sound could be the lower control arm shifting in the eccentric cam block.

i will take a look at that but the strut rod bushings are new. over the last couple of years the list includes:

upper ball joints
front sway bar bushings
front shocks and bushings
outer tie rods
inner tie rods
lower control arm bushings
upper control arm and bushings
spring perches
sway bar links
idler arm

did i mention that "clunk" is very annoying???

 

[67.5xr7]

Yes, clunks are a source for concern. The passenger side will take 3 times the beating with suspension parts,..sharp right turns, potholes ect.... A clunk is usually a component binding and releasing. My first thought was the lower control arm mount at the eccentric cam block,....if it is just slightly loose it will slip around, change your alignment, and make a clunk when it moves.

 

[Bad69cat]

Feel your wheels for hot when you haven't driven to far or come to to many stops - that should tell you if your calipers/shoes are dragging. Warm is good - hot tells you to look a bit deeper. Pull off the offending one and look at the brake pads - you'll know if it's been dragging. the ones on my truck litterally fell off the shoes when I had that issue - I'm lucky they didn't catch fire! LOL (I remeber thinking somebody was smoking thier clutch at the stop lights - cuz I could smell it - he he)

 

[wonderwrench]

Steering wheel shimmy when braking at high speed 9 times out of 10 is caused by warped rotors. Normally loose front end parts will not cause the steering wheel to shimmy only when braking because braking tends to load up any slop. I'd guess you have two different problems, warped rotors and loose or warn front end parts. As others have said rotors can be warped by dragging brakes. The cheap recycled cast iron rotors are made out of today will rust where the brake pads set if the car is not driven on a regular basis. This is more of a problem in states with high humidity. The clank as others have said sounds like a loose part in the front end or steering. Back to the rotors: Machining rotors off the car has almost become a lost art. More so when the rotor has a hub and bearings. Its possible the rotors were not machined correctly the last time. The most accurate way to machine any rotor is on car. If the rotors are thick enough to be machined still I would try to find a shop that has a quality on car brake lathe and a tech that knows how to use it. Make sure the tech adds preload to the wheel bearings before machining the rotors. Once complete remove the added preload. It might be a good idea to clean, inspect and repack the bearings before hand. Replacing any worn bearings and races as needed.

Bill

 

[Harvey]

Might be off subject or not? Back when I had my first car we used to balance the tires on the car as the (alledgedly) rotors were not balanced? Is this true and could it be the culprit?

 

[wonderwrench]

No since the shimmy only happens when braking.

Bill