[twosickz]

Has anyone had this issue & solved a steering wheel shimmy when going over bumps?

The steering wheel is solid when driving, just when i hit a bump or even surfance i feel it the worst.

Ive torqued every bolt i could see. Still cant figure it out. Below is what ive tried:

-KW V1 coilovers with new oem top strut mounts.
-torqued the top 3 nuts on strut mounts to 25 ft lbs.
-torqued main strut nut to 37 ft lbs per KW.
-torqued strut pinch bolt to 59 ft lbs.

-installed both new M3/TWR control arms & torqued to spec per FCP euro install video while wheels on ground.
-swapped from my 19' wheels to 17'' wheels to test & still same issue.
-replaced power steering reservoir with new OEM & refilled with new fluid.
-installed new inner & outer tie rods & torqued to spec. My old ones did have some play. But issue remained.
-installed new front swaybar end links. Also removed them to test & made no difference.

-torqued the v-brace support to subframe.
-torqued the 2 steering rack bolts on subframe.

-torqued both lower & upper steering shaft bolts.
-done alignment on car and everything is in spec on the sheet.



Below is a quick video. Any suggestions?

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/UGs7TQEcYUc

[gunnerxq]

You tightened the steering shaft bolts but did you grease them? They can eventually start binding from dirt. I forget what kind of spray exactly but I believe silicone spray should work.

[twosickz]

Originally Posted by gunnerxq

You tightened the steering shaft bolts but did you grease them? They can eventually start binding from dirt. I forget what kind of spray exactly but I believe silicone spray should work.

No, i did not grease them before tightening. I will loosen the 2 shaft bolts this afternoon and spray some white lithium grease and see if that makes any difference. Thanks

[e90yyc]

Why would you grease your steering shaft bolts? (Or pretty much any bolt, for that matter…?) Or are you referring to the u joints themselves? I don’t see what greasing the bolts would accomplish other than attracting dirt and grime and possibly making it more likely for them to loosen.

The bolts keep the shaft splines tight to the steering column at the top and the rack at the bottom. There’s clearance in both cases to allow movement of the entire assembly without hitting anything of course, so I’m also not sure what you mean by “bind.” You want the bolts bound to all those things, and you want it to stay put unless you take it off.

[twosickz]

Originally Posted by e90yyc

Why would you grease your steering shaft bolts? (Or pretty much any bolt, for that matter…?) Or are you referring to the u joints themselves? I don’t see what greasing the bolts would accomplish other than attracting dirt and grime and possibly making it more likely for them to loosen.

The bolts keep the shaft splines tight to the steering column at the top and the rack at the bottom. There’s clearance in both cases to allow movement of the entire assembly without hitting anything of course, so I’m also not sure what you mean by “bind.” You want the bolts bound to all those things, and you want it to stay put unless you take it off.

I believe thats what he meant lol and thats how i understood it.

Anyways yes, i wiped the grime off the u-joints, lubricated (both lower & upper on the shaft), re torqued the pinch bolts to 24 ft lbs and still same issue

While i was tightening the upper u-joint bolt near the firewall i noticed the spline shaft from the steering column still has a lot of teeth exposed. Its inserted almost flush with the ujoint but thats it. Is this how yours is as well or does the shaft need to be inserted so more teeth are inserted into the u joint?

Here is a photo of what i'm talking about.

[e90yyc]

Originally Posted by twosickz

I believe thats what he meant lol and thats how i understood it.

Anyways yes, i wiped the grime off the u-joints, lubricated (both lower & upper on the shaft), re torqued the pinch bolts to 24 ft lbs and still same issue

While i was tightening the upper u-joint bolt near the firewall i noticed the spline shaft from the steering column still has a lot of teeth exposed. Its inserted almost flush with the ujoint but thats it. Is this how yours is as well or does the shaft need to be inserted so more teeth are inserted into the u joint?

Here is a photo of what i'm talking about.

Haha okay good to know.

What you’re seeing is 100% normal. I’ve attached a pic that shows where the bolt passes through a channel in the steering column splined end which makes it basically impossible to connect wrong.

On a separate note: If you grab the upper u-joint or just top part of steering shaft and pull up and down or wiggle it side to side, is there play? In/out movement is normal as you know, but I’m unsure if the steering column itself is supposed to have that type of movement.

Looking to determine whether what I’m experiencing is normal, and it sounds like you’ve been in the exact area I am curious about. BTW not referring to play in steering shaft u-joints but rather the column itself. If you have the shaft removed then just grab the splined section of column, but assuming shaft is installed then just grabbing shaft is best bet as you’ll be able to easily tell that it’s the column moving. Thx!

[Brian86]

shimmying over bumps, my first guess would be the shocks are under-dampened, or the upper shock mounts are too soft for the spring & dampening rate.

However, looking at the video, the steering wheel seems to be making a single quick sudden move to a different angle.

How low is the car, how stiff are the springs, and what's the front toe look like?

It's possible you added a new feature to your car. Bump steer.

[twosickz]

Originally Posted by Brian86

shimmying over bumps, my first guess would be the shocks are under-dampened, or the upper shock mounts are too soft for the spring & dampening rate.

However, looking at the video, the steering wheel seems to be making a single quick sudden move to a different angle.

How low is the car, how stiff are the springs, and what's the front toe look like?

It's possible you added a new feature to your car. Bump steer.

Yes. It makes a sudden move depending on which tire hits the bump first.

I have coilovers - KW V1 so their is no adjustable dampening. The drop is about 1.2" in front. Not low by any means. Ill try to find my alignment sheet but everything was in the green. The tech said alignment is good.

The car drives excellent on the road. No bumpy or harsh ride.

[Brian86]

That's almost certainly a new feature. The car is just going to do that.

[twosickz]

oh man. Thats not what I wanted to hear lol. Pair this shimmy with the 740whp coming out of the engine and it gets sketchy during a pull on uneven surface lol.

I was gonna try putting on stock struts/springs and see if it still same issue to confirm its the coilovers.

[gunnerxq]

Originally Posted by e90yyc

Haha okay good to know.

What you’re seeing is 100% normal. I’ve attached a pic that shows where the bolt passes through a channel in the steering column splined end which makes it basically impossible to connect wrong.

On a separate note: If you grab the upper u-joint or just top part of steering shaft and pull up and down or wiggle it side to side, is there play? In/out movement is normal as you know, but I’m unsure if the steering column itself is supposed to have that type of movement.

Looking to determine whether what I’m experiencing is normal, and it sounds like you’ve been in the exact area I am curious about. BTW not referring to play in steering shaft u-joints but rather the column itself. If you have the shaft removed then just grab the splined section of column, but assuming shaft is installed then just grabbing shaft is best bet as you’ll be able to easily tell that it’s the column moving. Thx!

Yeah I meant the u-joint. I had a similar shimmy in my car years ago. I never loosened the joint to grease it. I just tightened it and greased it a few times before it went away.

I wondering if the shimmy is coming from a binding strut mount. Or improperly mounted springs.

[twosickz]

Originally Posted by gunnerxq

Yeah I meant the u-joint. I had a similar shimmy in my car years ago. I never loosened the joint to grease it. I just tightened it and greased it a few times before it went away.

I wondering if the shimmy is coming from a binding strut mount. Or improperly mounted springs.

You had similiar shimmy issue when driving over bumps only?

I thought the same thing so i replaced the strut mounts with new oem mounts and still same issue. I made sure to align the small pin on the strut mount with the shock tower of car. Torqued the 3 strut mount nuts to 25-26 ft lbs.Their is nothing else to align.

I will try to loosen the 2 u joint bolts & re grease the u joints on steering shaft again after work today. Any special grease you used?

[gunnerxq]

Originally Posted by twosickz

You had similiar shimmy issue when driving over bumps only?

I thought the same thing so i replaced the strut mounts with new oem mounts and still same issue. I made sure to align the small pin on the strut mount with the shock tower of car. Torqued the 3 strut mount nuts to 25-26 ft lbs.Their is nothing else to align.

I will try to loosen the 2 u joint bolts & re grease the u joints on steering shaft again after work today. Any special grease you used?

Yeah same exact shimmy. I forgot that I eventually packed the U-joints with bearing grease. Just use a high quality tacky grease. I did this 2 years ago.

Can't see how it could be much else if you've replaced everything. Last thing I can think of is a poor alignment. But it seems like a binding issue.

[e90yyc]

To follow up my earlier post: The lateral play in the column appears to be normal. Pulled a replacement that looked to be in very good shape and it does the same thing. Was able to grab the column and the steering shaft in multiple places when I had the column trim removed and the shaft appears to be the culprit. Super strange because it ain’t that old but new one on the way.

In case whoever reads this hasn’t seen my other posts that discuss my issues in greater detail, basically every component in my steering system is new (only exception is the power steering lines, which wouldn’t cause this anyway). So, will update once I put in new new shaft.