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Got a couple questions for you guys and gals. So my 1988 245 seems to be having a front end problem. A couple of weeks ago I noticed that my steering wheel would shake when I was turning. I took it down to a parking lot and experimented to see what would make it act up. It seemed to be the worse when I would crank the wheel and back around in a circle. The front wheels would vibrate and the steering wheel would shake. It almost seemed like a harmonic shaking that would continue after I came to a stop, but would fade away and stop. It wouldn't vibrate for long, maybe a few seconds after I stopped. I also noticed that sometimes they would shake if I was sitting still and turning the steering wheel. It bothers me the most when I go over a bump while turning because the steering wheel feels a bit loose and I get that same vibration/shaking problem.
I put an outer tierod end/balljoint on one side a few months ago and since this vibration started, I have put another on the other side to see if that was the problem. Didn't fix it. I also checked to see if my hubs were loose and then retightened them. One side has new wheel bearings and the other side seems pretty good. There doesn't seem to be any looseness if I grab the wheel with it off the ground.
Everything feels pretty nice driving in a straight line or even turning on a smooth road, especially since I did the tie rod ends/balljoints. It seems to be a bit better after the work that I've done, but it still shakes when I go over a bump while turning. Any ideas on what it could be? Bad steering rack? Bad strut? They don't seem to be obviously bad. Doesn't bounce bad or anything. Could it it be a bad strut mount? I could use some help. Since I'm busy trying to defend my thesis before June, I really don't have time to go through the front end myself and chase this down. I might end up taking it in, but of course I'd like to get a better idea what the problem might be. Keep reading though....
I also have another problem with the same car. It pings pretty bad. I've checked cam timing and ignition timing. When I did cam timing, I found that the belt had slipped a tooth or two and I reset it back to where it should be. I figured for sure that was the problem. No dice. I checked ignition timing and set it at ~10 or 11 degrees. I also tryed some Seaform magic snake oil. I figured it might be just carboned up after 273K miles. Didn't really help. It does have a bit of a rough idle, but overall runs pretty smooth. As weather gets hotter, of course the pinging is getting worse. Any ideas for this?
I really appreciate any help or advice you can give me. Thanks in advace.
DH
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