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Old 02-19-2006   #1
tomtom72
 
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Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Jacksonville, FL USA
Posts: 4,645
Default Front suspension trouble?

When ya have a problem, ya always come home for help!

I'm not sure I have a developing front end problem because this is the first C4I've ever driven. 90/ZR-1, 15.6K miles on odo. This is what it's doing:

Over closely spaced waves in the road in turns & at certain vehicle speeds, not potholes or broken pavement, the car gets very "upset". The front seems to loose feeling and the front seems to vibrate or osclliate & I can feel it in the chassis and the steering wheel. It's almost like the chassis is twisting diagonally from one front corner to the opposite rear corner. It also transmits an occlitation thru the steering wheel that you can feel. This seems to be happening in corners where the front tire that is "unloaded" does this dance like the shock can't stop the "unloaded" spring osclliations. I'm not talking about really pushing the car thru twisties like a better car handler than I could do. I'm talking moderately exceeding a posted limit for a given curve, not racing speeds. Speed that you would think were well within the envelope for a vette. On smooth road it gives the "glued down" feeling. This wierdness doesn't happen all the time, rather it seems there is a unique set of circumstances needed to produce it. I should add that my ignorance of front transverse leaf spring suspension is not helping me.

Things I've done so far to trouble shoot this:
I keep the shocks wipped weekly to check for excessive oil leakage...None or not much to even make the road dirt smear much when wipped with a dry rag.

I tried pulling on the top and bottom of the front tires and I can't get any movement or clunking from the ball joints. The joints were over greased and the bags came out so I think I'll have them done before spring because lubbing them with the bags poped is a PIA!

The wish bone bushings are not cracked or pushed out & the shim bolts are tight. The shock bolts and the sway bar end links and sway bar mounts are tight and the bushings are not cracked or pushed out.

The rack mount is tight & bushings good and the "tie-rod" ends don't seem to have excessive play but I did not discon them to see for sure. They don't seem to move when you pull on the bottom of the tire. I know I should separate them to be sure, right?

The rotors are not warpped, no pulsing in the pedel, and I have meat left on the OE pads...only 15.6K on the odo. Oh, slowing buy rolling out of the gas or even draging the brake makes this "feeling" go away very quickly.

I'm gonna get the front tires re-balanced to eliminate a very slight balancing error...only seems to be at a specific speed & I have to concentrate to feel it in the wheel. I didn't wack a curb or drive into a crater to bend a wheel.

Sorry this is so long. I wanted to be as complete with the info as I'm able to be. Thanks for any light thrown my way!

Tom oh no lights on the DIC & no service ride control light.
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1990 ZR-1, Black/grey, #2233, stock. ZR-1 Net Reg Founding Member #316 & NCM member
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