I have been having steering shake/wobble issues in my s13 Silvia for a while now. First thing I did was get new tires, that did nothing, I am guessing that when they installed them (tires23) they also did a good job of balancing them so I dont think its rim related either(?). Then I repleced the T/C rods as well as the tie rods (inner & outer) with adjustable Megan and Tein units. That did nothing for the wheel shake.
Had a full alignment and it was clear that there was no play around the hub so wheel bearing is probably not the cause. Now when the car was lifted up it was clear that one of the front shock was done, it was leaking, the retainer for the oil was kind of just flopping around.
The problem usually (but not always) comes up at around 100 km/h then goes away the faster I go, BUT it is by no means predictable, it comes in at different speeds and also depending on the road surface. It feels like a side to side shake more than a vibration as if the suspensing is bouncing or skipping, giving an overall vague “gliding” feel. It also happens momentarily at lower speeds over bumpy surfaces. It does not happen when braking.
So would the dead shock be the sole cause of this (spring doing all the work causing the bouncing)? the only other thing I am really thinking is steering rack, it does look like there might be a leak there too and I can hear the power steering pump humming louder than usual when I am turning at very low speeds.
So any other suggestions before I upgrade to coilovers :wiggle:? I am dreading upgrading the shocks only to have the problem still nagging me.