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Help! Need to locate steering parts.

Discussion in 'Daihatsu Hi jet' started by darrenbrigman, Feb 23, 2010.

  1. darrenbrigman

    darrenbrigman Member

    Hey guys, I have a '91 S83p hijet, and after putting mazda 13" wheels on it, I am getting a really strong shake between 55 and 60mph. I managed to narrow it down to the tie rod ends, and ordered a pair back in December. Still haven't gotten here. (was trying to save some money, and it ended up costing me lots with nothing to show for it!) I have looked at the site sponsor links, but can't find this specific part listed. Can some of the sponsors chime in and let me know if you have these parts? I'd much prefer new parts over used. Send me a PM or post here, whichever is more appropriate. I'm needing the left and right outer tie rod ends.
    Thanks guys!
    darren
     
  2. I don't think your shake is from the tie rod ends. You just put the tires on and now you have a shake a 55-60? Your tires are out of balance or you have a bent rim. Take them down to a tire shop and have the balance checked. It would be very unlikely tie rods would give you a front end shake. Did the old tie rods have play in them? What made you condemn them?
     
  3. darrenbrigman

    darrenbrigman Member

    I had a little bit of shake with the factory wheels and tires, and I found that the outer tie rod ends were a little sloppy. I installed grease fittings in the ends, and after pumping them full of grease, the shake went away. Every couple of months I'd have to put more grease in them because I would start getting the shake back. I put the larger wheels and tires on, and it is a lot more pronounced. I have 2 sets of mazda wheels, and have swapped wheels around, and even put different sets of wheels on the truck with the same result.
     
  4. I've been a front end tech for the past 20 years and have never had a tie rod end induce a front shake. There is something else that's causing it. When you pump the tie rod end with grease you're just keeping the steering knuckle steady. If you think about it how would a tie rod end cause a shake? Replace the part because it's worn then find the cause of the shake. If you keep allowing it to shake after the part replacement it will cause premature wearing of front end components. Have whatever tires you going to use checked for straightness and balance.
     
  5. darrenbrigman

    darrenbrigman Member

    That sounds like good logic. I have had everything checked by the alignment shop here in town, and the only thing they can find is the worn tie rod ends. They checked the wheels as well, and rebalanced the tires. I may need to take it to a different shop, but this is the only one locally. The strange part is that above 60, it smooths out again. when I slow down, the shake comes back in at almost exactly 60mph, and below 55, it is gone again. Before I pumped the grease in the rod ends, it shook from about 40mph on. Maybe I have tires that have irregularities in them. I have been planning to purchase new tires for it anyway, but was waiting for the new rod ends before doing that, so that I could take it for an alignment after installing the new tires.
     
  6. fupabox

    fupabox Well-Known Member

    a slipped belt in a tire can cause shaking exactly as you are describing..they are also at times very hard to spot..the balancer in the shop you went to could need calibrating as well
     
  7. darrenbrigman

    darrenbrigman Member

    Fupa, wouldn't the problem change if I swapped the front tires to the rear though? I have tried that as well, with no luck. I have read that the wider tires may put a load on a different part of the wheel bearing and cause a shake as well. I'm going back out to the shop tomorrow and putting the truck up on a lift, and going over everything under it to check for worn or loose parts. If I don't find anything other than the tie rod ends, I'm going to have new tires put on it and see if that helps. Northern Tire makes a good point that the tie rod ends shouldn't be causing a shake. Lots of play in the steering I could understand, but not the shake.
     
  8. DeMag

    DeMag Member

    Just a thought, You might want to add a stabilizer steering shock .. I can't verify it with a mini but I've owned/built several jacked up trucks with well built suspension lifts.
    You can put new tires (say 38" gumbos) and they will run fine but you get down to 1/3 tread on a cold morning without a good set of steering stabilizer shocks on it I'll guarentee you you'll not hold it in the road and once it gets to shaking it will wear other componets out in a heartbeat and do nothing but get worse.
    Replace the tie rods first is where I'd start then maybe find an ole fashion mechanic with a bubble balancer to balance the wheels to see if there is any difference than being spin balanced.
     
  9. Try a different shop. The shake you describe sound like a balance or tire problem. Are the tires mounting squarely on the hub surface. Is there any dirt or rust that could cause the rim not to seat properly and cause a run out condition. I once had a vehicle in that had a bent wheel flange after hitting a curb. If you have access to a dial indicator check the run out at the rotor. I have also lifted vehicles on our 4 pole hoist and lifted all four tires up (weight on suspension, not hanging) put the vehicle in 4WD then run the truck up to speed and watch for any run out issues.

    Wider tire won't cause a shake unless they have balance or run out problems. Shakes are usually caused by an out of balance or run out problem. Other issues such as worn ball joint, tire rod ends, bad bearing etc will amplify an already existing problem.
     
  10. What you are referring to is call the "death wooble". It's very common on lifted straight axle truck with big tires. When the truck is lifted the caster goes more negitive and you get the shopping cart effect. All it takes is a small bump in the road or a slightly out of balance tire and get going at the right speed and away she goes. The stabilizer holds everything steady so the wobble can't take hold.
     
  11. redgreen

    redgreen Member

    Darren,
    This conversation sounds familiar. I think you are getting led astray here. Worn tie rods ends without a doubt can cause front end shake. If this shake appears at higher speeds and goes away again when you slow down or brake it has all the symptoms. You have had a second opinion from an alignment shop that the only worn components are the tie rod ends. The bigger/higher/wider tires you put on will only amplify the problem. The fact that it shakes at a lower speed than it did in December is probably because the ends are now worn a little more. Give Deena a call at Crossroads Mini Trucks they should have them in stock.
     
  12. Please explain in greater detail. How does a tie rod cause a shake?
     
  13. redgreen

    redgreen Member

    The " death wobble" that you referred to earlier I believe is what Darren is experiencing. For a lighter truck with small wheels like a mini truck this condition is less pronounced. It also occurs when driving on pavement more than on gravel. I agree that some force has to start the process whether it is a bump or a tire out of balance. What I disagree with is that worn tie rod ends won't allow this wobble to occur. Wear in many different steering components can cause this condition. Based on the info that we have from Darrens posts are that his Hijet developed a wobble, in December he noticed that his outer tie rod ends had some play. He then installed grease nipples and the problem disappeared. After driving it for some time the wobble reappeared. After installing 13" tires it became worse. He has had an alignment shop check the steering components and they also found only the two outer tie rod ends were worn. They rebalanced the tires so a seperated tire would have shown up. My apologies for writing this novel length reply. This is only my opinion based on experience and the info we have without looking at the truck. Please post when you have your tie rod ends replaced Darren and let us know the result.
     
  14. greg0187

    greg0187 Moderator Staff Member

  15. darrenbrigman

    darrenbrigman Member

    Greg, That sounds like it would work great. I spoke with a dealer today, and he says he can have the correct rod ends in about 10 days, so I'm going to try that route first. If I can't get the correct ones, I'll make a trip down to the machine shop and build new rods!
     
    Last edited: Feb 26, 2010
  16. If a front end has the proper caster as is more positive I don't care how bad the tie rods are there won't be a "death wobble". This effect only happens on close to zero or negative castered vehicles.

    I'm not saying don't replace the tie rods, just find the cause of the shake. Hey but what do I kinow. I've only been a front end tech for 20 years and run my own front end alignment shop.


    P.S. You never did explain how worn tie rod ends causes a steering shake.


    I'm done with this thread.
     
    Last edited: Feb 26, 2010
  17. darrenbrigman

    darrenbrigman Member

    Wow... I didn't mean to start any wars... was just looking for a source for tie rod ends.
     
  18. tyfyeq

    tyfyeq Member

    don't waste you money! had the same problem with my hijet when i put all-trails on it. all i do is drive it on the street. i just tightened the nut on the steering rack. makes it harder to turn but does the trick.
     
  19. tyfyeq

    tyfyeq Member

    look where the steering wheel goes into the rack that moves side to side. there will be a very large allen key nut. make sure you mark the bolt so you can tell how much you have tightened the steering and adjust from there
     
  20. :frustration:
     
  21. tyfyeq

    tyfyeq Member

    Are you good now?
     
  22. Just a little more and I'll be fine. :frustration:
     
  23. darrenbrigman

    darrenbrigman Member

    Well, guys... once again, the easiest possible problem turns out to be it. I put new tires on the truck today, and I'm smooth as silk right up to 120km/hr. I had the guy put the old wheels on the balance machine before we swapped them out, and they looked perfectly straight without any wobble at all. I had the new tires installed, and problem solved! I still plan to replace the tie rod ends, but as stated by Northern Tire, they were not the cause of the shake. I think that the problem was probably a slipped belt in one of the tires, as stated by Fupa. I'm glad to have this all put to rest. Thanks for everyone's help on this issue!!
     
  24. redgreen

    redgreen Member

    Great to hear your problem is solved. I'd like to be the first to admit I was wrrrrong! Not the first time, I have been married a long time too.:eek:
     
    Mr C likes this.
  25. fupabox

    fupabox Well-Known Member

    Still trying to hold in the peee...I think I need a diaper:p

    Darren ..glad that got sorted out. Good job:)
     

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