strange front end issue

I replaced my upper and lower control arms...Took away my front end shake. Got an alignment. So I just replaced my sway bar end links and the shake is back worse than before. I went through and made sure all the bolts for the control arms are tight and everything is. There is no play in the steering components at all. Im stumped! Any suggestions? My only thought is the tires having uneven wear from the sloppy front end prior to replacing all the suspension components.

not the tires. I rotated them

Were all suspension components tightened under load? What size are your wheels? What shape are they in (bends, dents, etc)?

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When does the problem occur? Highway speed I assume. Sounds like the tires could be out of balance, otherwise there has to be something hiding in the steering system. When you say you checked the components do you mean everything, or just at the wheels? Try checking for steering wheel play with a simple dry park test.

No the suspension was at full droop when I tightened the arms. 17" wheels with no bends etc. They are true. I rotated the wheels/tires thinking it could be a balance issue and the seemingly balanced wheels/tires from the rear have the same issue up front. The problem is between 55-60mph. I was under the car for a while today and got real close with her trying to figure this out. I tried all kinds of tests to find play.

Originally Posted by S406

No the suspension was at full droop when I tightened the arms. 17" wheels with no bends etc. They are true. I rotated the wheels/tires thinking it could be a balance issue and the seemingly balanced wheels/tires from the rear have the same issue up front. The problem is between 55-60mph. I was under the car for a while today and got real close with her trying to figure this out. I tried all kinds of tests to find play.

Unfortunately, this is the exact opposite way that it is supposed to be done. The car is supposed to be settled on the wheels and 150 pounds in the driver's seat, passenger's seat, middle of the rear seat, 47 pounds in the trunk and a full tank of gas. (I think my memory is correct there). The exact process is covered in the Bentley manual.

Anyway, torquing them with the suspension completely unloaded (i.e. drooping) will cause extreme premature wear on the bushings.

Ok I almost didnt see the tip if it wasnt in red I fixed the arms and tightened them with the car settled on the ground. They didnt look ripped or out of character of new arms. But who knows.

Originally Posted by S406

Ok I almost didnt see the tip if it wasnt in red I fixed the arms and tightened them with the car settled on the ground. They didnt look ripped or out of character of new arms. But who knows.

Hehe. Sorry about the over emphasis

Glad you got them re-torqued. How many miles did you put on them prior to re-torqueing them?

about 250 Probably have to buy new ones.....

Originally Posted by S406

about 250 Probably have to buy new ones.....

Hmm .. I don't know if 250 miles would do significant damage or not. I would look into other possible causes of the shimmy before I dropped coin on new control arms and thrust arms.

I see you are from Montana (I was stationed at Malstrom AFB in the mid 80's - coldest place I've ever been including Alaska, but I digress). Have you had a lot of snow recently? There was a guy on the E36 forum who developed a shimmy and his was from snow and ice building up inside his rims. It's worth looking at and it's free.

Let us know what you find.

Originally Posted by BMR_LVR

Hmm .. I don't know if 250 miles would do significant damage or not. I would look into other possible causes of the shimmy before I dropped coin on new control arms and thrust arms.

I see you are from Montana (I was stationed at Malstrom AFB in the mid 80's - coldest place I've ever been including Alaska, but I digress). Have you had a lot of snow recently? There was a guy on the E36 forum who developed a shimmy and his was from snow and ice building up inside his rims. It's worth looking at and it's free.

Let us know what you find.

I'll be sure to apply a salt/sand mix to the inside of my rims from now on..

Originally Posted by Microtesties

I'll be sure to apply a salt/sand mix to the inside of my rims from now on..

What can I say It happened and caused a shimmy for him (E36 guy).

Not much snow....The cold gets old but its been very mild. Hell if its 35deg its t shirt weather! Ya Im well aware of the wheels building up crap on them. Ive lived here for 34 years lol!

Ok sooo after re adjusting the arms the shimmy is quite a bit better, which makes no sense to me. Now it shimmies while braking when I come off the freeway. Thats new.....Im about to replace everything to do with steering and suspension. This all started after I changed out the sway bar end links.......

Originally Posted by BMR_LVR

What can I say It happened and caused a shimmy for him (E36 guy).

Possible yet improbable, but hey it never hurts to check.

Stranger things have happened.

Originally Posted by S406

Not much snow....The cold gets old but its been very mild. Hell if its 35deg its t shirt weather! Ya Im well aware of the wheels building up crap on them. Ive lived here for 34 years lol!

Ok sooo after re adjusting the arms the shimmy is quite a bit better, which makes no sense to me. Now it shimmies while braking when I come off the freeway. Thats new.....Im about to replace everything to do with steering and suspension. This all started after I changed out the sway bar end links.......

Torque nuts and bolts in their resting place and they'll stay there, torque them while hanging and they'll try to work they're way to that resting place. Not sure if that's true, but sounds logical to me. As for your braking problem remember inertia, your wheels will slow down but your car doesn't want to, so it's weight gets pushed forward on the the front suspension.

Well what about the brakes?

You have addressed the common suspension issues, albiet incorrectly, but what is the condition of the brakes? Worn out rotors will cause the same symptoms.

Condition of the tires is another possibility.

Originally Posted by snowsled7

Well what about the brakes?

You have addressed the common suspension issues, albiet incorrectly, but what is the condition of the brakes? Worn out rotors will cause the same symptoms.

i thought i wrote that above, i must have forgotten to click submit