Steering Shake yet again... help - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

bmcuscgr94 · 02-07-2011, 08:48 PM

Don't forget to check power steering fluid. I had a bad shake and my fluid was low. Topped it off and the shake went away.

shlim8 · 02-10-2011, 04:21 AM

Hmm, power steering fluid, the thought had crossed my mind, but I forgot to check it the last time I had the engine exposed.... will have a look at that.

Yes, I'm from Singapore but currently living and working across the border in Malaysia. I travel up and down the highway hence I'm seeing all these shakes... The car is a perfect angel in Singapore with the smooth roads and 90kmh speed limits.

I've already bought the wheel bearings, in fact the last time the whole wheel hub was almost out (fixing suspension), regretted not getting the wheel bearings changed ! My mechanic claims the bearing are fine and not to waste money changing them.

Sigh.... now I've got an extra problem to deal with... I'm beginning to lose alittle more coolant. Had the cooling system checked (rather quickly) before the chinese new year (as my mechanic was trying to clear their cars before the chinese new year holidays) and no leaks spotted.

BUT I've noticed that there is coolant loss from the area of the coolant expansion tank and it's seems to be in the form of condensation - wet on the rear trunk lid, right above the coolant cap. The coolant cap has just been replaced with the latest revision. In fact just 2 days ago, I probably lost about a cup of coolant as I made the mistake of doing a high speed run just before reaching home and turning the engine off and the engine was still really hot (red line the engine) without letting the engine cool down.

Suspected that it might be the bleeder valve, will have to look at it this weekend...

Toughest part is that it's difficult to get ready spare parts as there are very few boxsters around here.

Yes, it's frustrating sometimes, sometimes to the point of being tempted to just sell the car, but then, lower the convertible top, enjoy the drive and the feeling just goes off...

shlim8 · 02-13-2011, 04:12 AM

I checked, the power steering fluid is at the "o" alphabet of the word "cold" on the dipstick when cold. Which is actually above the lower arrow mark. According to the manual the fluid level should be "below the arrow mark". I guess I can rule out low fluid.

I realize that the steering has a bit of free play... not sure if its normal or not... while driving even at high speeds, I can rock the steering wheel maybe a inch left and right, back and forth without the car reacting (with change of direction).

The vibration seems worse when steering is turned.

Bad tie rods or rack ??

shlim8 · 03-06-2011, 05:38 AM

Finally got the outer tie rods changed. Also did the 3 (on each side) rear control arms changed, got the front wheels balanced.

AT LAST - no more vibrations....

Sigh, over the last 5 months, have changed all suspension control arms on all 4 sides, complete M030 suspension upgrade, 2 tie rods, mulitple wheel balancing and wheel alignment + making sure the tire pressures are right...

Phew, the car now is vibration free... it's been a long journey. Only thing left is some adjustment left on the camber... I've got -1.5 degrees, front and back now... didn't have time to get the front reduced..

I still don't know what was the exact cause of the last bit of vibration, as the tie rods seem fine, but the steering feel is completely changed... tight and responsive now.

Also added 7mm spacers to the front as the rims are cayman's and the rears are offset 40 instead of the original 48 (front 55 same as before). Was afraid this might worsen the vibration, but all is fine.

Time to enjoy the car !

WhipE350 · 03-06-2011, 07:50 PM

Great! Did you notice any difference with all the work in the back. That is a lot to do, I would think something wasn't quite right with the tie rods. It's a nice feeling t know the rear of the car is pretty much new now.

PhilNotHill · 03-06-2011, 08:55 PM

Congratulations.

I know the frustration when the steering feel isn't perfect...like when the local yokels balance my tires except they are not balanced at high speeds. Drives me nuts.

shlim8 · 03-07-2011, 06:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WhipE350

Great! Did you notice any difference with all the work in the back. That is a lot to do, I would think something wasn't quite right with the tie rods. It's a nice feeling t know the rear of the car is pretty much new now.

Actually ALL the suspension components front and back are new now ... ha ha.. it's a good feeling knowing that I don't have to worry about them for awhile.

I changed the rear control arms/links as I already had them. I had ordered both front and rear control arms/links together to save on shipping cost (but 2 of the rears were out of stock hence separate front and rear install). I figured that 10 yr old rubber bushings can't be in that great condition anyway. It turned out that the rear control arms and links were in fairly good condition, possibly 2 of the bushings (mounting close to the firewall) might be suspect but not all that bad. And the control arm seem rather stiff in the upward/downward movement though, unlike the front.

The rear suspension feels more fluid now and takes rough roads better now. But it's marginal and could be my imagination.

Come and think about it, my mechanic did tell me that one of the tie rods just came off by itself when he undid the bolt to the ball joint. That might be the cause of the vibration - either it wasn't tighted properly or not snapped in place... not sure if that's possible though. Or maybe the tapered part of the ball joint was just worn ??

Now, it's the breather valve that I need to tackle.... my parts have arrived !

WhipE350 · 03-07-2011, 07:19 PM

Don't you just love how these cars get our credit cards out so easy...

Really though it sounds like the problem was in the front. You probably are noticing a little difference in the rear, it's like new now!. I replaced all four shocks (and was sore for 3 days, not easy for a novice) and put sport in the rear...feels the same up to 60 degrees above that I really notice a difference, probably my imagination but it's almost like the springs soften up and the shocks can do their thing. Car feels great. My car is 11 years old and not a lot of wear at 54k, think a lot has to do with driving conditions.