Steering Wheel Shake

[Sawdusted]

Guys,
I have come into temporary possession of a 2007 Suzuki Reno which has a shaking steering wheel. Shaking gets worse the higher the speed is. One possibility is imbalanced wheels which could be the problem but I think there could be another reason.

I jacked up the front and tried to twist the tire at the 9-3 position. The tie-rod ends are tight, but there seems to be some play in the steering system. I am able to turn the knuckle about 1/8" left to right before it stops. Also the strut turns/twists with it.

I looked at the strut and it mounts to the strut tower with a single cap, unlike the usual 3-4 nuts/bolts that secure it to the tower. Moreover, the strut cap moves up and down with the suspension (see picture), giving it a lot of movement in my opinion which could contribute to the strut twisting and cause shaking at higher speeds.

How do you propose I get this thing resolved inexpensively? We do not have the finances to replace all suspicious parts, so if there are any tests that I can do, please let me know.

Here's the strut type.

Strut cap with car on ground
Gap between tower and cap disappears when car is jacked up. See contact points in the dust.

Thanks guys!

 

[stephen9666]

I think your best course of action is to get the tires balanced and go from there.

 

[scurvy]

There's usually a gap between the strut cap and body tower... looks normal to me.

Your first course of action is to have the wheels balanced!

 

[Sawdusted]

Originally Posted By: scurvy
There's usually a gap between the strut cap and body tower... looks normal to me.


Not on the cars I have personally owned.

Actually the tires are down to the wear bars. I'm headed to the shop next week to get new shoes (probably used but in good condition) first.

 

[Quest]

always start with properly balanced tires (esp. front tires).

Other than suspension components play, other yet most neglected check is the "true-ness" of the front wheel hub, which can be damaged (warped) due to accidents such as hitting the curb, portholes, etc.

To a lesser extent: worn struts will also lead to steering wheel shaking on high speeds...

Q.

 

[david_ES2]

Put front tires in the back and see if it changes, if it does you know its the tires

Never had a car shake the steering wheel because of worn struts/shocks

 

[Kuato]

New tires properly balanced.....

 

[Tuffy1760]

Start with tires and balancing...

 

[gregk24]

We used to have a Forenza (same set up, just in a sedan) and a couple of the rims were bent, wonder if that could contribute? might want to check that out.