I was driving home from work last night and there was a feeling that something might be a little loose - nothing too serious, until I was almost home. Going about 30-35 mph there was a definitey wobble in the steering - the wheel went left and right in quite a pronounced fashion.. any ideas?
Perhaps a tire problem. Something like one that is going flat or is real low on air pressure. Maybe even a tire with a broken belt (they can make quite a wobble in the steering). You should also make sure all the wheel lugs are on tight. Of course, there are many other possible causes for the symptom you described, but this will give you a logical starting point. Check the tires, maybe even rotate them and let us know what you find.
I agree with the disclaimer. A steering problem that developed suddenly should be looked at by a professional if you are not qualified. You could have a steering link or idler arm coming loose. It probably is a tire, but you can't take that chance. A tire bad enough to cause that wobble could be observed as the car was driven slowly and watched from a slight distance.
ah, but no sense in paying $75 to be told you have loose lug nuts on the one wheel, which could cause the problem. Maybe someone was trying to steal the OP's wheels. No one is suggesting he overhaul the steering rack himself, but to make sure the tire pressure is ok, the wheels are on tight, and there's no obvious wheel or tire issues before having it towed to a shop.
Ray
I agree Shep, but as is so often the case, there was no indication of common sense in the original message.
Kevin
At least the guy was sharp enough to notice something and not ignore it like some folks would. He should be OK with the heads-up he has now. What I hate is the people who ignore problems. After something seizes up they mention the noise they heard last week or month.
Well, Mel Gibson wobbled home the other day, and see how he reacted to it;>)
common sense is remarkably uncommon.
Sister has a new Toyota Corolla. Battery died... called roadside assistance... boosted it... brought it in... they gave her grief for leaving the lights on and pretended to check something. Three days later, when she had to call them for another boost and took a strip of the service manager, they discovered the battery had a bad cell. To diagnose a fubar'ed battery like that would take me almost two minutes with a cheapo voltmeter. Now, they've just pissed her off by being a bunch of slack-asses and she's already telling people how Toyota sucks.
Ray
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