A bit of a scary problem!

NoQuarter

Hi folks,

I have a 1995 Toyota MR2 Turbo and ive been having a bit of a problem with it since last week!

Basically the steering just doesnt seem right on it. Its gone very light and is less responsive than usual. Now the scary part: tonight as i was driving along( straight road, just starting to break, coming from 4th down to 3rd gear), the car start to violently shake! It either felt like i had just gotten a blow out (which i didnt) or that the wheel was about to come off the car! It stopped after a few seconds when i either broke more or turned the wheel slightly!

It happened a couple more times on my drive. It only happens on a straight road at a speed of between 40 - 70 id say and mostly as soon as i touch the breaks. I swear everytime it happens i expect to see my wheel fly past me!

Probably a job for the mechanic but anybody have any ideas??

LIS

dont know jack about cars bud but it dont sound good.getting it looked at is cheaper then a coffin(or so i believe).
best be safe and get it looked after.good luck bud

Tea 1000

Sounds like warped brake disk or disks, apart from the bit of the steering feeling odd before the shaking happens. Maybe it's actually a problem with the steering column?
Any problems braking hard from around 30mph? Any problems or noises turning the steering sharply from lock to lock at maybe 2 or 3mph in a carpark?

Vic_08

king-stew wrote: »

A bit of a scary problem!

Very scary to know that some people will continue to drive a car with an obviously dangerous defect.

Get it to a competent mechanic or better still call one out.

NoQuarter

LIGHTNING wrote: »

First thing I would check is that all the tyres are in good nick and properly inflated to the correct pressures.

Yeah the tyre pressuse is spot on! Tyres are all in really good nick!

Tea 1000 wrote: »

Any problems braking hard from around 30mph? Any problems or noises turning the steering sharply from lock to lock at maybe 2 or 3mph in a carpark?

No probs sharply breaking at all! 2 or 3 mph turning the steering is actually heavy! Still doesnt feel right, and steering fluid is filled up to full!

Vic_08 wrote: »

Very scary to know that some people will continue to drive a car with an obviously dangerous defect.

Get it to a competent mechanic or better still call one out.

I had to get home from wicklow somehow! Cant just pull up on the side of the road?! Although i do understand your concerns!

NoQuarter

LIGHTNING wrote: »

Im not expert but if they tyres are ok and brakes disks are ok then I would be checking the suspension geometry. Did you hit any curbs at speed lately?

No im certain i havent. Unless i went over a ramp too fast as there are so many around here!

daveharnett

LIGHTNING wrote: »

Im not expert but if they tyres are ok and brakes disks are ok then I would be checking the suspension geometry. Did you hit any curbs at speed lately?

I'm definately not an expert, but I'd be thinking the same way.

Needn't have been anything violent to cause it, possibly just one of the rubber gubbins failing after years of gradual wear.

For what it's worth (almost nothing), my guess would be that there is play on one of the strut bars. The first diagnostic step would be to lock the steering, jack up each of the front wheels in turn, hold the wheel at the three and nine positions and check for play. I'd be expecting the front of the wheel to move in an inch or so when pushed.

Absurdum

Are you sure all the wheels are on right? i.e. wheelnuts are tightened up properly?

voxpop

Might be a torn subframe bush - makes the car feel like its on jelly when breaking.

Viper_JB

I had a similarish problem minus the light steering, in my case it was down to the piston in the brake caliper getting stuck, also had a problem with power steering fluid leaking onto the steering rack....check for large deposits of brake dust more so on one wheel then the other and leaks in the power steering pipes.

rebel.ranter

I was just about to suggest a sticking brake caliper. After a drive the disc can heat up when the caliper is sticking. I have experienced this kind of "speed wobble" due to a sticking brake caliper myself. The strange thing was that once the whole lot was allowed to cool down it returned to normal for a while until it heated up again.

Have a look at your front wheels to see if one has more brake dust deposit on it than the other. That will give you a clue if a caliper is sticking.


It could also be the bushes on the lower arm could be like jelly either through normal wear or contamination. Or it could be ball joints too. I had another "speed wobble" incident in an old 1974 VW Beelte years ago, the ball joints were all gone & the thing used to take on a life of its own sometimes! Braking was the only thing that would settle it! It was like a new car when I changed them all out along with a new steering box.

Owen

Do the simple things first. Check your wheel nuts are tight, and work from there.

mickdw

When you mention the light/odd steering feel, I would be pretty certain that some part of you steering geometry has moved or is moving occasionally. I wouldnt be doing 70 mph in this car at the minute. If the problem was a balljoint for example, the wheel could well collapse when under cornering force.

NoQuarter

Thanks for all the advice, i wont be driving far or fast in it at all till i get it checked! I will update when i know what was wrong!

CarMuppet

king-stew wrote: »

Hi folks,

I have a 1995 Toyota MR2 Turbo and ive been having a bit of a problem with it since last week!

Basically the steering just doesnt seem right on it. Its gone very light and is less responsive than usual. Now the scary part: tonight as i was driving along( straight road, just starting to break, coming from 4th down to 3rd gear), the car start to violently shake! It either felt like i had just gotten a blow out (which i didnt) or that the wheel was about to come off the car! It stopped after a few seconds when i either broke more or turned the wheel slightly!

It happened a couple more times on my drive. It only happens on a straight road at a speed of between 40 - 70 id say and mostly as soon as i touch the breaks. I swear everytime it happens i expect to see my wheel fly past me!

Probably a job for the mechanic but anybody have any ideas??

This is only my opinion .... but don't use the car anymore on the road until you're 100% sure what's going on.... could be jammed/collapsed caliper, worn ball joint, broken/bent steering linkage... hard to say without driving/hearing/seeing car... but you should get it to a professional asap.. it could get a lot worse for you or someone else if a component fails under a cornering or braking load.... not a pretty sight! :eek:

Let us know how you get on! best of luck!
CarMuppet