steering wheel...

[wannabe]

i know, its an old car. but at 60-70 mph the steering wheel shimmies bad. is it b/c i'm out of allignment or what? my car pulls to the left if i take my hands off the wheel (bad idea!).

thanks!

[94Corolla5Speed]

Probably a wheel is out of balance. You said your uncle is a mechanic right? He should be able to get your wheels balanced for cheap/free.

[Tinton]

If the car pulls 1 way or the other, its typically alignment. If the car shudders at certain speeds, its wheel balancing.

Your car probably needs both a wheel balancing and alignment very, very badly, Kelly.

[AHTOXA]

Shimmy in the steering wheel means the front wheels are not balanced. When the rear wheels are not balanced, the shimmy will be felt in the seat.

It's likely that the wheel lost a weight at some point.

[Tinton]

Shimmy in the steering wheel means the front wheels are not balanced. When the rear wheels are not balanced, the shimmy will be felt in the seat.

It's likely that the wheel lost a weight at some point.

With her ancient car, its likely every wheel is unbalanced.

[comingbackdown]

Agreed with the above:
It needs an alignment, and the wheels are out of balance.

[theholycow]

The car was sitting in one place all winter, right? The tires could have deformed, hardened unevenly, or developed flat spots. Balance is still the first thing to check.

[wannabe]

uncle can't do it, doesn't have the tools.

where do i go to get it done, how much does it (typically) cost?

[watkins]

Go to some chain mechanic like NTB or Pep Boys

[wannabe]

pep boys is too far away (atm)

whats NTB?

[watkins]

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=ntb

[theholycow]

National Tire & Battery...it's just a service chain, like Pep Boys service department, Sears service centers, Midas, or Meineke (just different specialties). Tire balancing isn't rocket science, any place that sells and installs tires is equipped for it. National chains are more likely to have the latest computerized balancing equipment, while decently large local tire shops are more likely to have someone who knows what they're doing.

It will probably be between $5 and $20 per tire, and tiny local garages are likely to charge less.

If you have Town Fair Tire, I've found their employees to usually be reasonably competent at mounting/balancing and their pricing is generally great.

[wannabe]

a mechanic in the area will do it for 50/alignment and 30/balanced.

is that good pricing?

[Tinton]

a mechanic in the area will do it for 50/alignment and 30/balanced.

is that good pricing?

Yes, that's very good pricing. Best I've ever gotten was a $50 lifetime alignment, with that I brought my '86 Fiero back in for an alignment every month or so for a year, all for free (except the initial $50). $50, even for a one-time alignment, is a VERY good price. The lowest price I've seen for a lifetime alignment in like 3 years is $100 or so, that's what I got for my '88 GT from NTB.

That balancing is a good price too.

[wannabe]

so i got it fixed today, the steering wheel moves back and forth, but i haven't taken it to highway speeds yet (highest so far was 55mph, will take it on highway tomorrow). it does NOT lean to either side, either!

they said there was a weight on the CV axle that was moving around during driving, which was causing the leaning AND the shimmying...still shimmies a bit, but not as bad. they said they road tested it, and did see/feel any...

and it only cost me $24.10 to have them take the weight off...haha. and they charged it to my dad's acct *sigh* so now i owe him 24.10...