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Front-end shimmy


Guest Tks

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My TC has developed a shimmy in the right front wheel I assumed it was the CV joint going bad and starting to lock up although the CV joint does pop a little bit when making turns Jimmy it's too severe to be a CV joint I'm thinking maybe it's a bad ball joint

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If the CV joint is going clack on a turn it is time to either replace it or remove, clean out (it will likely be full of dirt coz the boot has split), add new grease and new boot and refit. I have been there. The end play was excessive and it was clacking, but this made the noise go away. Really should have been replaced but I was a poor student at the time.

 

Shimmy: might it mean there is excessive play in the steering or suspension? Tie rod ends, drag link ends and so on? Incorrect steering geometry (esp. castor)?

 

Here is a previous discussion.

 

Edited by Spinneyhill (see edit history)
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I'm guessing "TC" is a Chrysler TC by Maserati. 

 

To the OP:  why do you "assume" it's a CV joint?  The CV joint is probably the least likely part to cause that.  Far more likely are ball joints, bushings, hub bearings, tie rod ends, or steering rack.  Why guess?  Check the front end and steering for wear.

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Your terminology is both confusing and worrying...

Shimmy is a term generally used in describing front wheel vibration (generally quite pronounced) at speed on straight driving, anywhere from low speeds to 50-60...

Your clacking on turns, presumably on low speed city street turns, is classic CV joint wear, or, as mentioned above but unfortunately less common,  contamination by dirt/debris...

If what you're calling shimmy is a feeling the front wheels aren't tracking smoothly in low speed city street turns, that's sometimes described as  wheel or tire  squirm,,,

If you have the feeling of something "locking up",an actual sense of deceleration/slowing instances, that generally means pieces of something are rattling around where they shouldn't be--- get it into a shop PDQ, before a locked wheel pulls you into the opposite lane. with unfortunate, possibly fatal, consequences......

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At first I thought it was MG TC, but then saw something about CV joint.  Isn't that a controlled substance?

Terry

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On ‎4‎/‎13‎/‎2017 at 0:57 AM, Tks said:

My TC has developed a shimmy in the right front wheel I assumed it was the CV joint going bad and starting to lock up although the CV joint does pop a little bit when making turns Jimmy it's too severe to be a CV joint I'm thinking maybe it's a bad ball joint

 

When a CV joint starts going bad they click when turning, popping is something a bit more serious add in shimmy and it's time to jack that wheel up off the ground and find out if it's getting ready to fly off the car.

First things first is check your lug nuts. Make sure that wheel is bolted on tight and that your wheel bearing isn't flopping top to bottom and your steering isn't slopping side to side. After you've done that you can put your pry bar to the control arm to check your ball joint and bushings. The car is old enough that you could be due for CV joints, if it hasn't been done you probably need new bushings and maybe even ball joints, but I doubt that is the cause of this problem. 

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  • 4 weeks later...

Ding ding Jack m. Wins the prize Tire had a bulge in it it took its toll on the front end oh, get the tire changed the front end is a little looser than what it was it's going into the doctor tomorrow getting new axles and struts but unfortunately I just had a heart attack on the way home leaving a stop sign it just died after a little probing I found the rotor is not turning I don't hear any grinding are knocking when I turn the motor over I'm hoping it's just the gear on the distributor went bad

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I was pulling off from a stop sign when it backfired through the throttle body it was more like a belch then a dry pop. The motorcade however have a what sounded like a lifter tap from a cold start but it would go away after maybe 10 20 seconds I wrote it off as a sticky lifter the car have been sitting for about 3 years

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40 minutes ago, Tks said:

I was pulling off from a stop sign when it backfired through the throttle body it was more like a belch then a dry pop. The motorcade however have a what sounded like a lifter tap from a cold start but it would go away after maybe 10 20 seconds I wrote it off as a sticky lifter the car have been sitting for about 3 years

 

Distributors: Never seen a gear break on the motors used in the TC's. Doesn't mean that it can't happen, what does happen on the V6 TC the solder connect on the optical sensor goes bad and replacement part cost is about the same as a new aftermarket distributor. The turbo 4 tends to eat hal sensors. either way, sloppy gears get noticed long before they have a chance to get really bad.

 

Timing Belt: Break a timing belt on the V6 and you replace the water pump when you replace the timing belt because it's a cost affective smart thing to do. Break a timing belt on the turbo 4 and you start shopping for a good used motor. It's an interference engine and at the very least, one valve smacked one piston.

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I was pulling off from a stop sign when it backfired through the throttle body it was more like a belch then a dry pop. The motorcade however have a what sounded like a lifter tap from a cold start but it would go away after maybe 10 20 seconds I wrote it off as a sticky lifter the car have been sitting for about 3 years

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I about got it tore down I'll pick up the belt and the water pump tonight and finish it tomorrow oh and the harmonic balancer puller..

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