baze

I just bought a 96 Pathfinder, and when I hit a bump, my steering wheel shakes, no matter what speed. Is this a sign of bad struts?? Also, how hard are they to change??

Thanks
Chad

Zilverado

Could be a number of things - - steering tie-rods, ball joints, wheel bearings, struts.... In other words, loose front end joints can translate into loose, sloppy steering.

I suggest that you check for loose front end parts. Just jack up the front of the vehicle (one wheel at a time) and try moving the wheel around. Push/pull it side to side, top and bottom, etc. Depending on which joints are loose, you will feel movement in different directions. If you feel movement, you'll have to get your head under the vehicle to watch while someone else moves the wheel. This will help you track to source of the loose joints.

Give it a try and good luck.

__________________
Zilverado
1992 Pathfinder V6-SE 4wd

baze

I just had a shop look at it, they said Rack and Pinion. How hard are they to change?

Thanks

Zilverado

The difficulty of this job is a question of availability of tools and ease of access to the rack. I replaced the rack-and-pinion on a car of mine a number of years ago. I removed the rack together with the tie rods on either side. This is how I did mine...

- separate the tie rods from the steering knuckles at each wheel. This is done using a pickle fork or some other form of ball joint separator (this can be loaned from a part's store).

- unbolt the steering shaft from the pinion on the rack. On my particular vehicle, this was done from the inside of the passenger compartment (I don't know about the Pathy).

- unbolt the rack from the vehicle and remove it, together with the tie rods from under the vehicle.

- measure the center to center distance between the outer tie rod ends (the tapered joints that were in the steering knuckles). This measurement will allow you to reassemle the new rack and keep your allignment close.

- unscrew the tie rods from the steering rack. You may want to measure and mark the threads on the rack as well - to make realigning the new rack simpler.

- screw the tie rods onto the threaded ends of the new rack to match the old rack. The center to center distance of the ends should be the same as the existing.

- now replace the rack under the vehicle and reattach everything. Reattaching the steering shaft will require centering the steering wheel and the steering rack - you'll notice the steering wheel off center if this is wrong. This is a splined connection, and may require some trial and error.

- once the rack is in place, reattach the tie rod ends at the steering knuckles and your done.

Now go and get the front end realligned. Unless your sure you got the allignment back the way it was. Even so, an allignment is recommended. Otherwise, you'll be paying for new tires soon.

That's about it. So, as long as you have some basic mechanical knowledge, some fairly decent tools, and a willingness to learn, you should be OK. Take a look at it and see.

Good luck and have fun.

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Zilverado
1992 Pathfinder V6-SE 4wd