SFW

I have a 1997 Pathfinder XE 4x4 that I have owned for about six months. I have been experiencing a reoccurring shimmying problem. The best way to describe it would be this: if you were to shake the steering wheel from side to side while driving, you would get the same effect. Does anyone have an idea as to what may be causing this, and how I can get rid of it? The problem seems to be getting worst. Would new tires help? Or is that not going to fix the issue? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!
Joel

inanima

I had a simliar problem in my 01. I finally had to have the tires balanced a t a shop with a Hunter machine: http://209.176.154.132/index.cfm

cured it after 3 failed balances, an alignment, and new shocks and struts.

lewisnc100

The 97s are plagued with this shimmy usually between 60 and 70mph. If this is the shimmy you are talking about it is usually a tire balance issue. The way to resolve this is to go to the dealer or a tire shop that has a flange plate adapter that will mount the wheel to the balancer via the lugs vs. the center hole. Could also be the steering rack sliding force.

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1997 Pathfinder XE
Air Lift Air Bags, Warn Hubs

96R50

Joel,

How many miles do you have on your truck? If it is more than 80,000 miles have you had the rear axle control arm bushings replaced? If you haven't yet had them replaced your shimmy is likely caused by worn bushings in the rear control arms. There are eight control arm bushings that usually need to be replaced every 60,000 - 80,000 miles. Search this form for control arm bushings and sway. You will find a lot of information.

88pathoffroad

It's most likely the rear control arm bushings. Common problem.

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Owner of NPORA, mod for Nissan-Infiniti Forums, NissanForums.com, NissanHelp.com, AllNissans.com and VGPowered Forums
'88 Pathfinder: 6" of lift, 33x13.50 Swamper LTB's, Rancho 9000's, L&P Stage 3 steering system, K&N, Pacesetter headers and 2.5" exhaust, Lock-Right locker, 110A alty and electric fan swap, dual batteries, 700W+ worth of PIAAs, etc.

lewisnc100

Never heard of worn out rear control arm bushings producing a rapid side to side shimmy in the steering wheel, especially when he doesn't list any of the other common symptoms such as swaying or rocking that would point to worn out bushings. But having a 97 it's only a matter of time before you have to replace them.

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1997 Pathfinder XE
Air Lift Air Bags, Warn Hubs

SFW

Well, I took it to two shops. One shop says that my rear bearings are shot. The other says my shocks and struts are gone, but the bearings look good. I have seen no signs of leaking on the rear axel- commonly associated with the bearings being out. The tires do not move freely, as one would expect from a bearing problem. When I give the rear end a hard downward push the vehicle returns to its normal position rapidly. So that would seem to rule out the shocks as the problem. The Pathfinder has 118,000 miles on it. I’m learning the hard way that the previous owner did not keep up the maintenance on the vehicle. (Don’t you love when you inherit problems?!!?)

The shocks appear to be original. Which means that they are due for a replacement. I’m getting ready to change the timing belt- cause I’m pretty sure that it was not done at 60K miles. I replace the brakes yesterday- what a nightmare that was!

The swaying seems to stop when I let off of the accelerator. The steering wheel does not actually move. I was just trying to illustrate how the vehicle behaves when the problem occurs. It’s the same jerky side-to-side movement as when you jerk the steering wheel from side to side.

I plan on having the tires replaced shortly after Christmas- to get rid of the cheap Arizona tires that the previous owner had put on. Probably go with a good A/T tire, so I can still get in the mud when the urge hits. Any other comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!
Joel

96R50

Good news Joel. You're not terribly late on the timing belt. The 3.3L engine has a 105,000 mile interval for the timing belt. A few other items that make sense while you're at the front of the engine are water pump, front crank seal and cam shaft seals (2). The camshaft seals are definitely going to leak soon if they haven't already been leaking.

The thermostat is easy to get to while you have all of the timing belt covers off of the engine and some people like to change the timing belt tensioner. I chose to let my tensioner ride and so far so good. I also chose to let my camshaft oil seals ride which is why 30,000 miles later I was in there again changing them. Fortunately a timing belt is only a 4 - 6 hour job.

lewisnc100

I definitely misread your original post, I would listen to these guys and look at the bushings before I do any of the repairs the shop mentioned. The way you describe it in your latest post it is the classic bushing sway. Have you gotten under there and tried to twist your control arms by hand, I'm betting they have a lot of movement just by hand. If you are due for shocks thats fine, but I'd hold off on the bearings.

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1997 Pathfinder XE
Air Lift Air Bags, Warn Hubs

SFW

I'll check them out and let you guys know what I find.

SledheadMXZ

Hi, everyone. I'm a newbie, and this is my first post. I came across the forum trying to find a solution to a steering wheel shake in my 02 Pathfinder. Looks like I might have some possible solutions. Here's my story:

I bought my 02 Pathfinder last February. It's my first Nissan, and I really like it. One of the things I liked about it was how smooth it rode. I've now got 46k miles on it, and I've developed a shake in the steering wheel. Sometimes it's smooth as silk, and sometimes it shakes. It happens anywhere between 62 and 75 mph. It's driving my crazy.

I've had the wheels balanced at a Firestone dealer, and my hub bearings replaced at the dealer. I know that my rotors need to be turned because I'm getting some shake when braking, but the dealer told me that I wouldn't notice it when driving. They also told me that an alignment wouldn't help.

They said that my front tires had some belt shift, and it was probably the tires. So I rotated them. Didn't help at all.

Any suggestions? Should I try an alignment? I hate to keep throwing money at this problem especially when it's not solving the problem.

I'd appreciate any advice. Thanks!

98 patty

front struts

SledheadMXZ

Worth a shot. Thanks!!!