I dont know what is wrong! When i get up to speed it the car gets all over the road. Then when i go to turn it wont turn half as much as regular? It would barly turn into my driveway. My car is a 86 with the Z51 suspension.
I think it might be my upper ball joints? they look seperated from everything else?

thanks
kevin

It could be a couple of different things.
I had a truck do that and YES it was the ball joints. I'm not saying thats your problem just that it might be. If you need to test them what I do is place a 2x4 under the tire and leave a couple of inches of space between the tire and board. Now lift up and look for any movement or "play" in an around them.
Is it only happening when turning in one direction?

Quick, before you drive it again get it up in the air and start wiggling things and locate the broken, worn, or loose parts. The problem isn't related to the car being a Z51 but it is great that you listed the year and pertinent information. A problem that bad probably won't be hard to locate. Good luck.

RACE ON!!!

Iv looked and shook everything! The only thing i can really see is the top ball joints they are not sealed all the way around the top.

It wont let me post pics bc im new!

thanks
kevin

There should be some play in the tire, either top to bottom or side to side. If there is no movement in the tire it might be your rack and pinion.

Their is no play at all. Im pretty stong and couldnt make it move.

heres some pics. this is of the upper ball joints. both look like this
http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2648473/11

thanks
kevin

I just pulled in the garage. I turned the wheel alittle and its really easy to turn the wheel? Most of the time it nice and tight? would that be anything?
thanks
kevin

I just pulled in the garage. I turned the wheel alittle and its really easy to turn the wheel? Most of the time it nice and tight? would that be anything?
thanks
kevin


If you're not mechanically inclined, take your car to your G.M. dealer and let them check it out. They know exactly how to check it properly. I'd sure hate to see you get hurt in an accident if something suddenly came undone.

Yes i would like to do that but i dont want a tire to fold in or something bad to happen. im going to get up tommaro and jack it up and clean everything and look around. Can you give me main things to look for? I will clean everything and take alot of pics and post them! This is my everyday driver. Its my only car. So any help is helpfull.

thanks
kevin

I just pulled in the garage. I turned the wheel alittle and its really easy to turn the wheel? Most of the time it nice and tight? would that be anything?
thanks
kevin
That could be something. But just by the comment "I turned the wheel alittle and its really easy to turn the wheel?", we can't tell what the problem is ant better than you, who are there. Jack the front of the car up and start checking for looseness and play.

If I, or anyone else, says "Oh yeah when my car did that, it turned out to be the Helsinki rod", and YOU take that to be the cause of YOUR problem, you are making a big mistake. Your symptoms are too general or vague and also not common enough to where any one can pinpoint the problem sight unseen.


The picture doesn't reveal a problem. About all I can see is that the boot has pulled away from the body of the ball joint. That will NOT cause steering or control problems. Left like that long enough it could accelerate the wear of the upper ball joint and maybe it HAS failed, but such failure is not evident in the picture.

Good luck. We are here to help.

RACE ON!!!

I dont know anyone that really knows anything in that area. Im going to try my best tommaro to figure it out. I was just hoping that someone might of seen this before or heard of happing with this suspension.

thanks
kevin

Can you give me main things to look for? I will clean everything and take alot of pics and post them! This is my everyday driver. Its my only car. So any help is helpfull.

thanks
kevin
Looseness. Looseness or slop in any of the front end/steering components. Pix are good, but unless we can see a major break or bend in a part, chances are you will spot it while wiggling and cleaning, before someone else will pick it up in a pic.

If you get in over your head, you may have to resort to professional help. The OE (Chevy dealer) is the LAST place to take an older car with a problem like this. A friendly tire store with alignment facilities or an independent alignment shop will likely consult with you over the problem. For the promise of the soon to be necessary alignment job, they may help you to diagnose the problem for cheap. The dealers I have dealt with will stick it in, then break it off. Given the chance, they will then push it in a little farther and break it off again.

RACE ON!!!

OK when you check the ball-joints(BJs) you have to place the jack under the control arm, this unloads any spring pressure on the upper/lower BJs. Place a long bar under the tire, use a 2x4 block as a fulcrum, have somebody pry down & look at the lower BJ. If the upper is loose you should feel it by just grabbing the tire at the 12 & 6 o'clock postitions & do some pushing & pulling. You check both w/ the jack under the lower control arm.

OK when you check the ball-joints(BJs) you have to place the jack under the control arm, this unloads any spring pressure on the upper/lower BJs. Place a long bar under the tire, use a 2x4 block as a fulcrum, have somebody pry down & look at the lower BJ. If the upper is loose you should feel it by just grabbing the tire at the 12 & 6 o'clock postitions & do some pushing & pulling. You check both w/ the jack under the lower control arm.

:goodpost: :goodpost: This should help. Gonna check mine in the morning. Had some mechanics look at it and they said all was fine. I do not think so. Too much play when driving. They said I could not compare the C4 to my C6. Bull hockey!!
The C4 should be tight and crisp handling. :wtf: :wtf: My car has a bad case of bump steer, sways all over the place on uneven road changes.

Well guys iv tryed and clean all the gunk up and i shook every part! I didnt see any damage to any of the parts. So i pretty much have to wait to monday to take it some where. When i turn the wheel i can hear like a small poping noise but thats all i could find.

thanks for all your help.
kevin

I dont know what is wrong! When i get up to speed it the car gets all over the road. Then when i go to turn it wont turn half as much as regular? It would barly turn into my driveway. My car is a 86 with the Z51 suspension.
I think it might be my upper ball joints? they look seperated from everything else?

thanks
kevin


If the problem is as bad as you indicate it is, the problem should be real easy to find. Just jack up the front end and turn the tires side-to-side by hand. There should be NO play in anything. And take a real good look at your ball joints. They should look exactly the same on each side.

Yes i did that and their is play when big time when i turn it side to side. Then when i turn by the stering wheel the tires barely turn. The ball joints dont look good but they seem fine for now.
kevin

Yes i did that and their is play when big time when i turn it side to side.
Interesting wording. So just where IS the "play when big time" coming from?


Then when i turn by the stering wheel the tires barely turn.
Again, interesting wording. Wow! Does that mean that the steering wheel turns freely but the road wheels barely turn? I would expect the point of disconnect to be easy to spot.


The ball joints dont look good but they seem fine for now.
kevin
What do you mean by "The ball joints dont look good"? They are dirty? Boots ripped? Falling apart?

You aren't giving us much to go on.

RACE ON!!!

Interesting wording. So just where IS the "play when big time" coming from?



Again, interesting wording. Wow! Does that mean that the steering wheel turns freely but the road wheels barely turn? I would expect the point of disconnect to be easy to spot.



What do you mean by "The ball joints dont look good"? They are dirty? Boots ripped? Falling apart?

You aren't giving us much to go on.

RACE ON!!!

I think he is saying the ball joints need to be replaced, not to hard to understand.

Get the ball joints replaced and get a mechanic to check out the rest. I have found the mechanics to be quite honest and don't get your back up if more things need work, these cars are getting old, you would be surprised at the difference of new components in the front end. My vette had some front ent parts replaced and now drives staight with no shake and runs like new. Should be good for another 10 years.

I think he is saying the ball joints need to be replaced, not to hard to understand.

I'm having a hard time understanding too. Ball joints won't cause:
play when big time when i turn it side to side. Then when i turn by the stering wheel the tires barely turn
^That is a bad rack, bad tie rod ends, or bad wheel bearings. "Big time" bad.

I think he is saying the ball joints need to be replaced, not to hard to understand.
Obviously you have better powers of gibberish decoding than I do. I NEVER got that he thought it was bad ball joints. He DID mention them a couple of times. Have you read the whole thread? From where do you get that HE thinks the ball joints are bad? I get, that he hasn't a clue, but maybe you saw or read something I missed. If you are correct, and he really does think the ball joints are bad, what do you suppose was the purpose of starting the thread?

RACE ON!!!

From what he is describing i think he is indicating rack problems...maybe even just no fluid or pump pressure. But i wouldn't bet cash on it untill i could play with all of the front suspenssion in person. Due to the lack of comunication involved in this type of problem and the seriousness of the reprecussions if not fixed correctly you should take this to your local alignment shop (a good one!) for an exact dignostic at the very least. Since we don't know your mechanical ability either it would be endangering you and the local public to advise anything but a profesional repair as well...JMHO.:food-smiley-021:

Get the ball joints replaced and get a mechanic to check out the rest.
Another advocate for throwing parts at a problem? Don't you think it would be wise to confirm IF it needs ball joints or not, before you start recommending what to replace?


I have found the mechanics to be quite honest.
OH Baby! Have I got a Corvette specialist for YOU! First, they take a reading on the level of your bank account. Then they do a careful in-depth analysis of your auto literacy. Finally they do a gullibility check. Then they carefully assign a weight to each item, combine all the factors, then recommend a regimented demonifiction strategy for most, if not all, of your liquid assets. Many, probably most, ARE honest, but the less you know, the more vulnerable you are.

With no other evidence pointing to the problem, it is kind of like listening the guy that says, "Get the ball joints replaced and..."

RACE ON!!!

From what he is describing i think he is indicating rack problems...maybe even just no fluid or pump pressure. But i wouldn't bet cash on it untill i could play with all of the front suspenssion in person. Due to the lack of comunication involved in this type of problem and the seriousness of the reprecussions if not fixed correctly you should take this to your local alignment shop (a good one!) for an exact dignostic at the very least. Since we don't know your mechanical ability either it would be endangering you and the local public to advise anything but a profesional repair as well...JMHO.:food-smiley-021::iagree:
With both Tom400CFI and todd_vette. The only thing I would say differently than todd_vette, is, that by the description of the symptoms, I would expect the fault or failure to be fairly easy to spot. I agree, also, with both as to the likely areas of trouble. And of course one cannot fault todd_vette for not recommending the OP make a repair that might be beyond his scope of expertise.

RACE ON!!!

CFI-EFI you are an odd fellow.:leaving:

Yes i did that and their is play when big time when i turn it side to side. Then when i turn by the stering wheel the tires barely turn. The ball joints dont look good but they seem fine for now.
kevin


It sounds like the pitman arm is coming loose from your steering box.

CFI-EFI you are an odd fellow.:leaving:
You think I am odd? Probably so. But I think it is irresponsible to recommend replacing parts without first diagnosing the problem and determining there is anything wrong with them. I realize that among some, that make me unique.

Also if as, you say "he is saying the ball joints need to be replaced, not to hard to understand.", why would he be posting the question? Maybe it is harder to understand than YOU think.

RACE ON!!!

It sounds like the pitman arm is coming loose from your steering box.
Sure it does! On a C4 with rack and pinion steering???

RACE ON!!!

How did your issue turn out?

Well guys i got if fixed. They replaced the rack and pinion. Then the u joints on the half shaft went out which about made me wreck! when i was driving regular! But i got it fixed.

thanks for all of guys help
kevin

Well guys i got if fixed. They replaced the rack and pinion.

But what about the ball joints :doh: You were told to replace those

CFI-EFI you are an odd fellow.
A recently departed member thought that as well

Well guys i got if fixed. They replaced the rack and pinion. Then the u joints on the half shaft went out which about made me wreck! when i was driving regular! But i got it fixed.

thanks for all of guys help
kevin

If you completely lost one u-joint i would advise doing all 6 at (or about) the same time. If one was that far gone, the others can't be in great shape either. The drive shaft ones might sound a little over-board...but i bet they will be at least a little sloppy.

Did he mean the u-joints on the steering shaft?

yeah i think he was talking about that.

Did he mean the u-joints on the steering shaft?
yeah i think he was talking about that.
One might assume such, but he said, "Then the u joints on". He also said "They replaced the rack and pinion" Could a repair shop replace a rack and pinion and overlook bad steering shaft universal joints? It seems unlikely, unless he took it to the self proclaimed "Corvette specialists" in Ogden, Utah. Plus, he did say. "the u joints on the half shaft went out". To assume anything else is to put words into his mouth.


Well guys i got if fixed. They replaced the rack and pinion. Then the u joints on the half shaft went out which about made me wreck! when i was driving regular! But i got it fixed.

thanks for all of guys help
kevin

At the least, even IF angelan394 does decipher gibberish well, he must be disappointed that 86vetteZ51 didn't follow his advice and replace the ball joints that weren't bad. Odd fellows of the world unite!

RACE ON!!!

One might assume such, but he said, "Then the u joints on". He also said "They replaced the rack and pinion" Could a repair shop replace a rack and pinion and overlook bad steering shaft universal joints? It seems unlikely, unless he took it to the self proclaimed "Corvette specialists" in Ogden, Utah. Plus, he did say. "the u joints on the half shaft went out". To assume anything else is to put words into his mouth.




At the least, even IF angelan394 does decipher gibberish well, he must be disappointed that 86vetteZ51 didn't follow his advice and replace the ball joints that weren't bad. Odd fellows of the world unite!

RACE ON!!!Wow, you just like stirring up crap on every post dont ya?

Wow, you just like stirring up crap on every post dont ya?
No ; the bottom line is some people online know what they are talking about and others purely speculate , guess
or just pass on bad information.
Based on the poor ,vague information originally posted by the OP, it is hard for someone on the other side of the country to understand exactly what his problem was; let alone state a definitive fix as was posted here.
If you do not have the abilty to correctly diagnose your problem, at least take it to someone who does.
As has been posted many times before; throwing parts at what you THINK is the problem only empties your wallet

Wow, you just like stirring up crap on every post dont ya?
Is that what that is? You must be the expert on stirring up crap. You seem to not only recognize it but with no other comment on or off subject... YOU decide to pick on me. Why are YOU stirring up crap? I posted to give an opinion on the likelihood that the speculation the "u joints" discussed being the steering shaft u joints was unlikely, because the OP was pretty clear about it being the half shafts. Is that stirring up crap? Is a little sarcasm getting a jab back at a guy that foolishly posted to throw money at the problem and then said that *I* was odd, out of line? Apparently YOU think so, but at least I posted something on subject before the dig. If you don't like negative comments, why did you bother write a post that was nothing but a negative comment? I, at least had something to say on on topic. You only had poison to spread. Maybe some day if I work at it I can be as perfect as you... NOT!

RACE ON!!!

Is that what that is? You must be the expert on stirring up crap. You seem to not only recognize it but with no other comment on or off subject... YOU decide to pick on me. Why are YOU stirring up crap? I posted to give an opinion on the likelihood that the speculation the "u joints" discussed being the steering shaft u joints was unlikely, because the OP was pretty clear about it being the half shafts. Is that stirring up crap? Is a little sarcasm getting a jab back at a guy that foolishly posted to throw money at the problem and then said that *I* was odd, out of line? Apparently YOU think so, but at least I posted something on subject before the dig. If you don't like negative comments, why did you bother write a post that was nothing but a negative comment? I, at least had something to say on on topic. You only had poison to spread. Maybe some day if I work at it I can be as perfect as you... NOT!

RACE ON!!!Let me start off by appologizing. I wasnt trying to be a jerk in this post. I was actually just trying to be funny and forgot to add a little smiley so everyone knows that. I hadnt read your other post yet:patriot: There I got the little smiley this time so you know.