i finally got my car running well enough to drive it on public streets.
thanks for all the help in getting me this far.

timing is off a bit (quick adjustment of the distributor should fix that)



only thing i'm wondering about is that when i brake going any speed above 55mph my car rattles till i get under a certain speed. sound like a suspension problem or brake problem or something else? if it's suspension, you gotta be as detailed as possible because i dont know much in that topic.

Probably tension rod bushings. The tension rods connect to the brackets in front of the control arms.

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1985 300ZX n/a

See my Z project

thanks phx. i'll try to get under there and see if those and any other bushing look dried up. is this something that you would recommend taking care of asap or can i put it off for maybe a month or two? 'cause i'm flat broke. lol

I'd do all the bushings in urethane. check the ball joints and tie rod ends. if still got the originals in there they are probably worn. 24 years my 85 needed help and changing out the bushings did wonders.

If your bushings are worn and you're having steering problems, you need to address it before it becomes a safety issue.

Other things to look at would be tie-rod ends (the ends of the rods coming out of the steering rack that turn the wheels) because those can wear out. Also the ball joints, which connect the control arm to the wheel/strut assembly. However, if you had worn balljoints or tie rod ends, you'd likely notice shifty and upredictable steering while driving, not just while braking.

The tension rods stabilize the control arms and are responsible for keeping the wheel in the proper caster alignment. Without the tension rods, the control arms are able to wobble back and forth, and so therefore so are the front wheels. For example, when you brake, the vehicle weight shifts forward over and the control arm and wheel would want to shift back in the wheel well. The tension rods are what prevents this, as they connect the control arms to large brackets bolted to the front of the frame of the car. If the bushings are worn significantly, the steering becomes unreliable when the vehicles weight shifts front/back or when driving over bumpy roads.

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1985 300ZX n/a

See my Z project

Thanks for the info phx. Ill look at it tomorrow when while im working on the timing.

if it's happening while braking u may need to change your rotors

dci1211 Wrote:
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> if it's happening while braking u may need to
> change your rotors

If there is any meat still left on them, you can just have them cut.

true, though usually you feel a warped rotor vibrating in the brake pedal too.

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1985 300ZX n/a

See my Z project

yeah i know the warped rotor vibration. it's nothing like that. most of the vibration is felt in the steering wheel actually. probably should have mentioned that before but i didnt think about it. however i think i heard my brakes squeak a little so when i change those out i will inspect the rotors as well.

A steering wheel wobble at certain speeds is usually a cause of un balanced wheels.

it doesnt wobble at certain speeds it wobbles when i begin to brake from freeway speeds

warped rotors

i dont think it's warped rotors. my other car has warped rotors and i feel the vibration in the brake pedal not the steering wheel with that one. i was under the car yesterday and completely forgot to check through the suspension. i'll try to do it tomorrow.

also, i didnt want to start a new thread and i didnt really find much through the search.
within the next couple weeks i'm gonna get new tires because the ones on the car are cracked really bad and leaking slowly. i have the stock 15 inch wheels. what brands would you guys recommend for phoenix? i have yokohamas right now.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit was 2009:06:26:13:39:25.

Toyo and Kumho are my personal favorites. Yokohama and Goodyear are good too. They should all have a stock sized tire with a 100mph rating that should do just fine.

I currently have Pirelli P3000's on my Z cause I got a smoking deal on them. They are not high performance tires in any way, but they've worked just great for daily driving and lasted pretty long considering my driving habits...

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1985 300ZX n/a

See my Z project

thanks phx