Mysterious front end shake at speed

[Randy Rosenberg]

If you are convinced that your tires/wheels are not the cause, then you may want to look at tightening up your rack/pinion. I've been fighting a high frequency steering wheel shake what only occurred between 60 and 70MPH. My tires are not out of round and neither are my wheels. The entire front suspension was analyzed, and the root cause of the problem was that the steering rack adjustment was set a tad too loose. Once it was tightened up a bit, then high speed shake disappeared. Hope this helps...

YMMV,
Randy...

[Blas]

From my notes from Dennis O.
On the front of the rack at 90 degrees to the pinion input is an adjuster.
Loosen the locknut (17mm) and turn the center stud down a little (7mm).
This adjusts a nylon pad onto the back side of the rack and pushes the rack onto the pinion taking up any slack in the gear mesh. If you over tighten the stud the steering will be stiff, so only make small adjustments. The nylon pad wears quickly in the first 1000 miles. This should fix most of your shimmy problems. If it still persists your tires are at fault.

[Got the Bug]

Originally Posted by Blas

From my notes from Dennis O.
On the front of the rack at 90 degrees to the pinion input is an adjuster.
Loosen the locknut (17mm) and turn the center stud down a little (7mm).
This adjusts a nylon pad onto the back side of the rack and pushes the rack onto the pinion taking up any slack in the gear mesh. If you over tighten the stud the steering will be stiff, so only make small adjustments. The nylon pad wears quickly in the first 1000 miles. This should fix most of your shimmy problems. If it still persists your tires are at fault.

Blas,

On #2613, I see a 17mm nut and two smaller nuts holding what looks like a cover plate on either side opposite where the steering shaft enters the rack. It doesn't look like the center stud is adjustable. I didn't jack the car up, so maybe I'm not looking in the right place.