shakey steer

[ptrfair]

This things been pretty good but when i steer and press the gas my car has a shake still
the mechanic says he feels it but cannot find it

im tired of replacing wheel hubs, tie rods, steering rack (that was fun) and every peice of linkage in the steering column. anyone at all have thoughts on where to look next?


thanks
pete

[Archon]

This only happens when you accelerate in a turn? How sharp of turn and how heavy of acceleration?

[ptrfair]

like on and off ramps on highways, taking a right hand turn in my neighborhood, i dont need to stop becuase we have the right of way on some roads. ill be doing like 15 or 20 mph.

i remember posting on the other site about this but i never followed up. kinda got side tracked with classes. now thats schools out, i have 3 months to tear the car apart. hah

but yes, i get a vibration when i turn right and accelerate lightly even. not too heavy. gas is $$$$
when i turn left, you feel it after 5 to 10 mph.

[Archon]

Is there any noise that goes with it? Have you checked the level and condition of the transmission fluid? How about the drive axles?

[ptrfair]

nah no noise
i didnt even think about drive axles. the tranny fluid has 15000 miles on it. i got it changed last year with a new filter. which Aamco thought the tranny fluid was the problem. this issue has been around for a long long time but everyone is telling me the car is safe.

as far as the axles go, what do i look for? and how. i have a floor jack here at home and a ramp to put the car up on.

i'll add that when i am doing like 30mph then hop on the gas, the car almost pulls into the other lane because of either 1. all the power or 2 somethings really messed up in the front. alignment was done in march 08.

i'm getting a feeling that i should invest in air tools.

[Archon]

It sounds like you have a serious case of torque steer with the pulling. Was a full 4 wheel alignment done, as well as checking the thrust angle? Some shops do better than others with alignments. Some set it so that it meets specs. Others go the extra to get it "just right" to limit problems.

Check for any "droop" at the CV joints on the axles. Also, grab each one and give it a good shake and shove in all directions. They should be pretty solid.

What is the level of transmission fluid? Todd (Rogue) had found that with sharp and I believe right turns, the pump can be starved for fluid. He runs an extra half quart in his to correct for that, and has not had any problems doing that.

[ptrfair]

tranny fluid was on the full mark. if you think it will be safe to add a bit more fliud then ill try it out, but not too much i know.

as far as the alignment goes all 4 wheels were done and i had replaced every tie rod end. this cars brand new @ 120,000 miles now.

ill get back with what i find over the weekend. its BBQ time and food goes before Bonne.

[TrueWildMan]

I had the same thing on mine, was the upper strut bearing going. May not be your issue, but thought I'd share.

[beachbum]

I'm not sure if this will help but I had the same type of torque steer in a 2000 Cadillac STS and it turned out to be a bad motor mount. You might want to check the motor mounts on the Pontiac just to make sure. I never figured out how motor mounts caused torque steer but it solved my problem.

[airdvr1227]

What is the level of transmission fluid? Todd (Rogue) had found that with sharp and I believe right turns, the pump can be starved for fluid. He runs an extra half quart in his to correct for that, and has not had any problems doing that.

Interesting. On several occassions when making a right turn I've heard an awful, whining/grinding noise. Wonder if it's the tranny fluid starvation issue.

[Archon]

It's possible. Add a little and see if that helps. Keep an eye on your dash indicators, also. Sometimes on some sharper turns, with acceleration, it can confuse the traction control or stability system.