Steering and Suspension

A sway bar is used to control the sway of a trailer towed with a ball hitch. it is a two piece assembly with a handle attached to a screw tightener. the sway bar attaches to your hitch and to the A frame on your trailer. It attaches through the use of 1"ball and cups on each axle sway slides back and forth as the trailer and tow vehicle articulate. The screw tightener clamps down on a brake shoe which causes friction to limit the amount of movement on the bar.

the steering column tilt and telescoping lock does not keep wheel in place. How do I fix this ?

I presume it is tilt wheeel and this is a hard thing as you have to take the column apart and tighten screws in the joint. I suggest taking it to a trim shop.

I have a 2003 Mazda 6 with approx 80k miles. This noise confounded me for months. On ours, it showed up when pulling into or out of our driveway (forward or reverse, always with the wheels turned hard left).

It is NOT the CV joint in the axle. It is NOT anything rubbing in the fender well. It is NOT the wheel bearings. I finally found it after we had the brakes done.

After having the rotors turned and pads replaced, the noise went away for about a month. I thought we had licked it, but it came back.

Then I found it. There is a thin brass (or maybe copper??) bracket that fits between the brake shoes and the caliper assembly. Supposedly this absorbs vibration and prevents the caliper assembly from wearing out around the brake shoes. It is held in place by small tabs that are supposed to hug both sides of the caliper assembly. Those tabs are very weak and as the brake shoes wear out and move closer to the rotor, the bracket tends to move with them (instead of staying in place on the assembly). So you end up with the thin, brass plate scrubbing against the rotor just like the wear warning tab would (and makes the exact same noise). Since it is such a close clearance, you only hear the noise when the wheel is torqued, but it will get more common as the problem goes on.

The fix is easy. Remove the brake shoes, move the bracket back into it's correct place, and bend the retaining tabs back down. (While I had it apart, I went ahead and trimmed down the brass with a Dremmel so it would have more room to shift without rubbing the rotor.)

It seems that getting new pads does not fix the problem because you don't get a new bracket with the pads. You buy some time because the new pads are thicker, but the noise will come back as the pads wear down.

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I honestly wouldn't know, but mine did the same thing then at about 30,000 miles it stopped and hasn't ever happened again, but use to do it all the time at about 20-28,000 miles wierd huh

You may have a broken cv joint i had the same problem in one of my old cars. behind the brake assembly theres a rubber boot with a rod coming out, if that boot tears and dust gets inside it ruins the ball bearing joint..

The inner and outer Tie rod assembly connects the steering gear, in this case a rack and pinon unit, to the steering knuckle the wheels are mounted to.

This allows the driver to steer the car.

Your problem could be one of many different things, the major problems could be: 1. If the shaking is speed related... an imbalanced tire (wheel) could be the cause. 2. You could have a bent axle. 3. Your tire casing could be separating from the tread. 4. Your tire rim could be loose. 5. You might need new shocks. 6. Your steering linkage components could be loose or worn or broken. Good Luck... these are just a few of the things that can cause your symtom.

You did not say what kind of vehicle it is. If it is a front wheel drive, it has drive axles and if the drive axle is going out, it will click especially when you turn the wheels.

Yes it definitely is dangerous.

I would suggest you take this project to a shop that does alignments also. This sometimes can be alot of work and then it has to be aligned after it is installed.

Remove brake caliper, then caliper mounting. Now tap back of rotor to remove it. Now undo large nut holding hub and pull hub off. Replace in reverse order.

Most likely bad tire or a wheel bent, or out of balance

When making fixes or changes to a car, having a diagram can help that things are being done correctly. A diagram of a 1976 GMC Sierra Classic can be found in the maintenance manual of the car.

if you replacing them you a cutting torch and bubn then out or get the spring hot enough to let the bushing be hammered out

sounds like either your power steering is going out, or you are low on power steering fluid

RIGHT SIDE OF THE MOTOR IN THE BACK --- (if facing motor head-on, it's on the left side in the back)

Some possible symptoms of a bad rack & pinion:

Excess free play of the steering wheel.

Excess effort to steer the car.

Leaking fluid.

The bolt is loose. Tighten it up. It's under the horn cover.

Loose column, worn linkage, etc.

change the bushings in the upper and lower tracking arms. this is the only thing I have found to fix this problem. do not use the rubber ones get the kit for a pathfinder (same year made out of polyurethane. they last five times as long for about the same money if you buy the complete kit with bolts and all the bushings

Check your power steering pump A: check the front Left wheel bearing

The steering wheel will be really hard to turn.

I believe they are also called (stabilizer bar),they are behind the front tires,1 on each side of course.Usually you start hearing a knocking sound when hitting bumps.People say to exchange both at the same time but not necessary.Get them fixed asap because they wear down the connection area and you don't want them to break while driving because you could lose steering ability.

I'm weak on Ford's, but as far as I know the sway bar goes across from one wheel to the other in front of the wheels. Damage from impact or worn rubber bushings.

You do not have to remove the strut. You have to take the pressure off the spring. To do this put a jack under the lower control arm and lift until the spring compress's then under the hood on top of the strut is a nut remove the nut and then carefully and slowly let the jack down , this will relieve the pressure on the strut and spring alowing you to remove the control arm safely. And always use jack stands to support the car.

The torque specifications for upper control arm mounting bolts typically range from 40 to 75 ft-lbs, depending on the specific vehicle make and model. It's essential to consult the vehicle's service manual for the exact torque values, as they can vary significantly. Additionally, always check if the bolts should be torqued while the vehicle is at ride height to ensure proper alignment.