Front Suspension Problem

[sourwoodtom]

Hey guys, need some help diagnosing a problem.

A few days ago, I bought my first Lincoln (actually, I bought two -- a 95 and a 96 Town Car, both look like new in and out).

Today I took the 95 on its first substantial drive, about 200 miles. Rides like a dream, with one exception. Occasionally, if I hit a bump in a curve, the front end shakes for a second or two. Almost to the point of losing control.

More facts:
1) 135,000 miles
2) Quality tires (Bridgestone, half tread, no abnormal wear)
3) Steers and drives fine otherwise

I've been a Jeep owner for decades. The shimmy/shake is similar to a Jeep with a bad stabilizer shock. Of course, Lincolns don't have that.

Anyone experience anything similar? I'd like to be informed when I take it in to be looked at.

Thanks much.

 

[Town]

There are many possible problems, that may show up when the suspension takes a heavy hit and the unloaded wheel gyrates and is not properly controlled:

1. the control arm bushings may be failing, look for the 4 rubber bushings on the control arms to be cracked and broken and starting to fall apart since age alone would weaken the rubber. Jack up the car and try to pry the control arms forward and back and look for any looseness. Then do the other side.

2. Anything holding the wheel such as wheel bearings being loose, ball joints that are badly worn, jack up the front and grip the top and bottom of the wheel and try to rock it in and out, any looseness is the wheel hub bearings. Jack up on the lower control arm so it takes the weight of the car and try to do the same rocking movement to check the top ball joint. Lift up on the underside of the tire for the lower ball joint movement. Any movement means replacement of the component. Then do the other side.

Good luck.

 

[HandsOn]

I'd like to add to what Town already said... Rotate the tires as well.

It's not that this is always the cause, or a guaranteed cure. Or that I'm saying you should not check all of your steering and suspension components as well. I'm just saying that the specific type of wobble you described can often be generated by a tire itself. And a quick rotation can indicate, or rule it out as a culprit.
And, if you do it yourself, it's free!

All of those components listed do wear out. Especially on a heavier vehicle. So they're ALWAYS worth inspecting. Especially on cars you've just bought.

As a Jeep owner you may already have experienced a tire issue too. While it can be more noticeable with a bad stabilizer shock, and sometimes fixed by replacing it, the shock itself cannot actually cause the wobble. It just helps subdue it while it's still mild. Otherwise we'd all have wobbles every time the stabilizer shock wore out, or like many of us with Broncos and Jeeps, simply remove them altogether.
Back in the late seventies we coined the phrase "Death Wobble" which, in more recent years, has been fondly referred to as the "Dreaded Death Wobble" by the Early Bronco and Jeep YJ/TJ/JK owners. Of course the name was never to indicate that people had when they experienced it. I just thought it was a cool sounding name.

Yours was not a full blown Death Wobble by the sound of it though, as it sort fixed itself quickly, rather than making you slow almost to a full stop before restoring it's normal behavior. But it sure sounds like the onset at least, and the same general way it first manifests itself.
A tire can look perfectly fine on the outside, still have plenty of tread left, but have internal damage or failure. Wobbles are not always tread related, but more often is internal damage of some kind. We usually refer to it as a "separated belt" or similar. Whether that's an accurate description or not, the result is the same.

The fact that yours would go away quickly is a good sign, but the fact that you said it was pretty severe is a bad sign.
The fact that it starts when you hit a bump just right indicates to me that you should definitely include the tires in your inspection/testing.

Some vehicles, especially with solid axles and straight-across tie-rods, can even get milder versions of it from an imbalanced tire/wheel combo. But mostly that just results in a shimmy. And one that is more consistent and speed related, rather than one that comes on rapidly after hitting a bump.
Same for worn tread. More of a shimmy than an uncontrolled wobble. And also more often varies by speed.

Even if you find some of those other items worn out, like steering links and wheel bearings, give the tires a quick rotation so that the fronts are moved to the rear and see if that helps.

Good luck. Hopefully the fix won't turn out to be too expensive!

Paul

 

[pgilliam1]

I have this same issue (2003 Town Car 66K mostly highway miles) of hitting a bump and getting fairly bad steering wobble for just a second or two (the manual describes this condition as "nibble"). After inspecting the car myself and finding nothing wrong, I took the car to NTB and they could not find anything loose or worn either. The Michelin tires were just balanced (but not rotated), look perfectly fine and have 80% tread. I guess I'll try and rotate them, but I've never had this issue before, and I've had many, many cars. Any experience shared will be greatly appreciated. TIA!

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[pgilliam1]

OK, so I rotated the tires and the nibble is much better. Now I'm wondering if I have tire issues or could the wheels have been hammered on by some guys impact wrench improperly (has stock wheels - I used my impact to remove them and the lug nuts came off with no issues). The tires were just balanced by NTB and upon inspection show no irregularities at all (no plugs, bulges, etc.). Any tire experts out there? TIA!