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Maintenance & Repair 350Z up keep and diagnosing/fixing problems

Sloopy feel from the steering wheel

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Old Sep 24, 2012 | 12:12 PM
  #1  
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J.$
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Default Sloopy feel from the steering wheel

I believe there's something small wrong with my car, I just don't know where to start looking. So I'm posting it up and hoping it's a common problem that you guys can help me out with.

The steering from my 08 350Z doesn't feel "tight". The car has 46K miles on it, I've owned it since 35K but it has never felt great to me. I've fixed a wheel bearing and sent it off for alignment earlier this year but that did not fix the issue. The car does drive in a straight line so I don't think it's an alignment thing.

The best way I can really describe it is that the steering wheel feels like there's too much slop. I drove a friends 2004 350Z this weekend and his steering felt extremely precise. He's on stock suspension just like I am. Whenever I run over vertical cracks in the road it feels like my car is going all over the place. With my previous car, 2007 Altima 3.5, the car felt like this when the factory rear sway bar broke but the sways on my Z are just fine. The steering wheel also moves left to right just a tiny bit without effecting the steering of the vehicle. Would this be a steering bushing or something in the suspension? I can post a video of this if it would help.

Anyone have a clue of where to start looking? Thanks.

EDIT: I forgot to mention it does not make any strange noises (not like i'd be able to hear it over the exhaust) and the steering wheel does not shake or anything. Aside from it feeling loose, I can't find anything else out of order with my car.....aside from the window motor.

Last edited by J.$; Sep 24, 2012 at 12:23 PM.
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Old Sep 24, 2012 | 12:22 PM
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I had a nut fall of my sway bar end link and my ride felt sloppy. Put a new nut on and it fixed the ride quality. This may be your problem.

Could also be blown shocks.
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Old Sep 24, 2012 | 12:41 PM
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From: Scottsdale/coyote drophouse
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lower control arm bushing, compression rod bushing.. sway bar end link.. all things to have looked at.
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