cv's changed now steering is tight

[chrisandthebeast]

Hi Guys

I just changed both cv's on my gu sedan.

(way harder than it should be.... I learnt not to hit an axle with a metal hammer and circlips are the devil)

Any way now the car feels tighter in its turning , especially when I turn right. (even when not in 4wd) has this happened to anyone else or did I maybe do something wrong?

[P4trol]

To recheck the symptoms,

1. You are saying the patrol turns sharper to the right than it used to?

2. Or it is harder to turn the wheel?

The first would be easy to fix. On the back of the swivel hub (holding the wiper seal) is a bolt and a nut. There are also 6 smaller bolts. This bolt and nut is your bump stop. It determines how sharp you can turn. It is easily adjusted by accident when removed for cleaning.

[chrisandthebeast]

Unfortunately it's harder to turn the wheel ?

[P4trol]

Did you measure the pre-load force required to turn the swivel hub?

Put the front axle on stands. Disconnect the rod that goes from the LH front wheel to the steering box, and the other rod to the other wheel. This will roughly tell you if the problem is one wheel or the other.

[lhurley]

You may have over tightened the wheel bearing nut. or its not seated right and become to tight.

[Alitis007]

On the king pin bearings there are metal gaskets to set camber and preload on the bearing. Did you loose or miss place those gaskets ??

[chrisandthebeast]

On the king pin bearings there are metal gaskets to set camber and preload on the bearing. Did you loose or miss place those gaskets ??

Would this effect the feel of turning the steering wheel if the gasket was not their or just the feel of the wheel rolling?

[chrisandthebeast]

Did you measure the pre-load force required to turn the swivel hub?

Put the front axle on stands. Disconnect the rod that goes from the LH front wheel to the steering box, and the other rod to the other wheel. This will roughly tell you if the problem is one wheel or the other.

I Know for sure that it is my right hand wheel. Is it the tightness if the lock washer that would cause this?

[P4trol]

Two different things suggested. Wheel bearings affect the rolling of the wheel.

King pin bearings are the ones that sit top and bottom of the swivel hub. They will affect turning the wheel.

Often there is a shim, or small metal washer sort of thing. It is fairly thin. On mine, it sits on the lower king pin bearing.

It's job is to prevent the king pin bearings squeezing together too tight. Once assembled, the Nissan workshop manual recommends the amount of force required to turn the swivel hub (about 1kg from memory. Most people get away with skipping this, and just put it all back as found.

[P4trol]

It is important to use a torque wrench with setting pre-load on the wheel bearings though.

[chrisandthebeast]

It is important to use a torque wrench with setting pre-load on the wheel bearings though.

I didn't actually touch the king pin bearing in that case so it must be the same as before.... interesting.

Also how do you torque wrench the wheel bearing? is it just the lock nut that holds it in place which is threaded and the a just put a screw driver in the whole on the lock nut and tapped it tight. is there another way?

I May just have to take it apart and re assemble it.

[MudRunnerTD]

Yes was going to be my question, "did you just replace the CVs or do the king pin bearings too. From your last comment I'd be stripping the part that you did out and rechecking it all again. There are a cople of good threads here with an exploded diagram of the front diff for you to cross reference. Sounds like you made hard work of it the first time round. Strip and refit mate.