My '98 Accord LX suddenly has begun pulling left. The steering wheel also began to shimmy when driving. At first, I thought maybe a hub bearing or bent rim (possible pothole collision as it's my daughter in-law's car..that would certainly explain the sudden nature). Oddly, though, I also feel the shimmy when barely moving. It makes me think there could be a problem with the power steering rack--or maybe the power steering pump? What are the symptoms of a failing power steering rack? BTW--We have not noticed any leaking fluid, and the power steering reservoir is full.

Many thanks,

Mike

 

Did you try to raise the wheel (front, both sides) and see if there is any play? Might want to check if the lugnuts are correctly tightened also.

Is there a way for you of knowing if the car hit something hard? (aka asking wtf happened without being lied to (hehe)). As you said, bent rim, and also, deformed tire coud cause that. Loose tie-rod end/damaged balljoint/control arm.

 

you may have a bubble in a tire that has just come up now that road temps are really high in the summer. try rotating the tires front to back and see if it goes away. Also make sure the locknuts have not come off the radius rod bushing(s). you can also jack the car up, spin the wheels with the car in Drive and see if you have a bent wheel. If you have a shimmy in the steering wheel, I've found it's usually a tire/wheel problem. inspect the tires thoroughly and check for any signs of damage to the suspension parts.

 

- Alignment
- Warped rotors
- etc

If it suddenly developed I wouldn't be looking at the steering rack.

 

OK, makes sense. I have experienced the bubble in the tire problem before, but that was 15 years ago--and I had forgotten what it was like. Will get it up on a rack and check these out.

Many thanks!

Mike

 

And as mentioned, could also be a junked tire. Hitting a pot hole too hard may have deformed your sidewall (bubble or not) and thrown it off. You could see if they are still balanced.

Probably wouldn't hurt to just do a tire rotation with mount/balance and an alignment to see if it helps.

 

The tire definitely had a bubble. The spare is on the ground now, the car is not acting so wildly, and we'll replace tires shortly.

Many thanks to all,

Mike

 

if you must run the spare for more than a day or two put it on the back. running unequal diameter wheels on the front will accelerate wear on the differential and make the car pull as well.

 

I had actually done that when I deployed the spare. Many thanks for the affirmation!

A lot of good information came out of this question. This forum is a great resource.

Regards,

Mike