Steering wheel jerking to right.

[koolkoreanked]

Ok here is the problem. After driving for a while the steering wheel will randomly jerk to the right while accelerating or coasting. While braking it goes away. Now while turning left I can hear a loud knocking sound like someone with a hammer banging on the bottom of the car and the wheel jerks to the right. I thought it was the tie rod ends but while in the air the wheel does not shake at all. Now if you lift the car in the air and set it back down the problem goes away for a good 10-15 miles and then it starts again. It starts slow and then just gets worse and worse. Could the axles somehow be binding causing the car to jerk right? I've checked ever bolt under the car and everything is tight and solid so the only thing that I can think of that would make that kinda sound is the axle. I just never heard of the axle making the car jump either way.

[johnl]

From your description it doesn't sound like a suspension bush, or ball joint problem (but don't rule this out).

It may be that if you're CVs are very worn sometimes they may move out of axial alignment causing a loud noise and "jerk" when this happens, and maybe continue to make noises (and vibration?) until the axial aligment possibly corrects itself.

Try getting under the car and pushing / pulling (up / down, backward / forward) on the axle shaft between the inner and outer CV joints. Some radial movement would be pretty normal, but only a quite small amount. Try this with the steering at the straight ahead, and at both extremes of steering lock.

If this shows nothing untoward, you might also try removing the wheel on the affected side (with that side of the car supported on a proper chassis stand) leaving the other front wheel on the ground, with the handbrake hard on.

Now start the engine and place the gearbox in first gear, you should now be able to see hub / rotor and axle on the unloaded side rotating. You may now be able to see some radial motion in the shaft, but may not. Now have someone turn the steering wheel to full lock in both directions while you observe the axle shaft and outer CV for any untoward radial motions, noises or jerkiness (to give you a reference, do this on both sides if you're not sure what is 'normal', some degree of radial motion of the axle shaft may be normal at extremes of steering lock).

(I'd also securely chock all the wheels still in ground contact, both in front of and behind the tyres. Keep in mind that you still have one driving wheel in ground contact, and even though the differential affect will transfer power to the unloaded wheel away from the loaded wheel any resistance at the unloaded wheel will cause some power to be transferred to the other wheel. If you have a limited slip differential then don't try this procedure at all unless both front wheels are off the gound.)

This may not find any problem since the axle isn't under any real load as it is when actually driving the car, but it might well tell you something.

[preludeman92]

Check your lug nuts before you try other things. Loose wheels can cause most of those symptoms.

[betterstolen]

i am having the same problem!
everyone said that it was the lower ball joint. i had other noises coming fromt that so it was replaced aswell as the axle. the tie-rod end was replaced on that side too. it jerks when starting from a stand still but pretty sure thats just my tires but it does jerk while driving. more so to the right as said. the loud knocking is only when turning to the left. o and all the parts replaced above where on the left


and i had honda do my lower balljoint and a huge tuneup inspection thing and they didnt say anything.

[Losiracer2]

yeah just lift up the front end and start trying to shake parts, if they're loose then you know what it is. Thats the best method to figure out whats goin on.