steering wheel jerking when shifting gears Options

[skogs]

Hi. When i accelerate hard, especially uphill, my steeringwheel tends to jerk to the left pretty hard just as i shift up. Any ideas what this could be? My tires are 205/45-16 with 2,4Bar.

[96stgreendemon]

torque steer

[skogs]

Could you elaborate a little please?

[CelicaST_CALI]

hes joking,torque steer is when the front wheels burnout,and if u have a ST that's not possible ..When was the last time the car was aligned?

[Espo]

That, and is your tread uneven on your tires?

[Bitter]

check the engine and transmission mounts, the whole engine/trans could be jumping around when you shift. also check the subframe the power steering rack bolts to, it could have bad bushings or be loose. or bad ball joints/tierods, a worn or damaged steering rack, bad steering u-joints, etc.

[skogs]

I'll try and check all those things! Thank you!
But do you have any tips or tricks on how to easily check some of these things?

Tires are quite new, and the threads look OK. Car was aligned last year, when fitting the new and bigger wheels.

[CelicaST_CALI]

does your car idle rough?If so i may be your mounts

[yarik83]

If you have broken engine mounts then your car will be jumping with a loud thud. That happens when your engine is in 1st-2nd gear. I had it happen to me in 3rd gear but only when I accelerate super fast. Easiest thing you can do is this. Make sure engine is cold and car is parked on a flat surface. Pop the hood and stand back. If engine is tilted to the left (which is passenger side) then you have a broken engine mount. If you visibly cant see it then take a glass and fill it with water. Put scotch tape on it horizontally (make sure that it is) and place said glass on top of valve cover or anywhere with a flat surface on top of engine. If you see water visibly tilt to one side then one of your engine mounts is broken. You can do the same thing by using a level if you have it.

[skogs]

I'll try and check the engine, but it idles very smoothly and i haven't heard any weird sounds. The problem occurs when pressing or releasing the throttle in the lower gears.

This post has been edited by skogs: May 16, 2010 - 8:07 AM

[Tom_SS2]

sounds familiar to when my wish bone bushes were kaput

[skogs]

sounds familiar to when my wish bone bushes were kaput

Sorry for my ignorance, but what is the wish bone?

[Tom_SS2]

sounds familiar to when my wish bone bushes were kaput

Sorry for my ignorance, but what is the wish bone?

they are lower part of the suspension maybe you guys call them arms?

when my bushes were knackered the left wheel used to pull out under acceleration causing me to move over a lane then when the accelerator was released it used to straighten up again, i could make the steering wheel spin 2 inches back and forth by constantly blipping the throttle while driving,

jack it up and stick a bar (crow bar/pry bar) in at the mounting points and waggle to see if there is a lot of movement and visually check for deterioration

these are the lower wishbones of a Celica

[skogs]

It really sounds like that could be the problem, i'll check it out today! Thx alot!