allan@nmtvax.UUCP (10/29/85)
*** REPLACE THIS LINE WITH YOUR LIFE *** I have a 1976 Triumph TR7 (California version) with front end problems. Can anyone out there help me? Here is the problem: Initially, when driving the car and applying the brakes at speeds around 35 and higher, the front end would shake terribly. I could feel the shaking through the steering wheel and I could also feel the wheels shaking. Recently, the problem has gotten worse. When I drive the car into long turn and occasionally when I am driving down the road between 40 and 60, the front end shakes. I think that it is probably the struts, but I wanted some other opinions on the matter. Thanx Alan F. Perry
cal@pyramid.UUCP (Craig Levin) (11/01/85)
> From: allan@nmtvax.UUCP > > I have a 1976 Triumph TR7 (California version) with front end problems. > Can anyone out there help me? Here is the problem: > > Initially, when driving the car and applying the brakes at speeds around 35 > and higher, the front end would shake terribly. I could feel the shaking > through the steering wheel and I could also feel the wheels shaking. > > Recently, the problem has gotten worse. When I drive the car into long turn > and occasionally when I am driving down the road between 40 and 60, the front > end shakes. > > I think that it is probably the struts, but I wanted some other opinions on > the matter. I had this problem with my '76 many years ago, it turned out to be a warped Disc Rotor. This can be checked by measureing the "Disc Runout". Replacement is about a 45 minute job, similar to greasing the internal front wheel bearings. Speaking of which, they might be the problem also. The rotor was not cheap, about $120, five years ago.
mberns@ut-ngp.UTEXAS (Mark Bernstein) (11/01/85)
[] Regarding TR-7 front end problems: I'd check for badly warped brake rotors (most likely), and for lateral runout - warped front wheels/tires. A bad rotor will, of course, lead to the shimmy while braking, but it can also rub up against the pads each revolution of the wheel, causing just a little drag and leading to highway speed shimmy. - Mark Bernstein (UT Austin - SPE)
eldonz@tekigm2.UUCP (Eldon Zacek) (11/15/85)
I have a TR-8 and it did something similar to what you are discribing. If once and awhile when driving over a bump slow does do you here a clunk, all of this could be an indication that you have a bad front ball joint. On other thing that mine did before i fixed was if you step on the brakes hard from a high speed it would pull to one side. This was due to the fact that all of a sudden the lower point on the strut was moving about a 1/2" thus changing the front end dynamics. It also can be a wrapped rotor, too.