My '94 940 has a troubling and consistent issue with the steering. To sum it up, it shimmies. When I bought the car, it had some really cheap, badly worm tires. I thought that was the problem, so I replace all 4 with new Coopers. The car rides so much more smoothly and quietly now, however, the shimmy continues. I had an alignment performed, but the shimmy is still present. It's noticeable at all speeds, but more severe at highway speeds. I asked my mechanic to check out the front end for worn bushings, tierods, etc. He said I found nothing to cause it. I'm not sure I believe him though. Something is obviously wrong with my beloved 940. Anyone have any ideas?

 

Shimmy is a sure sign of incorrect wheel balance or incorrect alignment, especially with new tyres fitted. Bearings generally make noise by the time they cause shimmy.
Most all front end mechanical issues don't cause a shimmy but usually a constant pull or clunk.

Regards, Andrew.

 

also could be a bent rim. but a good tire mounter would have told you that when you got your tires.

 

a possibility, if all elese is fine with supension/steering:
take off the under the steering column panel so that the steering column is exposed. check the column where the seering shaft collapses into the sleeve. you may have "play" there, in the mating of the two shafts, just enough to cause wht you descrbe. the play has to be eliminated. i have used jb weld, not too much though sinec you want to maintain the colapsability of the column in case of an accident.

 

I hear what sounds like a metallic rattling noise coming from the steering column when I go over rough surfaces (gravel roads, broken concrete, potholes, etc.). Not sure if this helps in diagnosing the problem or not, but wanted to mention it. It should be noted that the steering is very tight. There is no play in the wheel and no clunking or noises when turing the wheel from lock to lock while parked. Just the rattling from the column on rough roads and weird shimmy that gets stronger the faster I drive.