I have a 1986 Toyota Camry manual transmission, 4-cylindar sedan that we have put a lot of work into to keep it running for our son who is attending school and needing a car to get him through till the end of the semester.
He just informed me today that there has been a problem with the car while he is driving it and asked me to drive it myself so I could see what was happening first hand.
Regardless of the gear you're in, or the speed, when you steer the car to the left - even the slightest bit - it starts jerking forward and backward terribly. Seems like the sharper the left turn at speed the worse the jerking gets. The best way I can describe it is like when you first started driving a manual transmission car and first learned how to get going in first gear. Newbies just learning to drive with a clutch will cause the car to jerk back and forth in first gear until they learn how to work the clutch and gas pedal more smoothly. That's what's happening with our car, but it only does it when you turn the steering wheel to the left. Doesn't matter what gear you're in, when you turn to the left you really get jolted over and over again until you center the steering wheel or start turning it to the right.

Any ideas?

Thanks,

Greg

 

Right turns are OK then? What happens when the car is moving and the clutch is pushed in, does the situation get any better?

Could be a very bad CV joint, axle problem, something in the suspension or chassis is binding with the tire, very bad wheel bearing. Might also check the differential to make sure it has fluid.

Raise the front end of the car off the ground. Check for too much play by shaking the tire at the 3 and 9 o'clock position. Turn the steering wheel left then rotate tires by hand and check for binding.

Run the engine with trains in Drive and turn the steering wheel. Keep this test brief as having the suspension hanging when the axle rotates may not be good for the CV joints.