Low frequency steering wheel wobble at speeds above 20kph

Question

99 Nissan Almera 1.6L MTX. Basically, at speeds between 20kph to at least 80kph there is a low frequency wobble in the steering wheel. Seems like frequency increases very slightly with speed, but it always stays just a wobble and never turns into a vibration.

I'm not really sure when it started, but it's fairly recently. The front wheel bearings are newish as are the shocks and brakes, all replaced maybe 3000 kilometers ago. The car passed inspection about a month ago and they do a pretty thorough check of steering components for any kind of play and also check basic alignment. I did a visual inspection of the tires for anything unusual and also ran my hands along the surface and didn't come up with anything that stood out.

The only work that's been done recently was I replaced the high pressure hose for the steering pump. Reservoir has enough fluid in it.

I have had to slam on the brakes a few times recently, but didn't notice any flat spots on the tires.

So any ideas would be helpful.

EDIT August 17th, 2018

Well, just went for the annual inspection, and they said there is too much free play in the wheel bearings, and in the steering linkage, either the tie rod or tie rod end.

The only thing is that the bearings, shocks and brakes were all replaced together less than 8000 km / 5000 miles ago.

Could a loose tie rod make the bearings fail that quick? I'm suspicious that the wheel bearings are fine ( they make no noise at all ) and the problem is elsewhere...

EDIT August 19th, 2018

Well, after inspecting everything myself, it turns out that the tie rod and bearings are both fine. I found a loose axle nut, which mimics both of those symptoms since the affected wheel will have free play in both the 6-12 plane, and the 3-9 plane.

Just have to get it on the highway to see if that also solves the wobble problem, buy my guess is that it will.

Answer 1

The act of repacking a shock absorber typically requires it to be unbolted from the wheel hub knuckle at the shocker’s bottom end. During this process, if the tie rod is not removed it’s ball joint can become damaged. If it is removed, it has to be done up again. Either of these can contribute to an inspection finding it to be loose or having excess free play

Wheel bearings are typically normal roller bearings that are pressed into the hub knuckle or they’re conical and require tighetinng to a specific torque if they’re to perform flawlessly for hundreds of thousands of miles. If a normal bearing is hammered in rather than pressed it can end up damaged or misaligned and his contributes to premature wear. Incorrectly torqued conical bearings can fail within just a few miles Noise isn’t always present on a failed bearing, and bearings that have too much free play may not make an audible noise in the car over other road and engine noises. The test for a failed bearing around my way is relatively subjective: the tester grabs the top and bottom of the wheel and gives it a wiggle

I doubt a loose tie rod end would vastly contribute to bearing failure; tyre wear yes, but the shear forces a bearing is subject to during cornering would be greater than hose imposed by a slight wheel misalignment, and cars seem to cope fine with corners.. though the USA does seem to have far fewer corners than other places in the world :)

Answer 2

OK, so I finally confirmed the problem was a loose axle nut. The loose nut made the wheel wobble at certain speeds, and made it look like there was free play in the bearings and the tie rod.