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when you last had the alignment done did you get a print out of the alignment ? I had an alignment done before where the tech
didn’t know what they where doing.my truck came out worse than when it went in. took it someplace else and the guy asked me
what I hit. The first guy reversed every setting. so if things where supposed to negative he made them positive and vise versa.
ask before the alignment gets done if the printer is working on the machine and that you want the print out. also ask them to
explain the settings to you of what they found. C8-)The only other thing I can suggest is try to find a qualified shop that knows your type
of car. On the other hand. you can have the best equipment. but if you don’t know how to use it. the results will be poor.+1 on taking it to another alignment shop, College Man is right regarding the caster being at fault.
What brand of tires do you use and do you know the full history of the vehicle?
I’m wondering if this car has ever been in a major collision. If so, it may be hard to ever get the alignment right. Unit-body cars are tricky at best after a major wreck to get right again.
This sounds a lot like an issue I had with a Ford Probe years ago, it turned out to be broken where the front shock attaches to at the top.
Quoted From twiggy02919:
This sounds a lot like an issue I had with a Ford Probe years ago, it turned out to be broken where the front shock attaches to at the top.
The shock mounts? because I replaced the shocks and reused the old mounts. I’ll check it out. Thanks.
When you had the steering rack done. the tie rods had to be removed and swapped to to the new rack. anytime steering
components are moved or replaced it changes the alignment of the front end. with the tires feathering to the outside
is an indication that your front end is out of alignment and needs to go to an alignment shop. your vehicle will probably need
a 4 wheel alignment. As for the wheel not returning when turned sounds like your caster is out. the wheel alignment should resolve
your issues unless you have deeper suspension issues. C8-)Quoted From college man:
When you had the steering rack done. the tie rods had to be removed and swapped to to the new rack. anytime steering
components are moved or replaced it changes the alignment of the front end. with the tires feathering to the outside
is an indication that your front end is out of alignment and needs to go to an alignment shop. your vehicle will probably need
a 4 wheel alignment. As for the wheel not returning when turned sounds like your caster is out. the wheel alignment should resolve
your issues unless you have deeper suspension issues. C8-)That would cause it, but the alignment was done after the gearbox was replaced. Thanks
That vehicle does have issues with the upper strut mount bearings but I’m not sure if that is the problem with yours. There is one thing to check however if the struts were not installed correctly that same upper strut mount is offset so if the offset was not placed in the correct position the alignment will be all out of whack. I too recommend taking it somewhere else to have the alignment checked and have them show you the numbers on the print out, these print outs show not only what is measured on your vehicle but also what the spec is and what you should see for a particular measurement.
Quoted From dreamer2355:
+1 on taking it to another alignment shop, College Man is right regarding the caster being at fault.
What brand of tires do you use and do you know the full history of the vehicle?
I took it to midas which gave me a full print out of all four wheels before/after. The tires are falken all seasons. I can tell teh car was in a front end wreck, but I don’t have history of it. What’s odd is that the car doesn’t really pull at all either direction except for under hard acceleration.
Quoted From EricTheCarGuy:
That vehicle does have issues with the upper strut mount bearings but I’m not sure if that is the problem with yours. There is one thing to check however if the struts were not installed correctly that same upper strut mount is offset so if the offset was not placed in the correct position the alignment will be all out of whack. I too recommend taking it somewhere else to have the alignment checked and have them show you the numbers on the print out, these print outs show not only what is measured on your vehicle but also what the spec is and what you should see for a particular measurement.
is there a tech service bulletin or something that you’re referring to about the strut mount bearings? Otherwise, how would I check them? I took it to the local midas, where I have never had any problems, to have it aligned, but I had that done after I installed the struts. The other odd part of the symptom is that it only pulls to steering lock when driving forward. When backing up, it naturally straightens as it should, so something to do with the caster being thrown off makes sense.
It sounds like your experiencing Torque Steer. That is somewhat common on FWD vehicles to a certain extent.
I would definitely check the front CV axles.
However, if its been in a front end wreck, its hard to say exactly what causing the issues.
Torque steer is possible but make sure the front tires are properly inflated and of the same brand and size. As for the upper strut mounts this is something that I’ve seen quite often cause noises, I diagnose it by having someone turn the wheel lock to lock while feeling the top of the strut, if it feels rough in it’s travel I replace the upper strut bearings and the problem often goes away.
Quoted From EricTheCarGuy:
Torque steer is possible but make sure the front tires are properly inflated and of the same brand and size. As for the upper strut mounts this is something that I’ve seen quite often cause noises, I diagnose it by having someone turn the wheel lock to lock while feeling the top of the strut, if it feels rough in it’s travel I replace the upper strut bearings and the problem often goes away.
Msinly I think whatever is causing the wheel to pull itself to lock is most likely the reason my wheels didn’t hold the alignment. Is that a legitimate assumption?
If it’s not an alignment issue, it sounds like something is hanging up when you turn your wheel to the left causing the car to pull in that direction – just like having a seized caliper.
Here’s what I would do. Lift the front of the car and support it with stands. Put the transmission in neutral and with the wheels pointing straight ahead, rotate each wheel and get a feel for any resistance. Then turn the steering full right and then full left rotating the wheels and checking for unusual resistance each time.
Based on your description i would suspect that when the wheels are turned full left you are going to feel a lot more resistance turning the tires. If that’s the case report back and we can take it from there.
Quoted From johnzcarz:
If it’s not an alignment issue, it sounds like something is hanging up when you turn your wheel to the left causing the car to pull in that direction – just like having a seized caliper.
Here’s what I would do. Lift the front of the car and support it with stands. Put the transmission in neutral and with the wheels pointing straight ahead, rotate each wheel and get a feel for any resistance. Then turn the steering full right and then full left rotating the wheels and checking for unusual resistance each time.
Based on your description i would suspect that when the wheels are turned full left you are going to feel a lot more resistance turning the tires. If that’s the case report back and we can take it from there.
I’ll do that, probably tomorrow, then get back with you. Thanks alot! =)
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