Front End Problem

Ira R.

Registered User
Problem: my '92 (all stock) is pulling badly to the right. It has gradually been getting worse over the last several weeks. When I first noticed it, I rotated the tires front to back, and had them balanced and the front end aligned.

Now it is pulling badly to the right again, and I'm thinking that maybe it has been doing it all along and I just didn't notice it (car hasn't been used much the last week or two).

I spoke with the shop that did the alignment and they tell me that the castor is not adjustable on this car, and that maybe I have a tire out of balance. I should bring the car back in and they will swap the tires left to right and see if that corrects the problem.

My question is simple. Is this true? Is there another option? I know this shop well and they are usually pretty relaible and they don't rip you off by creating work when there is none needed. I'm just thinking maybe they aren't as familiar with the SC as they could be.

irar

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If it is pulling that badly i would look at maybe your bushings all around your front end suspension......Im sure that if not one of them are worn....most likely a few of them are!!

Im currently experiencing alittle bit of a pull to the right....especially on hard braking....but i need to change out my bushings on my Strut Bar passenger side...this is causing my pull!!!!

Jack up your front end and inspect visually where your control arms meet and whre ever you see rubber!!! Im sure you will find that some of them are worn especially if you have never had them changed!!!!

Good luck Mate :cool:
 
Front wheel caster is adjustable. I have the before and after printouts (for my old car) from the dealer to prove this. It's done via the nut at the end of each tension strut.
Have you checked to see if your springs are broken? If they are, as it happened with me, then the car will pull to one side, the wheels will wobble when rotated by hand, and the alignment won't be within spec. You need to check the printout; on three different occasions I noticed that the people doing the alignment were confused by negative numbers and fractions.
 
J.D. said:
Front wheel caster is adjustable. I have the before and after printouts (for my old car) from the dealer to prove this. It's done via the nut at the end of each tension strut.
Have you checked to see if your springs are broken? If they are, as it happened with me, then the car will pull to one side, the wheels will wobble when rotated by hand, and the alignment won't be within spec. You need to check the printout; on three different occasions I noticed that the people doing the alignment were confused by negative numbers and fractions.

Ditto. If the alignment shop doesn't know what can be adjusted, go to a different one. Also, a good alignment shop will at least check all of the suspension components before performing an alignment.
 
Kurt K said:
Ditto. If the alignment shop doesn't know what can be adjusted, go to a different one. Also, a good alignment shop will at least check all of the suspension components before performing an alignment.

Agreed, and since the original alignment was part of the follow up to the new brakes as part of a state inspection, I presume that any busted front end parts would have been called to my attention.

I lean more toward the guy on the machine may have been confused by the numbers. I don't know where the comment "there is no adjustment" came from because like I said, this is a pretty reliable place. Maybe he just didn't see it. :rolleyes:

I also found the specs on the TCCoA web site and they were very specific, so I'm gonna take them with me when I drop the car off later.

Thanks all!! I rally appreciate the help!!

irar
 
If you're not comfortable with inspecting your own front suspension, then take it to about 3-4 different shops...mechanics and alignment shops. Tell them you are thinking about purchasing this car from a private party and you would like them to look at the front suspension since it is pulling heavily to one side. They will normally do this for very little money and some may do it for nothing. You will get a good idea from that as to what is wrong.

My first thoughts are with the bushings. If they haven't been replaced by now, then they need it. The other thing is the hub and bearing assembly. When those go bad, you will get a drifting feeling as the car will wander back and forth. You will generally feel a pull towards the bearing ***'y that is going out, but if you get into a road with some uneven surfaces, you will notice the drift... A wheel out of balance generally will cause a vibration, not a pulling. Although tires themselves depending on wear my pull differently in different places on the car. But it won't get worse...it should get better as the tires wear. Tie rod ends (outer or inner) may also be causing this. Have them check over the complete front end pretty close to see what the issue may be. It could very well be a combination of issues, progressively making each one worse...
 
007_SuperCoupe said:
If you're not comfortable with inspecting your own front suspension, then take it to about 3-4 different shops...mechanics and alignment shops. Tell them you are thinking about purchasing this car from a private party and you would like them to look at the front suspension since it is pulling heavily to one side. They will normally do this for very little money and some may do it for nothing. You will get a good idea from that as to what is wrong.

My first thoughts are with the bushings. If they haven't been replaced by now, then they need it. The other thing is the hub and bearing assembly. When those go bad, you will get a drifting feeling as the car will wander back and forth. You will generally feel a pull towards the bearing ***'y that is going out, but if you get into a road with some uneven surfaces, you will notice the drift... A wheel out of balance generally will cause a vibration, not a pulling. Although tires themselves depending on wear my pull differently in different places on the car. But it won't get worse...it should get better as the tires wear. Tie rod ends (outer or inner) may also be causing this. Have them check over the complete front end pretty close to see what the issue may be. It could very well be a combination of issues, progressively making each one worse...


Yes, I get it. I realize that is one of the problems when you have a front end issue. It could be a couple of little things all adding up to something and you don't know where to look first. I agree that I don't think it's the tire or the wheel. The car just wants to drift right, and that hasn't changed since we rotated the tires. It's not as if you let go of the steering wheel and she just dives right either.

These are also good things for me to look at. Thanks.

irar

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