Bent Spindle???
06-02-2011, 08:30 PM
#21
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Nope.We thought maybe it was in a accident but no signs of anything looking under the car or maybe someone pulled a dukes of hazzard jump but it all looks ok but that would turn me towards my idea of a bent spindle.
06-02-2011, 09:51 PM
#29
But you have to slot the caster mount as well.
The camber and caster have to move as a unit. If you don't slot the caster, the lower will pivot around the caster point, losing positive caster (high speed stability).
You very well could have a bent knuckle. Its more common than any one might think.
Negative 0.4 - 0.8 degrees camber is a good range to shoot for.
Positive 4.0 - 4.5 degrees caster is a range
1/16" toe in keeps the trammelling to a minimum.
Camber sweep is measuring how much "wobble" there is as the wheels are rotated from full lock to lock.
This tells you if the wheel assembly is rotating square.
06-05-2011, 02:52 PM
#30
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Just a update.I got done replacing both lower A arms.3 out of 4 bolts were rusted.What a PITA.Haven't picked up new knuckles yet but I did notice the distance between knuckle & spring/shock on both sides differs.I can put my hand behind passenger side but on driver side I can barely get a finger in between.This confirm my idea of a bent knuckle?
Thank You for everyone's input and baring with me to get this figured out.
Thank You for everyone's input and baring with me to get this figured out.
06-11-2011, 10:18 AM
#34
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Yea.Same here.One of the biggest PITA's Ive had to deal with when it comes to this car.Now that the whole suspension is pretty much been replaced.Hopefully No problems for a long time.................Hopefully
06-13-2011, 10:07 AM
#35
i disagree. I just recently had an accident that broke the spindle. It did slightly bow the inner tierod but those things are like pencils anyway. That was all there was. However i do agree that it would take an odd impact to bend the spindle in a way that would negatively affect camber. I can see it going positive, not negative.
06-13-2011, 11:50 AM
#36
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I'm guessing the previous owner maybe had hit a curb on that one side good enough to bend the knuckle or maybe jumped the car over some RR Tracks or something.who knows.
01-08-2013, 06:02 PM
#37
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I hate to bring this thread back because its a year old but I just recently have the same problem with my camaro only I did hit a curb and got into a minor fender bender at the same time.
Story is someone wasn't looking changed lanes into me and pushed me into the curb.
Drove to an alignment shop and just like the OP I had a lot of negative camber on the driver side but the passenger side seems normal. Drivers side was at -1.6. Not -2 but keep at mind I am on bone stock suspension so with a prokit that lowers a little I would think it would be about -2... Anyways. What the hell? The steering nuckle was bent for the OP last year? I am having a hard time figuring out what to replace or if its even safe to drive on bent parts. He couldn't tell if the parts were bent but he said that it was probably either a spindle or upper a-arm that was bent. He ended up aligning it for me anyway. I had him bring the camber in as far as possible but it only got to -1.4 on the drivers side.... so not sure what to think about that. Anyway I am driving on it like that and it seems fine but I know somthing is wrong.
The only problem is figuring out what parts to replace. I have no idea if its the lower a arm, spindle or upper a arm is bent.
I need some advice from people who have run into curbs in the past and had a similar problem as me and the OP. Btw, sorry for bringing a thread back from a year ago and then hijacking it lol.
Story is someone wasn't looking changed lanes into me and pushed me into the curb.
Drove to an alignment shop and just like the OP I had a lot of negative camber on the driver side but the passenger side seems normal. Drivers side was at -1.6. Not -2 but keep at mind I am on bone stock suspension so with a prokit that lowers a little I would think it would be about -2... Anyways. What the hell? The steering nuckle was bent for the OP last year? I am having a hard time figuring out what to replace or if its even safe to drive on bent parts. He couldn't tell if the parts were bent but he said that it was probably either a spindle or upper a-arm that was bent. He ended up aligning it for me anyway. I had him bring the camber in as far as possible but it only got to -1.4 on the drivers side.... so not sure what to think about that. Anyway I am driving on it like that and it seems fine but I know somthing is wrong.
The only problem is figuring out what parts to replace. I have no idea if its the lower a arm, spindle or upper a arm is bent.
I need some advice from people who have run into curbs in the past and had a similar problem as me and the OP. Btw, sorry for bringing a thread back from a year ago and then hijacking it lol.
01-08-2013, 06:26 PM
#38
Given the geometry and materials everything is made out of I'd suspect the upper A arm is bent first before the spindle. The spindle is a pretty rigid piece while the upper A arm is basically a loop. If you smack the spindle the A arm will bend inwards sooner than the spindle bending.
01-08-2013, 06:43 PM
#39
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Given the geometry and materials everything is made out of I'd suspect the upper A arm is bent first before the spindle. The spindle is a pretty rigid piece while the upper A arm is basically a loop. If you smack the spindle the A arm will bend inwards sooner than the spindle bending.
01-08-2013, 07:21 PM
#40
Ball joints don't really bend. They break off. Even if it does bend it no longer would operate properly.
Upper arm is more likely to bend than the lower because of the shape of each one. Lower can bend however, especially since a hit on the lower part of the wheel is going to put more force on the lower than the upper. But that would cause camber to go more positive, not negative.
It is hard to say without a direct analysis of everything. I'd probably start with getting a new upper arm and swapping that first as it strikes me as the most likely part to bend. But also I'm not a pro at stuff like this so don't take my word as ultimate authority or anything.
Upper arm is more likely to bend than the lower because of the shape of each one. Lower can bend however, especially since a hit on the lower part of the wheel is going to put more force on the lower than the upper. But that would cause camber to go more positive, not negative.
It is hard to say without a direct analysis of everything. I'd probably start with getting a new upper arm and swapping that first as it strikes me as the most likely part to bend. But also I'm not a pro at stuff like this so don't take my word as ultimate authority or anything.