FirehawkNS

iTrader: (3)

No, it hasn't really done it loudly like it did after that night. I do have the bearing noise again for some reason (marbles in a tin can when turning at low speeds), so I will probably be replacing the outside bearings yet again. I don't have the tools to start taking the gears apart, nor the know how to really dig into that stuff so I will probably just deal with it and turn the radio up for now.

FirehawkNS

iTrader: (3)

So looking for a little advice here. Been a little embarrassed to ask due to me being an idiot on part of the install.

Ever since this upgrade the car hasn't been "right". It's hard to describe and I have spent some time trying to adjust things, but I am a little lost here. I will try to describe what is going on.

So the car is no longer fun to drive since this upgrade. I feel something has to be off, but I am not exactly sure what it is. First off, after the upgrade I went and had it aligned. Of course it was way out of sorts. Got that in and drove it home. I got to reading further the next day and realized I didn't hit any of the bolts with a Torque wrench (actually didn't have one available at the time).

I proceeded to do this and figured out they were way way way out of spec. So I got the specs list and went to town.

Afterward The car still didn't feel right. Feels like it is an old 80's Caddy going into and around corners or something. It's not that the car is rolling body wise, but kind of like the wheels are sliding around under the car. I go to turn and it's like "nothing nothing nothing WE ARE TURNING FAST right into the other lane!" or that the back is coming out like I lost traction and gripping and losing traction, but of course I am not. I can't keep it straight in the lines without seeming drunk even at slower speeds and the car is a nightmare at higher speeds. The steering feels sluggish and unresponsive.

So my question is, should I go ahead and take it for a realignment again and see if it got off since the torque specs were off all over the car? The specs were dead on with the bolts my buddy had to touch to get it aligned it was all the others. My Buddy no longer works at the shop I use, so I am figuring just going to the dealership.

Do you think my Rack and Pinon went out by chance at the same time? Or maybe the bushings where not seated write in the Arms?

Should I bite the bullet and have the dealership torque all the bolts down again, realign, and then see what's up?

I really don't want to throw money at this thing without knowing exactly what it is, but I am out of ideas.

What say you Tech community?

FirehawkNS

iTrader: (3)

Reading back threw the thread I seemed to enjoy the ride better on the ride home after alignment, of course there were few curves on that ride home so it was either me torquing the bolts down made this mess or I didn't really have a good ride in it like I did later.

vikingramair

What does your aligment spec says? Do you have the figures avalable?

FirehawkNS

iTrader: (3)

No clue, never thought to get that.

99Bluz28

iTrader: (35)

Has the cars ride height settle down lower since the front end alignment ?

FirehawkNS

iTrader: (3)

Not enough to tell if it has.

SuperSport01

Show pics of the suspension again, mainly pics of the upper control arms and mounts. My brothers buddy accidentally put his upper a arms on the wrong sides which made the car impossible to align and it drove like crap.

99Bluz28

iTrader: (35)

IMO, I'd get the "Toe" checked and adjusted if out of spec.. It doesn't
take much to throw it off. I'd leave caster and camber setting alone, but it wouldn't hurt to get a printout of the alignment specs.
If you still have your old factory rear LCAs I'd put those back on to see if you still get the snap over-steer.
FYI, regular poly bushings in the rear LCAs can cause the snap over-steer.

FirehawkNS

iTrader: (3)

I think you are right. I will probably take it to the dealership and have them check the alignment again and maybe the torque specs on the rear bolts, although I made sure to torque the LCA down to spec with the car on the ground, so they are probably fine.

How about the Stabilizer bar link? Could that be off? It was a tad confusing for me to figure out how to insure it was the proper specs at first.

FirehawkNS

iTrader: (3)

Here you go. Driver side.




Didn't have a completed pic of the pass side. I will have to get others this weekend if you want something else.

99Bluz28

iTrader: (35)

With the endlinks tighten them with the suspension loaded (ramps, drive on lift). Tighten them until they have no play in them, not any tighter. If you over tightened them it could restrict suspension articulation.

FirehawkNS

iTrader: (3)

Went to a local dealership to get aligned and they said they couldn't do it. Said I would have to have the factory rims for them to be able to do it. I will have to find another place and have them check the car first for compatibility.

I am pretty sure that's how I tightened them (seemed logical to have it loaded and just tight enough). Will probably recheck.

JakeFusion

iTrader: (7)

You definitely need to get the car aligned. Once you remove the A-Arms, you really risk changing the geometry. I know they only bolt back in one way on the stock k-member, but you still need to be cognizant of exactly where they were before. An alignment should bring them back to spec.

I don't really understand the aftermarket wheel thing though with the dealership?

99Bluz28

iTrader: (35)

Sounds like a really lame excuse to me to avoid doing a alignment on a car that requires a more time and effort than a lot of newer car that only have "Toe" adjustability. IMO, I'd take it elsewhere preferably to a family owned shop that's been around for a while; not to one of the franchised dime-a-dozen shops.
I'd ask around at local car shows, and any performance shops about where and/or who they got to for their alignments.

FirehawkNS

iTrader: (3)

Yea, my buddy that did it last time said that was just an excuse because they didn't want to do it. His machine he did it with last year was old. I have several friends that own shops but none left with a machine to align. Will probably just start checking around.

FirehawkNS

iTrader: (3)

It was already aligned once... That's the bit that concerns me unless it really did move around afterward.

srs bzns

iTrader: (3)

It sounds like you are explaining it plowing in corners (front wheels are turned, but car continues straight) and then if it doesn't you have snap oversteer (car plows then suddenly the rear is gone) is this correct?

IF that is the case that tends to be sway bar issues, and just like someone else said it sounds like the sway bay was uninstalled then installed without the suspension being loaded.

From previous non F body cars i have owned it could also be the something binding in the front causing overly stiff suspension characteristics so the tires can't properly grip the road in the turn. I would jack the car up remove the wheel and check suspension travel with a jack. Binding could lead to the plowing then when things finally "pop" into place you get the oversteer.

I like the work you have done here though. I was going to ask you what the suspension rebuild cost you roughly?

FirehawkNS

iTrader: (3)

That sounds like it exactly. With that thought I will probably drop some things down and go back in with a Torque wrench and specs and make sure things get tightened down loaded when needed.

With that I am wondering, how do you tighten the upper a-arms together? I can't get in there once it's loaded with any wrench I have, it's too tight. IN fact I don't think I could get to it unloaded, only out of the car. That part has me wondering now as I just hand tightened it and then couldn't get to it.

99Bluz28

iTrader: (35)

Okay, here's what I'm thinking in reference to the snap over steer:

Before you tightened down the bolts/nuts on the rear LCA's they were probably slightly loose. With the LCA's having regular poly bushings this allowed just a little bit more twisting articulation of the LCA's which is needed. Now after you tightened the bolts/nuts down the body side mount ears for the LCA's mount were then pulled in tight against the bushings, then in turn severely limited the articulation of the OCA's causing the snap oversteer. Furthermore any lack of lubrication on the bushings will make this more likely to happen.
FYI, if you do enough driving on uneven road surfaces and like to corner hard you will over time bend the body side LCA mount ears outward from all the outward pressure the poly bushing put on the mount ears when the control arms forcefully twist in the mounts. I know because my first RLCA I installed n my Z28 back in 2000 had regular poly bushing. These stayed on my car until I could find and verify the actual cause, and a solution to the very nervous handling my car had after installing LCA's with poly bushings. Later I Swapped the factory LCA's back on and it did finally confirm this to me.
So, I would recommend putting the factory LCA's back on to at least confirm the LCA's with poly bushing are, or are not part of the problem.