alignment issues
05-05-2015, 08:47 AM
#1
alignment issues this is on my '99 trans am.
i replaced the rack and pinion with a re-manned part from napa. directly afterwards had it aligned more than a few times by a couple different shops.
it continues to pull to the right 95% of the time. and i mean my steering wheel will continuously be around 45 degrees to the left to counter-steer it. occasionally after hitting a bump or making a hard turn it will almost seem normal (straight) for a few seconds. maybe long enough for me to think "hey is it rolling straight?". obviously i'm getting some wear on the outside of the front passenger tire. city driving it's just a constant pull... but once you get to 55 mph it vibrates like the suspension is going to fall apart.
both alignment shops aligned it to spec (i got print outs). both blame it on radial pull. i didn't think radial pull could get that bad. regardless, i have two complete sets of wheels / tires for this car (winter / summer). same thing happens with both sets so i don't think it's radial pull.
this car ran straight up until i swapped the rack and pinion with both sets of wheels/tires. i don't think a bad one would cause this issue.
only other option i've come up with is go to a frame shop and have a thrust alignment done. with this car, if the thrust alignment is off, i'm assuming it means the frame is bent? i don't know how that would have happened.
so i guess... could a bad rack and pinion cause my issue? perhaps the frame is bent - and the previous alignment was custom made to correct it (not aligning it spec)? anything stupid i should check before taking to a frame shop or getting a thrust alignment done?
i replaced the rack and pinion with a re-manned part from napa. directly afterwards had it aligned more than a few times by a couple different shops.
it continues to pull to the right 95% of the time. and i mean my steering wheel will continuously be around 45 degrees to the left to counter-steer it. occasionally after hitting a bump or making a hard turn it will almost seem normal (straight) for a few seconds. maybe long enough for me to think "hey is it rolling straight?". obviously i'm getting some wear on the outside of the front passenger tire. city driving it's just a constant pull... but once you get to 55 mph it vibrates like the suspension is going to fall apart.
both alignment shops aligned it to spec (i got print outs). both blame it on radial pull. i didn't think radial pull could get that bad. regardless, i have two complete sets of wheels / tires for this car (winter / summer). same thing happens with both sets so i don't think it's radial pull.
this car ran straight up until i swapped the rack and pinion with both sets of wheels/tires. i don't think a bad one would cause this issue.
only other option i've come up with is go to a frame shop and have a thrust alignment done. with this car, if the thrust alignment is off, i'm assuming it means the frame is bent? i don't know how that would have happened.
so i guess... could a bad rack and pinion cause my issue? perhaps the frame is bent - and the previous alignment was custom made to correct it (not aligning it spec)? anything stupid i should check before taking to a frame shop or getting a thrust alignment done?
05-05-2015, 11:38 AM
#2
I suppose something could be amiss in the new rack's hydraulic unit, maybe adding pressure when it shouldn't be. Does it pull the wheel when revving up the car without it rolling? Or with the tires straight, does the rack move the wheel when you start it up?
05-05-2015, 03:45 PM
#6
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Maybe a dumb question, but is there a bushing in place where the passenger side mounting bolt goes through? My replacement rack came with the bushing uninstalled and I had to put it in.
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05-06-2015, 10:02 PM
#8
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Your toe on your right tire seems very suspicious of it moving .20-.30 out like that, implying that you haven't messed with the tie rods before the alignment...
05-07-2015, 07:17 AM
#10
Back in the early 1970s, when I was hired at my first full-time job, my employer sent me to an "in house" training session called "Analytical Trouble Shooting". One of the basic questions we were trained to ask, when a problem arose, is "What Changed"?
In the case of the OP, the rack changed. He has two different sets of wheels/tires, the problem still persists. So it's not "radial pull". He's had 3 alignments, which while varying, and not all that great, did not alleviate the problem. It's not an alignment issue. The car tracked properly prior to replacing the rack. Therefore, back to the initial question, "what changed", and it's the rack.
In the case of the OP, the rack changed. He has two different sets of wheels/tires, the problem still persists. So it's not "radial pull". He's had 3 alignments, which while varying, and not all that great, did not alleviate the problem. It's not an alignment issue. The car tracked properly prior to replacing the rack. Therefore, back to the initial question, "what changed", and it's the rack.
05-07-2015, 07:40 AM
#11
OP, Does it pull the wheel when revving up the car without it rolling?
Or with the tires straight, does the rack move the wheel when you start it up?
Or jack the front end up, and fire up the engine, if the wheel turns on it's own, then it would confirm a problem with the rack.
Or with the tires straight, does the rack move the wheel when you start it up?
Or jack the front end up, and fire up the engine, if the wheel turns on it's own, then it would confirm a problem with the rack.