That seems to be what my car thinks. This is going to be hard to explain so bear with me.
When I bought my car steering reaction time was right on (for what it is). I could let go of the wheel and it would drive itself.
Now I am constantly fighting. Its not that I have to fight to keep it to one side, I have to fight to keep it in the lane. It has no pattern, sometimes it wants to go left sometimes right. the way it does it is very odd to me. It isnt what I would call play in the wheel, when I turn it turns but it will stop or decrease the amount of angle of the tires sometimes making the lane change slower and longer.
When it starts to drift it is very sudden. then it grab the wheel and jerks it.
What all could be causing this?
Some might remember my post of my PS fluid disappearing, leaking rack. Could it have gotten bad enough to cause this?
Everything is original minus the struts (Monroe) and brakes. I am not too familiar with all the suspension components and their purpose so excuse my ignorance.
I can get a manual rack for around $50. I havent prices a Power rack yet but manual sounds like the way to go. That is as long as I can bolt it up. 5.8FastCat had to use SN95 tie rods for length but he is also running SN95 spindles.
Tires are good, just put them on. Used still but even wear on them.
I also have the semi common problem of my front wearing the outer edge of my tires. I have heard of a few people on here also having this issue. Doubt it has any effect to this but figured I would add it.
how are your tires?
Yeah almost sounds like a bad tire to me. What you have going on sounds like it could be potentially dangerous...so I'd figure it out ASAP man!!
I know sometimes trucks will do that, when you put oversize tires on them. So I'll third that it could be something with the tires.:D
Sounds to me like a bad ball joint. They will do the described, yet keep a good steering wheel feel.
Was afraid on that. What do you think its going to run me to do them?
Tires ore not it. Did it with the tires I just took off and the ones I just put on.
not to be a jerk, but were the tires you just put on new? ive had customers, have this problem, replace worn tires with worn tires(guess they get them for cheap and think theyre good? :dunno: ) and complain why they still have a problem. im just saying i have seen it happen before
When was your last alignment?
If it was the tires I wouldnt think it would sway both ways exactly the same with two different sets. Correction is easier with the new tires though. I have had a broken belt before too and it feels nothing like that. Is there anything else that could be wrong with the tire to cause this? No bubbles or anything. I really dont think it is the tire guys. The new tires are WAY better than the old one.
Also I forgot to add, there is a popping noise when I turn. Again no rhyme or reason to it. Happens when it wants and I can not re create it. Backed out of the driveway and it happened to I pulled back in without turning the wheel at all, forward and backward 4 or 5 times and nothing. Its sounds similar to breaking an overtightened lug nut free.
I have gotten 4 years of driving out of the car with no major issue I didnt cause. It is about time for these things to start happening.
Oh god, September 2006. When I bought my Nexens. Hated those tires in the end. Sure I am do. Do you think it would cause it to pull both ways? Like I said I have no idea. This will be my learning experience.
With how you described the problem,, get the weight off one front wheel at a time only. lock the steering wheel and find out what is worn out.
The last time something this bad happened to me, it was the rack - pinion that was bad. your inner / outter tie rod ends determine your tow in / out.
grab the jacked up wheel at the 9 and 3 o'clock and move the wheel like your trying to turn. Do the same by getting the wheel by the 12 and 6 o'clock. Put some ass into is and if you feel play, trace it out.
Ill bet money its the inner tie rods.
The only way to really tell is to drive the car quickly without a belt to eliminate the ps pump. Engine heats up fast so with a bone cold motor, you might be able to simply troubleshoot downt the road real quick. if the problem goes away, its going to be rack related. Bring your belt and whatever you use to install the belt incase you decide its getting too hot too fast.
How bout I bet you some inner tie rods.......:hick:
I will try and see what I can find out on Sunday. My new H pipe and my oil gets changed then.
it can be anything front related, but from how you described it,, your the only post I know of who has ever described this on our fox's. I have only had this happen to me twice.
1- Dads f150 truck- i over adjusted the stearing gear box in order to take up steering slack.
2-wifes chevy citation- ended up being the steering rack so we deleted the belt,, manual for the time we owned it.
Its never happened to any of my 4 fox cougs or my 77 i had years ago.
I just cant recall anyone every having this type of problem.
I discovered that the inners are made in two different applications. OEM inners are adjustable (see my diy). After market are not because they have a plastic disc up in the knuckle. The OEM disc inside the knuckle has an allen head hole so you can remove the disc, add grease and then install the disc / take up slack.
when removing the inners, there are a couple of different applications as well.
OEM has an allen head set screw on the side of the inner knuckle that binds to the steel pinion. Loosen up this allen and then unscrew your inner from the pinion.
Aftermarket seems to use a roll pin that is simply hammered into a hole on the knuckle (according to an old thread / discussion with Chuck w) and requires you to either drill it out, or grab with vise grips ect to pull it out.
anyway,, you might find your problem and you might not. Hard to tell what it could be, i just thought Id put in my 2c.
Was told it might be rag joints too?
I dont know if that would be it though
i would say check your tie rods then get an alignment if tie rods or good.
Joke, if it it was them I would say no, win the bet, have new ones. LOL.
Well I am going to do the ball joints, inner and outer tie rods and "new" rack.
I want to go manual rack but on such short notice and short funds it might not happen.
I did figure out how to explain the sound. Its sounds similar to breaking an overtightened lug nut free.
when your jumping up and down on the lug wrench and break wither the lug wrench, or the stud?
My experience has been either bad bushings or a bad strut with those types of sounds.
my girlfriends ls is doing that too... she has brand new tires, two new ball joints and an alignment, all done about a week ago.....i was thinking it had somthing to do with the steering rod... you know the one that goes from your firewall to the ps sgearbox...
Sounds like you are talking about the rag joint
that would be it...... i havent checked it out yet... but also when i turn it gets (caught) or sticks for a second..
when you put wider tires on the car it will follow cracks on the road alot more as well. If there lower profile tires, and slightly wider, they'll grab every crack.
the rag joint would be pretty obvious, espcially with the key on car off, and rotate the wheel.
Its a visual inspection.
yeah i know.... but i havent had time to mess with it, ive been working on my xr7 and working a lot lately....
Well this weekend I am fixin this i hope....
I cant get ahold of the guy I usually have help me with stuff i have never done but i cant wait any longer. I am scared to drive it but have no other choice right now. I now run into the issue of what to replace first.
I am thinking tie rods due to the fact, if they fail the damage would be much worse an more expensive than replacing them now, then again (if needed) when i go manual rack.
At the same time, if it is the ball joint what would happen in the case of failure?
I am going to have to get an alignment which is going to eat the ball joint money up. So which is the best route to go? Rods or Ball joints?
I would do both. Get the tie rods and a junk yard , or with your new rack if you have to.
edits above
not getting anything done by sitting on the pc doing virtual repair senerios. If you dont have help then pay to have it troubleshot and repaired.
your additional description of the noise makes me think about what could pop.
Here are my last suggestions for you. I suggest you simply get your coveralls on, crawl under the car, look at "what holds my wheel on". now in your minds eye ask yourself what would happen when that tears up.
just a couple of things here
ball joint pops out of its outter casing
tie rod joint pops out of its outter casing
next , go back and use the techniques we talked about earlier to troubleshoot.
in addition, I have a thread on a "poping noise" which resulted in my getting a first go at CA bushing change outs.
I am curious about the pop you hear and it could be balljoints but just stop guessing. Tossing money at it is not teaching youself much. You can troubleshoot, find the defective part and then you can decide what you "want" to replace vs what would be a good idea to replace.
Balljoint replacements dont usually warrant a new alignment.
Tie rod ends do not either if your able to understand how the tie rod works, count the threads exposed, measure how far out the old one is set ect ect. I do however think that tie rod end replacements usually warrant an alignment. I put mine on and was able to get them set right back like the old ones. The problem was that i also kept the odd position of my steering wheel with relation to my moving in a straight line down the road (ie- wheel is slightly turned to the right).
what this tells me is i would have to adjust the driver tie rod inward and the pass side outward. I still want an alignment though.
Oh,, and one other thing,
most places will not warranty an alignment if for any reason your existing tires show signs of odd wear.
If your tires are worn odd, they must be replaced in order for an alignment to be properly done. This is where you dig deeper into your pocket. Is this standard operating procedure for repair places?=yes. Is it correct of them=yes. does it hurt=yes
Ill throw in something else for you to troubleshoot also.
drive your car around making sure you must use the brakes often.
get out
feel the outside center of the rim or if you can, feel the caliper
do the same to the other front wheel
if one or both are super hot, then you may have found your problem.
A sticking brake caliper will make that noise as the pad glazes over from rubbing the rotor. Usually a sticking caliper isnt due to a bad caliper piston. Its usually due to lack of lubrication on the long torx bit bolts which allow the cliper piston to push out and retract the innner pad.
(again, the dynamics of a caliper are kind neat. one pad moves while the other pad gets pushed in by the piston.
the other secondary issue for it being brake related is the caliper brake line where the rubber line transtions to the metal fitting up on the frame. the rubber on the interior of the crimp may be breaking down and its creating something of a check valve perse'. you are able to push fluid to the caliper piston but it cant bleed back to the resivoir due to the interior of the line and its defective condition. This means the pads are mostly "partially" enguaged.
having the car do the identical same thing for both wheels in an unpredicatable manner tells me the problem most likely must be ONE thing in common with both wheels. I guess you already know what that one thing is. You did say you were being pulled in either direction without bias ,, correct?
and another pop culpert ,,,,,
unlock steering wheel
jack stand both sides of car (must have weight off wheels)
grab inner tie rod end (part that enters the rack)
tug on it up and down / side to side.
if you have slop, then the pop is prob coming from the pinion in the rack slaming into the casing of your rack / pinion.
Soon to be followed by 2 more LOL.
I jacked up the front of the car today and pulled on the wheels every way I could. Very little movement at all or sound. Also visually everything "looked" in its place not that that means anything.
Going to do this now. I have been having problems with them for awhile, actually have all the parts except the outer bearings. But do to the way it was jumping all over the road I automatically blamed suspension/ steering.
Also due to the fact I know my rack is going out these combine seem to be the best options yet. We will see shortly.
Thanks