I have two small issues on my '85 that I would like to get taken care of before I go home in a few weeks.
First one is a squeaking noise that sounds like it's coming from the right front brake assembly. I only hear it when I'm braking at low speeds. If I let off the brake pedal, the squeaking stops. I just put new pads and rotors on the front. I greased the slides and everything. Is this something that I need to get checked out?
Second one is when I move steering wheel a little bit in either direction I get this clunk coming from the steering rack. Is there an adjustment i can make on the rack or something? I had the car aligned a couple months ago and it still pulls to the right a little bit. Also, it seems to wander some on the highway.
I'm planning on driving it 425 miles home in about 3 weeks. I'd like to get these addressed before then if possible.
Thanks!
The squeaking could be that the shaft the the brake pedal is on is in need of some lube, and the steering rack sounds like bad ball joints. If one is bad, you should replace the pair (outer tie rods) and possible the inner tie rods as well. For me, if the ball joints on the rack are going bad, I'll just replace the steering rack as a whole unit.
Like Vinnie said the slop in your steering could be inner and or outer tie rods on the rack. It could also very well be the rack itself but a reman unit from a parts store should not be any more than $100 with new inner tie rods. Put the car up on jack stands, lay on the ground where you can see the end of the rack & the outer tie rod, then have someone move each one of the front tires side to side. If you see movement on one side but not the other then that isolates it to that one side. The person moving the tire from side to side needs to be feeling for any kind of a pop which will indicate either the inner or outer tie rod being shot. You can replace the inner tie rods without replacing the rack and it is pretty easy but it does take a large wrench and I want to say its a 1-1/8" or somewhere in that ball park. They come off hard at first but then get easy to remove after a couple of turns. This is due to a small roll pin that is inserted into the threaded part of the tie rod that goes onto the rack. This roll pin is hammered flat into the threaded part to keep it from backing off under use.
To check the lower ball joints you can try and move the tire up and down to see if you have excessive play in them. I usually take the floor jack and put some pressure under them when the car is up on jack stands and watch the ball joint to lower control arm area so see if there is any separation when I jack the tire up.
As for the brake noise did you bed the pads to the rotors properly when you did the brake job? If you are not aware of this procedure go here:
http://www.stoptech.com/technical-support/technical-white-papers/bed-in-theory-definitions-and-procedures/brake-pad-bed-in
Darren
Vinnie, the racks are hard to find and expensive, but tie rods, both inner and outer aren't that bad. He's going to need an alignment aftrewards, unless OP is mechanically inclined and has the tools, I'd let the shop do it, put it on the alignment rack and line 'em up :)
Of course, if his rack is bad or leaks....I've got a used one from an '87 2.3 Mustang. It's identical to what he has, and it didn't leak, or have any issues. I only swapped it because i put the quick ratio V8 rack in while I had the front apart. :)
I'm not even sure where one could find a new rack for a Fox..oreilly doesn't have them, I don't think.
They have them remanufactured with lifetime warranties. I have reman units on both my Foxes, zero issues.
Darren
I just went to Autozone and bought a rack for the Sport steering. Lifetime warranty. I've had mine for about 6 years or so. About to swap it out in a few weeks.
Thanks guys! Sounds like the steering shouldn't be too hard to fix.
As for the brakes: the squeak happened with the old pads and rotor too. That's why I replaced the rotors and pads on both sides. It's not a "new pads on new rotors" squeal, it's more of a chirping sound. I'm pretty confident I have the wheel bearings adjusted properly.
there are two different "inner tie rod ends, ~to be honest I think I was rather overly inquisitive to buttstuffyze it to this level but here goes....
when the flex tubing is slipped away from the rack assembly you will see the knuckle that screws on.
-one type of inner has an allen set screw into the side.
when the set screw is removed or backed off, you can unscrew the inner off the rack.
when you look inside this more robust oem unit, you will notice a metal disc down deep and it also has an allen head fitting.
when you tighten the interior "disc" up it takes out slack in the tie rod end.
whats suppose to happen is you unscrew the disc out completely then add grease then screw it back in... this type of inner should really *never* wear out.
the second type-
the inner knuckle will have a "roll pin" hammered into it binding its position.
start a tiny pointy course thread scew into the opening of the roll pin
grab the screw with vise grips and hammer it out,, -- or by other means--- get the roll pin backed off
unscrew the knuckle off the rack
look inside and you will see a "plastic disc"
this disc wears out but using a punch you can hammer it "deeper" into the knuckle taking up the slack.... these wear out quicker than oem units.
long story short,, its in my diy link below also...but... I speculate the more robust inner was OEM, the second is replacement or aftermarket.
play in the steering wheel has to be either the rack or inner or outer tie rod ends, wheel bearings, or control arm bushings,, these are all ways to get the tire to not be even up with the other tire.
ball joints also... as mentioned.
my first instinct on "drifting" is rack related.
getting the front up and studying the where the play is with the steering wheel locked will help you find the play
Thanks! That would probably explain why even after it was aligned, it still wanders and pulls slightly to the right.
Ball joints then?
If it was aligned properly by someone who's proficient, they'd have either caught the issue and told you, or something broke or got worn out afterwards. How's the tires, by the way? I've had tires on the front of a car or two in years past that made me think I had mechanical issues. Then they blew out. Just sayin' .. ;)
I wasn't aware that there were remanned racks sold...hmm. I might just get a "new" one myself. Why put old on a car that's going to have a pretty good engine in it?
The tires on the car right now are cheap Multi Mile brand tires that are old enough they don't have date codes. I'm getting new tires in a week or so. I asked the service advisor at the shop where I had it aligned if they checked the ball joints and he said they did. It's a reputable car dealership.
I've been driving the car a lot lately and it seems to drive ok, would it be ok to drive 850 miles round trip?
Mine had 309k miles on it now, i drive it a minimum of 100 miles round trip a day, just to and from work. The steering and alignment honestly feel perfect, but i have noticed a few things.
I try not to rotate my tires because it shows me un-even wear issues on the tread. If it randomly pulls from one side to the other when it is straight and you suspect play, i enlist the help of someone else.
Play is slop that shouldn't be there. First jack the car up, get either or both front tires off of the ground. Pull back and forth and in and out on the tire. If anything is excessively loose, you will feel play or hear a defined clunk. Aerocoupe is right on with his description of how to check.
If you can hear or feel anything, but can't identify it, use a breaker bar, or, get someone else to turn the wheels fully right to left and look for any movement or anything that seems to wiggle. May have to do that same thing with a jack under the suspension arm if its a bad balljoint.
If you do this and don't find anything major, it is more then likely okay. You have had it checked nd aligned by professionals, hopefully they would have found something. Have it checked again when you do tires.
Bringing up tires....
If you have different name brand tires, you need to match them by axle. A big tire on the rear paired with a smaller tire can cause bearing issues. If i had to run mis matched tires, i would run them on the front axle, as it is at least independent and should eat bearings.
If your tires are old and match, put them on the rear of the car. A blow out on the rear is much easier to handle then one on the front. I've actually blown a few tires on these cars. Most of the time on the rear you get a vibration or hear rubber hitting the underside before the car handles funny. Do not hit the breaks unless your already going off of the road. Coast to a stop, and you'll likely not damage the rim.
Hopefully that didn't scare ya too badly. I bought all my tires used when i was young and broke. Now i only buy new. They last longer, fit better, and i rarely have any issues until they are all used up. I haven't blown a foregone one of these cars in at least 7 years now. (I'm 27 now, and i drive... alot. Sometimes 100k a year).
I couldn't answer the 850 mile rounder, but I'd advise putting on the new rubber first, if possible. Might be the cure for the wander issue, if everything mechanical is deemed up to snuff by your wrench.
Thanks.
All 4 tires are the same size and brand (Multi Mile). They're just really old (no date codes). I'm hoping to get new tires this coming week.
I'd definitely put the new rubber on and then see how she drives and feels.
On my '87 Mustang, when I got it, the rag joint was shot...steering was sloppy. Once I got it home, I took a look and saw that it was pretty well ripped out. I swapped in the intermediate shaft from my parts car, and that helped.
Might also be something to check out, but the mechanic may or may not have looked at it. Depends on how Ford savvy he is. Once you've felt one though....you'll know exactly what it is the next time (if ever) you run into it again.
A knotted or out of round tire will give you some goofy feel in the steer wheel too. Make it pull, bounce around, all kinds of shiznit. You can run your hands around the tire, palm against the tread, and if there's a knot or a swelled spot, feel it easily. If there's wires sticking out though do NOT do it...nasty belts will give you tetb-hole easily.
Keep us updated as to what changes when the new hides are on. :)
Will do!!! Thanks!