Car Wanders on the Highway

[mechtech2]

Steering pull and wandering are separate conditions.

A pull means you have to gt it aligned, and there are possibly worn parts.

Wandering means there are worn parts, which after being replaced will require an alignment.

 

[DoubleDee]

Time for new struts. On that car it is a very easy job.

 

[The_Jeff]

Of most saturn pull complaints they all seem to be towards the right.

I read once that when new the cars were only strapped down by their RF lower control arm during shipment and many got tweaked. This should of course have been sorted out by now if someone who cared drove the car when it was new off the lot.

I would hurry up with the new struts and get an alignment after that. The aftermarket struts will be touchy (an understatement!) about camber. My SW1 is set up with two-wrongs-make-a-right where I used an $8 laser level from big lots to set up toe (by pointing the laser at the rear wheels) and camber, by using the bubble portion. I question myself b/c my front tires wear out quickish... but I get them nearly new for $5 apiece at the junkyard so I can't be sure it's me. At least they wear out evenly. The "two wrongs" is I set it up to what I thought was correct but it pulled wicked, so I played with it a bit until it pulls straight (but still looks good with my lowtech alignment method.)

Back to you. If your lower control arm/ball joints are shot this often is hard to detect on the lift because the suspension droops from ride height and the ball and socket interface is fresh material. (I see many s-cars pass state inspection with shot ball joints because the mechanic just shakes the wheel which only shows the most obvious issues) You gotta get in and pry between the LCA and bottom of the steering knuckle. Stick your other hand/finger on the castle nut when you do this you may feel the play there.

 

[hooligan24]

excessive toe out or neg. camber on the front.

 

[jldcol]

Consistant pull to one side? bent a-arm or equivalent on that side. Steering box/rack may be unevenly worn so the "center" point is off to the right. Bent frame in area of FWD module to body on that side. Perhaps the power steering is easier to push right than left, from valves or seals. All guesses, happy hunting.

 

[artificialist]

If you replace your own struts, just drive to an auto repair shop and pay their guy to re-allign your car. Those machines get the job done right, no home level is accurate enough for this job. After the new struts are in, the toe angle will probably change, because the camber changed, and any camber change will have an effect on toe.

+1 on using the prybar on the lower ball joints to check them for wear.

On some cars with MacPherson struts, the bearing on top of the strut (That allows steering) wears out and wanders side to side. It also make bad noises when turning, and sometimes when accelerating or braking.

The rubber insulators between the strut and spring can get torn up or completely crushed, having an effect on ride height or noise.

I'd say buy some Monroe Quick-struts and install them, that way spring sag, torn spring insulators, and upper strut bearings get done at the same time.

Also, cars with MacPherson struts in the rear usually contain some isolator between the upper spring and the car's attachment point.

I'd buy 4 quick struts, then go to a repair shop for an allignment, and then I would be sure the car was right. This could get expensive, but it will avoid problems in the future, since in many cases spring insulators and upper strut mounts fail halfway through the life of replacement struts. That, and springs always sag over time.

 

[rpn453]

I'd swap the tires left to right to rule out a tire problem, and then go for an alignment if that doesn't change anything.

 

[Jim 5]

Originally Posted By: moribundman
I still say it's all those BK meals...


Right.... I've seen pictures of Mr. Wan. Unless he's got girlfriend who eats at BK too often, we can probably rule that out.

 

[The Critic]

Thanks everyone. I won't get around to this for a few more weeks, but I will definitely keep this thread updated.

Here are the things that I'm going to do:

1. Swap the front tires from side-to-side and test drive the vehicle to see if this improves the condition.

2. Use a prybar and "pry on" the lower control arm. There should be zero play, is that correct?

3. Remove the RF caliper and retract the caliper piston to confirm that the caliper is working properly.

4. Wiggle the outer tie rod end. Make sure that there isn't excessive play and that there is resistance when I try to wiggle the tie rod end. Is that correct?

I will definitely replace all four struts and the two front strut mounts at the minimum. Of course, I'll get an alignment after the strut replacement.

As for the Monroe Quick Strut idea, it's a good one, but they won't be available for this application until April at the earliest. Even then, they'll probably cost at least $150/each, which would put me over $600 in parts alone. As a comparison, four KYB GR-2 or Monroe Sensa-Trac struts and two front strut mounts would cost less than $300.

I've heard that the best way to see if you need new springs is to measure the ride height. What's the correct procedure for measuring ride height on this vehicle? Does anyone have the specification?

Originally Posted By: moribundman
Originally Posted By: The Critic
They are directional.


I wanted to know if they had a symmetrical or an asymmetrical tread pattern.

Symmetrical.

 

[Jim 5]

Mike,

Are these the factory wheels with the specified tire size and rating? I have noticed that fatter tires and a little different offset in wheels can cause tramlining and other weird behaviors. Certain tires are more prone to this than others. I don't know what causes this though.

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: Jim 5
Mike,

Are these the factory wheels with the specified tire size and rating? I have noticed that fatter tires and a little different offset in wheels can cause tramlining and other weird behaviors. Certain tires are more prone to this than others. I don't know what causes this though.

These are the factory wheels. I'm running the recommended tire size.

 

[mechtech2]

BTW, if you get new parts, drive for a while to seat things in before you get your alignment, if possible.
Springs and control arm bushings will settle down.
Tie rod ends or ball joints are good from the go.

 

[Tosh]

After a drive (try to stay off the brakes), get out and with your hand feel the relative heat from the brake caliper and wheel bearing areas of each wheel side-to-side. If one spot is much hotter than the others, it may be binding.

 

[The Critic]

Here's an update:

It has been about 1500 miles since I had the tires rotated and rebalanced and the problem has completely disappeared.

It must be tire related. Now, I wonder what caused this to occur in the first place. Could it be an alignment problem?

 

[doitmyself]

Originally Posted By: The Critic
Here's an update: Now, I wonder what caused this to occur in the first place. Could it be an alignment problem?


The answer is in this thread over in the general and off topic forum: Letting Kids Wander Unsupervised

https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/letting-kids-wander-unsupervised.103964/

You see, you did such good preventative maintenance on your car during its young years that now at mid-life it had to "sow it's oats", so to speak, by going on a wandering binge.

Glad to hear you solved the problem by trying the simplest solution first.

Take care. The rest of you guys rock with all the advice you provided.

 

[meep]

There is a condition that can occur where the carcass of the tire begins to separate and cause a pull or wandering condition. It's not the same thing as the firestone/explorer thing, to the best of my knowledge.. It happened to a friend's car-- no visible symptoms at all. Tire tech test drove, said it drove like carcass sep., replaced the tires (no alignment performed) and all good. Years ago, don't recall the brand.

M