Alignment done, but sumthin' ain't right....
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Laughing Gas
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 784
Likes: 26
Alignment done, but sumthin' ain't right....
I just did quite a bit of front end work. Ball joints, tie rod ends, drag link, sway bar bushings, Pitman arm. Took it in for an alignment, and.... something just isn't quite right. Hard to describe, but the steering feels heavy. One specific I can give is that it does not want to return to center. I have to steer it back. There is a wee bit of a pull to the left, but even with that, on a gentle right bend in the road, I can point it, take my hands off, and let it follow the bend. It takes quite a while to return to the left.
Any ideas?
Any ideas?
Fleet Owner
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 21,253
Likes: 1,656
From: Reynoldsburg, Ohio
Did this condition exist before your work? I'm guessing the alignment shop could set everything to spec, that there's nothing amiss with your work? BTW please list your year, chassis and in this case the mileage---this could be steering box or ball joint related. I'll assuming your power steering fluid reservoir is at its proper level.
Ball joints tend to be fairly straight forward on their installation. Its remotely possible one of new parts is at issue.
You'll want to raise the front tires off the ground and have a helper turn the steering wheel lock-to-lock while you're underneath. Look for anything that could be binding while in motion--stop turning the wheel at different points so you can twist the tie rod ends etc.
Hope this isn't anything too serious or requiring a lot of re-work.
Ball joints tend to be fairly straight forward on their installation. Its remotely possible one of new parts is at issue.
You'll want to raise the front tires off the ground and have a helper turn the steering wheel lock-to-lock while you're underneath. Look for anything that could be binding while in motion--stop turning the wheel at different points so you can twist the tie rod ends etc.
Hope this isn't anything too serious or requiring a lot of re-work.
Thread Starter
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Laughing Gas
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 784
Likes: 26
96 E350, 5.8, E4OD.
JWA: No, it wasn't like this. I'll check things out per your advice.
baddad, that's what I was looking for - what adjustment would cause this. I am done with this shop for mechanical work. They used to be good, but have gone downhill in quality of work. I only went to them for this because it was in combination with getting my annual safety inspection re-done, and two new tires. We have been getting the same tire from them for as long as we've owned the van, and they are handy, so we had had the inspection done there. Of course it failed, and this was the 2nd go-round. I could have gone elsewhere to get the inspection, but there's always a chance another shop would find something else. Since we fixed the stuff they flagged, I figured it would be better to wrap this up with them.
Now my question is, do I take it back and hope they can get it right this time, or take it to the dealer, where I think I have a decent shot at getting it right....
JWA: No, it wasn't like this. I'll check things out per your advice.
baddad, that's what I was looking for - what adjustment would cause this. I am done with this shop for mechanical work. They used to be good, but have gone downhill in quality of work. I only went to them for this because it was in combination with getting my annual safety inspection re-done, and two new tires. We have been getting the same tire from them for as long as we've owned the van, and they are handy, so we had had the inspection done there. Of course it failed, and this was the 2nd go-round. I could have gone elsewhere to get the inspection, but there's always a chance another shop would find something else. Since we fixed the stuff they flagged, I figured it would be better to wrap this up with them.
Now my question is, do I take it back and hope they can get it right this time, or take it to the dealer, where I think I have a decent shot at getting it right....
Fleet Owner
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 21,253
Likes: 1,656
From: Reynoldsburg, Ohio
96 E350, 5.8, E4OD.
baddad, that's what I was looking for - what adjustment would cause this. I am done with this shop for mechanical work.
Now my question is, do I take it back and hope they can get it right this time, or take it to the dealer, where I think I have a decent shot at getting it right....
baddad, that's what I was looking for - what adjustment would cause this. I am done with this shop for mechanical work.
Now my question is, do I take it back and hope they can get it right this time, or take it to the dealer, where I think I have a decent shot at getting it right....
Its often tough finding an alignment shop that can/does really, really know their business---and are worth what they charge.
Keep us updated on your progress---hope its nothing too complex OR expensive---you've already put a lot of work into this.
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yeahoner
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