Car won't hold alignment

[CircuitMonster]

I few months back I swapped out my shocks and springs. Now if I make a hard turn to the right the car pulls to the right. If I make a hard turn to the left it pulls to the left. I don't know why it's been doing this. The tires do rub slightly on the fender liners but I don't think it would be an issue of it pulling it out of alignment.

Any ideas? It's driving me crazy. I do have a felling that my steering rack is going out as well.

[///digitalme]

you probably forgot the washer that goes between the strut mount and the shock...and probably the dust cap as well mine does that and i know im missing a washer on a side

[CircuitMonster]

No all washers are there and I didn't use the dust caps. Is it possible that the shocks weren't tightened enough. Or too much.

[AndrewBird]

Did you get an alignment after you swapped struts/springs?

[CircuitMonster]

Did you get an alignment after you swapped struts/springs?

Yeah drove perfect until I did a u-turn on the way home. Was super pissed off after :-x

[MR 325]

Before you reinstalled the strut housings did you make sure that the top bearing spun freely?

[jlevie]

The upper strut mounts are binding. Did you replace them when doing springs/struts?

[CircuitMonster]

The upper strut mounts are binding. Did you replace them when doing springs/struts?

No I didn't replace them. I re used the front.

Yes they were spinning freely after the install.

[AndrewBird]

If the strut mounts were binding, he would still be able to turn the wheel back to center and have it track straight. This sounds more like play in the steering rack or tire rods or something. Very odd none the less.

[jbruch694]

I literally just posted about this and it is pretty unanimous that it is due to forgetting to put the relatively thick washer back inbetween the top spring perch and upper strut mount, which acts as a spacer. Have you noticed any popping noises when turning that ring for a while?

[JGood]

If the strut mounts were binding, he would still be able to turn the wheel back to center and have it track straight. This sounds more like play in the steering rack or tire rods or something. Very odd none the less.

Not necessarily. I had the same issue, the strut mount was binding on the spring hat. Even after returning the wheel to center, it still pulls back towards the direction the wheel was last turned, until you turn it the other direction. I think there is so much binding friction, that even when the wheel is returned to center, the spring hat isn't actual returning the whole way, the spring is probably flexing, or the bushings are flexing, or something else it flexing, then when you let go of the wheel, it returns back to that off-center position from the force of whatever was being flexed.

[jbruch694]

Not necessarily. I had the same issue, the strut mount was binding on the spring hat. Even after returning the wheel to center, it still pulls back towards the direction the wheel was last turned, until you turn it the other direction. I think there is so much binding friction, that even when the wheel is returned to center, the spring hat isn't actual returning the whole way, the spring is probably flexing, or the bushings are flexing, or something else it flexing, then when you let go of the wheel, it returns back to that off-center position from the force of whatever was being flexed.

This. You can sometimes hear a TWANGGGGGG when you turn it enough to break free of the binding in one direction, the spring being released of the tension that is holding the wheel off center.