Car suddenly pulling to right and left

[AndrewBird]

Did you check you lug nuts? I would think the wheels would have fallen off by now if they were loose, but...

If you need a smooth long road to test on, Skyliner road out past Mt. Washington drive has a 1-2 mile smooth spot.

[Jand3rson]

It's not doing it to a dangerous amount, nowhere near it. It's just something very noticeable while driving, and mildy irritating.

[rede30]

i am watching this thread closely, after my car sat for close to a year, it had these symptom's. Front suspension is pretty new and i got it aligned but it still does it. It is hard to even go freeway speeds, really scary, esp with a decent power plant like the s50.

[DCColegrove]

I'll do both of those things tomorrow, thanks for the tips.....

Let me know how it goes.

One other thing I thought of: while you're at it check the front sub-frame mounting bolts (sub-frame to frame rails) I have seen them come loose on occasion.

[Jand3rson]

I'll do both of those things tomorrow, thanks for the tips.

My car isn't super low, it's on IE3 springs and Koni SA's. The control arms aren't flat, but they're close. Like I said, I'm not slammed. The rear subframe bushings are definitely due, as are the trailing arm bushings.

[DCColegrove]

1. Swap the tires R to L see if the pull changes with it.

2. center and unload the steering wheel, touch it lightly while starting the engine (you are checking for a jump in the wheel) if it jumps even very slightly its the valving in the rack (very rare but it happens).

EDIT: To OP How low is your car? are your front control arms flat or higher at the outer joint than the inner? And how are your rear sub-frame bushings?

[92 mtechnic cabrio]

I got my alignment 8 days ago

this started happening 3 days ago

not alignment related, we double checked the numbers when I went in for realignment warranty

[Jand3rson]

I just jacked mine up and checked all of that too, and everything was still just as tight as when it was installed. Could it be the car has just pulled itself out of alignment? The stuff was all installed last summer, driven for a few months including up to Seattle and back, and then parked in the garage until just a month or so ago.

[92 mtechnic cabrio]

go back through and check to make sure all of your bolts are tight

I actually did

I thought it was a loose tie-rod adjuster so I took it in for alignment warranty and turns out it was tight. So I double checked every suspension related nut/bolt/ball joint while the car was up on the lift.

[e30this]

oh yeah, subframe an all

[e30this]

go back through and check to make sure all of your bolts are tight

[Jand3rson]

You and I are in the same boat. Everything up front on my car is new, except for the rack. But the rack is dry, there are no leaks, no fluid in the boots, my reservoir is full, and I couldn't even tell you the last time I filled it.

[92 mtechnic cabrio]

yeah I highly doubt my problem is from anything from the front suspension.

Brand new tie-rod assemblies (less than two weeks), only 6000 miles on the coilovers (or 2 months), control arms are not bent, CABs are fresh...

Tire pressures match up.

To me, it seems like I should replace the steering rack because it is the only thing I have not replaced.

Couldn't be tramlining, I travel the same roads everyday and the roads couldn't have gotten that much worse overnight.

[Jand3rson]

You didn't bend a tierod or anything did you? I know you said you had it up on a lift, so I figure you'd notice if it was tweaked.

When we bent a tierod on the bronzit I sold it meandered all over the road until I put a new one on. The alignment was pretty screwed up though; you could see the difference in the aim of the wheels pretty easily if you stood in front of the car.

Good luck figuring this out. It sounds like more than simple tramlining.

Tim

I don't know how I could have, I've just been driving around town, doing the occasional sprited run on the backroads. There's some nasty potholes around from the snow and ice, but I avoid 99% of them, and the ones I do hit, I'm never going very fast, and none of them are bad enough to bend a tie rod.

[VacMan]

You didn't bend a tierod or anything did you? I know you said you had it up on a lift, so I figure you'd notice if it was tweaked.

When we bent a tierod on the bronzit I sold it meandered all over the road until I put a new one on. The alignment was pretty screwed up though; you could see the difference in the aim of the wheels pretty easily if you stood in front of the car.

Good luck figuring this out. It sounds like more than simple tramlining.

Tim