friends 88 e30 is pulling hard left on highway

[idanity]

want to post in most visible room
the suspension room is devided into at least 2 more rooms that this post would fit, so instead of multiposting, i put the general room to help.( could be Wheels & Tires, Brakes, Subframe & Arms, Springs, Shocks, Sways & Steering, or all.)
and he needs help asap from anyone w/any experience of this.

a friend in a 88 325ic w/40k original miles called me, and is on a road trip a few states away.
asked to post- any help and i can send an SMS.

issue;

car drove fine 3 weeks ago, then had it aligned, (4 times total since the 1st alignment)-
aligned at firestone - (twice) said they want to replace control arms (both were already replaced)
aligned at dealership- master tech said "unsure"
- swapped wheels/ tires with Peerless's spare set, ( no change- so this is the chassis)

i suggested
- rack
- frame
- string method
- swap front to rear wheels (this was a week ago tho. before he swapped a spare set in Cali)
- struts
- still swap front to rear wheels,
- tie rods
etc.
now, after many a professional has looked at this, he states its getting worse.

what can cause this issue that no-one else can find (bmw master tech at dealer, firestone employees, and other "pros" ) ?

any ideas ?? (that can be accomplished on the road )

[nrubenstein]

What does the rear axle geometry look like? If the front has been aligned so many times, it's probably "fine." an on the road fix might be to screw with the front tie ros until it stops pulling. Just try to turn each side by the same amount.

[moatilliatta]

low tire? or radial pull, try swapping the two front tires side to side if they are not directional.

[Naplm00]

can also be a draggin brake caliper, most likley its the tie rods

[idanity]

thanks
he stayed in a scrote-tell instead of driving/ crashing at night.

good points to swap left/right too, and thanks,
he did say the brakes are not draging, but its a great point, even a rear brake would cause that.

he is meticulous, so i think ultimately it has a frame issue that was corrected by tweaking, and the recent alignment into specs screwed it all up
(car had damage when he bought it, front end stuff too. so very likely imho)

so, i also included to re-align using the string method

[JUMPNYC]

Swap tie Rods Check all bushings on control arms get the front wheels off the ground and make sure there is no play in the wheel, like it has play and can move side to side when steering is at lock. Is it power steering? Check the steering box as well.

[bimmer_E30]

Bent Frame?

happend on my old E21!

[idanity]

didn't know the tie rods could be swapped, but adding that to the list.

main issue remains, at least 4 separate shops tried, and all fails
so,
im thinking it is the frame after all, and the 1st alignment screwed up a custom alignment to compensate.

but thanks
passing it on.

[e30:)]

when i bought my car it pulled real hard one way and it was a bent control arm...

[idanity]

both control arms are brand spanking new from dealer.
thanks tho.

[nrubenstein]

A proper alignment machine will compensate for a bent frame.

Strings will not.

I still want to see an alignment sheet.

[idanity]

thanks everyone.

turnes out, the SPRING is BINDING.
never heard of that before
but one side is about 2 inches lower, and when he saw his spring, he stated the coils are touching each other in spots.

so, maybe its cracked, or broken, or the perch or top bearing are shot.
how that happened during an alignment, i may never know. but its one thing i did not think of.

pix requested, and will post if i get any hands on.

[evil_twin]

thanks everyone.

turnes out, the SPRING is BINDING.
never heard of that before
but one side is about 2 inches lower, and when he saw his spring, he stated the coils are touching each other in spots.

so, maybe its cracked, or broken, or the perch or top bearing are shot.
how that happened during an alignment, i may never know. but its one thing i did not think of.

pix requested, and will post if i get any hands on.

Honestly, If the people you were taking the car to were good technicians, they would have measured the vehicles ride height before doing the alignment. Thats one of the preliminary checks when you get the car on the rack...

Poor job on the technicians that did the job.