Steering system issues, need to figure out what's going on.
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Steering system issues, need to figure out what's going on.
I have a gs, so no power steering, and about a year ago I replaced the control arms and ball joints and front suspension, and got everything aligned. However, recently I've noticed my car will go in and out of alignment a little bit, and whenever I go around certain turns, I'll hear a really deep popping sound and then the alignment will be different. Also it feels different to steer left than right. It's really heavy to turn left and light and easy to go right. I think it might be the tie rod ends because those were kinda loose when I replaced all that stuff, but the popping sound makes me thing otherwise. What could it be?
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time to get under the car and start pulling on stuff.
popping seems like it would be a ball joint or strut top
popping seems like it would be a ball joint or strut top
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Sudden veering during a steady state turn is a symptom of bad ball joints. Even though they are new, they should still be checked. Last year I replace a set, and they only lasted a couple of hundred miles before they were shot. So, there are some bad ones out there.
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It's not that it veers suddenly during a turn, it;s just a lot more responsive turning left than right, which would make the idler arm make more sense because since its on the right side, if it's worn out, the right wheel has a lot more play as opposed to the steering box being right next to and connected almost directly to the left side.
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It's not that it veers suddenly during a turn, it;s just a lot more responsive turning left than right, which would make the idler arm make more sense because since its on the right side, if it's worn out, the right wheel has a lot more play as opposed to the steering box being right next to and connected almost directly to the left side.
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Have an assistant gently turn the steering wheel back and forth, just beyond the range of the freeplay. You crawl underneath and look for movement at all of the critical components.
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Oh god... I just figured out what it is. I was driving and the alignment started to get really bad, so I looked underneath and it turns out one of the ball joints popped out, and I don't doubt the other one is loose too. So I'm just going to get a jack and push them back in and tack them. Should have done that before.
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Oh god... I just figured out what it is. I was driving and the alignment started to get really bad, so I looked underneath and it turns out one of the ball joints popped out, and I don't doubt the other one is loose too. So I'm just going to get a jack and push them back in and tack them. Should have done that before.
If you wouldn't mind answering some questions from sheer curiosity...
-How many sets of ball joints have you replaced on the car in its history?
-did you press them out and in?
-what brand are the ball joints?
Just asking because in another thread we were talking about how brand, method of pushing out/in, how many times it's happened could cause the joints to slip out of the control arm. I just wanted to see if there might be any real clout to these theories.
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There are two different sizings out there. Some can be pressed in, and will stay in. Others are slightly smaller in diameter, and can be inserted/removed with bare hands.
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