Mikey

okay, here is my story. my car had been doing awesome, not a problem in months!!! well, i was on my way to a car show when, (to make a long story short) my rear end slipped and i spun (180) into the median of the highway (it is all grass). this didn't seem bad at all..just a spin like you would take in AutoX. but, i guess it was bad. when i came out, my alinement was all messed up (as expected) and my right front wheel was cambered in really bad. i thought...ouch...i'll just go get it alined. well, they couldn't fix it and told me to maybe take it to a frame shop. i didn't want to do that at the time, so i took it to mazda to have them tinker with it. well, i don't think they are worth a dime. they told me parts that were "bent" and could "maybe" fix the problem for $4700!!!!!!!! i said you are crazy and had them list off what was "maybe" bent. well, the crap they listed was RETARDED!!!! there is no way in the name of budda you could bend half that stuff!!!!!!! so i took matters into my own hands and ordered a upper control arm and lower control arm. seeing that that is the only weak metal really down there that could have maybe bent. so i found a seller that sold me his polished control arm set for an awesome price (AND THEY LOOK GREAT!!!! i suggest you guys polish your control arms after you do your manifolds!) well, i just got these parts today and they match on every bend of the ones i took off so i was like crap!! what on earth could bend my wheel in so bad?!?!?! i get under there and start playing with the alinement...and guess what...it is fixed! well, not all the way, but i can at least see that that is what is wrong. the stupid idots at firestone just didn't touch the alinement bolts. they were really backed up that day and i have a feeling they saw my wheel really bent in and called it a day from there. man i swear...that is why i don't take my car to have it worked on. if you want something done right...you HAVE to do it yourself well, wish me luck...i at least hope this fixes it. i am almost sure it will, but if it doesn't, i am screwed! has anybody else ran into this problem at all? if you look in the wheel well, NOTHING LOOKS BENT AT ALL!!!!!!!!!!! NOTHING THAT COULD AT LEAST BEND MY WHEEL IN THAT MUCH! i will take pictures and post them if anybody can tell me what to take pictures for them to look at...to see if they can see something odd. well, thanks again guys...sorry i had to vent. it has just been one of those months i haven't gotten to drive my car in weeks

hapa

Mikey, the front suspension control arms are very strong. If they bend it's pretty clear when comparing them. Definately get the car aligned at a shop that knows what they are doing. I recently got my car aligned, and the tech told me my car had no camber adjustment. I just said oh, alright, and proceeded to take my keys and car someplace else. If your alignment is still off, take it to a frame shop and have the frame checked. If you just spun out, and didn't hit anything your car should be fine. Good luck, and let us know the results of your alignment.

eric

btw, I use the suspension settings from Pettit's webpage:

http://www.pettitracing.com/sections/_faq.html#handling

ddr10

iTrader: (1)

Wanna sell the lower control arm?

tfhuth

Vulture

tfhuth

Mikey, are you gonna do your own alignment or will you find someplace ' good ' to take it to??? I have been pondering this very question. I do all my own work and would hate to have an expreriance as you did at firestone. Tom

Mikey

thanks for the reply hapa...seeing that you had almost the same problem makes me feel a lot better with what is wrong. no, i didn't hit a thing...that is what is weird...i just spun on the grass...the only rough part is coming off the highway onto the grass.

tfhuth: no, i don't have the first clue about alining my car...but i wish i did i just heard of a great place to get it done at here...the guy takes me back and shows me EVERYTHING thing he is doing and why he is doing it. so maybe after that i can get some idea on waht to do.

tfhuth

Sounds like this time you found a reputable shop! Good luck. I will have to research my area before taking the 7 in for an alignment. Hope yours turns out well. Tom

Flybye

The best shops are the ones that do EVERTHING. The framing AND the aligning. These shops tend to charge more since everything is done in house and the shops with both tools are usually the best places to align it at, and you will get the job done right.

Goodluck.

SterlingFD

You can't tell that a control arm is bent by just looking at it. Your lower control arm is most likely bent. I encountered this problem with my first car. Replace the lower control arm and all bolts and plates. Once I replaced all that, my alignment was able to be adjusted even more.

Mikey

what do you mean by "plates"? sorry...may be a dumb question.

JConn2299

Amen to that. Most times you can't tell if something is out of spec just by looking at it, unless of course it's really been bent up.

If a car needs an alignment, it means something is bent, broken, or worn (such as spring sag). Many times the suspension can be adjusted to compensate and bring it back into spec, but often times parts have to be replaced.
If you've ever played around with a computerized alignment machine, you'd be amazed at how a seemingly small change can make a big difference. When a car is hooked up, you can press relatively lightly on a tire and watch the alignment spec numbers change on the monitor screen. So you can imagine what a good smack to your suspension can do.

In your case I'd be worried that there's some underlying frame/unibody damage. Find a competent shop to do a diagnosis. Anybody who does work for autocrossers should be able to tell you what's going on.

hapa

I've seen 2 different FD's with bent control arms, they were both extremely obvious that they were bent. When comparing left to right it was obvious which one was straight. I'm sure it's possible for the arm to be bent and you can't tell, but I don't think it's very likely. The control arms are extremely strong, and if he didn't hit anything I doubt they would bend. However as been stated earlier in this thread something else may be wrong in his suspension. He has to have it aligned and have the frame checked before we can make any assumptions.

eric

Mikey

alright...it is now aligned, but not fixed 100%. with the alignment bolt turned as far as it can...it just doesn't quite align 100%. it is good enough to drive, but this means the frame is bent it looks like the suspension crossmember is up about 1/4 inch at max. i guess this is enough to mess things up is it possible for just this crossmember to bend or do you think it took the fram with it? oh well, it's going to a frame shop sooner or later. just wondering what you guys think. oh also, it feels like my car is really really unstable on the highway (going 75mph) it feels like my steering wheel has too much play. is this because of my alignment not being 100% on or is there something i need to look at? mazda said my steering rack may be bent. would this cause that?...or am i just scared of my baby now

hapa

Mikey, can you post some more information about your car? What are your alignment results exactly? Did they give you a print out? What crossmember seems bent? How bad is your steering? Describe in more detail about your steering situation. Also which alignment bolt is off? Which wheel(s) are you having the most problem aligning? Do you have any pictures of your parts? Maybe your frame is fine, and it's just your steering rack. There are many posibilities, you need to give us some more information so we can help you to diagnose your problem. Also I would never drive my car on the highway if something is wrong in the suspension. If the problem is serious you may be endangering yourself or others. Please post some more info.

eric

rx7will

iTrader: (6)

If you bring it to a good body shop that have the proper equipment to measure the frame, they will tell you exactly what is bent. But if you are mechanically inclined, you can try replacing the complet front right suspension, upper and lower control arms, hub and shock, and then trying aligning it again. By the way i do computerized alignments all day.

JConn2299

An alignment won't fix things if the basic platform is out of whack. It appears you have some frame / unibody damage. In addition, some suspension pieces may be damaged or worn. I would take it to a very competent frame shop. The good ones have laser measuring equipment that can tell you if something is wrong. Someone who knows what they're doing should also examine the suspension components, including the steering rack.

And yes, the suspension and or frame being out of whack can cause very squirrelly handling. I'd be careful.
I'm also wondering if something was wrong with the car that caused the spinout in the first place?

Mikey

wow, thanks for all the post. no...the car was fine...the spinout was my fault...the car was perfect. right now i am at work and when i get home (aroung noonish) i will snap some pics and show you guys what is up. but i am warning you...NOTHING looks way wrong

rx7will: i am taking it to a shop this weekend i was told about. they have great equipment and good people.

hapa: you are most certainly right...after i felt how it was acting on the highway i slowed way down and brought it to the house and left it there till i can fix this. here is the info on the car...

it has been lowered about 3/4 inches with RB springs. the problem seems to be on my right front of the car. i took the car to mazda to have them do a lookover of the car. they came out telling me that they have no idea what the problem is, but they are willing to take a shot at it (by randomly replacing parts) for $4700. i didn't like this since all they were doing was pulling parts off and putting new ones on (anybody can do this...my labor is free when theirs was over $2000). so i had them tell me everything they were going to replace...they listed:

-upper control arm "bent"
-lower control arm "bent"
-hub "may be bent"
-rotor "may be bent"
-steering somthing (i forgot what will edit later) "may be bent"
-front anti-sway bar "may be bent"

after taking this list i took the car home and took everything off! my rotor and hub ar fine...nothing wrong at all there. the front sway bar may be bent, it is kind of hard to tell, but i am on the phone right now ordering one. i have replace the upper and lower control arms already. when i took my suspension off, my spring and strut appeard to be okay. now that i have replaced the arms everything thing seems to fit nicely again. this is hard to explain...i will put up pictures later today. but it looks like everything fits just how it should. ahhh this is too hard to describe...i will snap the pics today and continue this post. but thanks again for the posts...please keep the info coming!

thanks again,
mikey

rx7will

iTrader: (6)

After you replace everything put the camber and caster adjustments in the middle. If everything is all good, it should be close enough to get you to the alignment shop. If you toe is out of whack it may to a out tie rod end. What every you do do try adjusting it you will never be able to get it close by looking at it. You really cant tell by looking at the hub. Another way of telling is that after everything is bolted up with the suspension loaded, the bushings should not be stressed.