Suspension Problems

darthcual · Sep 20, 2012

Fabbed4d88 said:
How good of shape are your ball joints/lower A-arm bushings in? My 89 was pretty squirrly due to a combination of both being past their prime.

Actually that was one of the first things I thought of. Ball joints are perfect. Bushings are worn but not terrible by any stretch. I think it truly is the alignment. I'm probably gonna Take it in this weekend and have them check it out.

gearheadboy · Sep 20, 2012

How's the tick?

darthcual · Sep 20, 2012

Still Ticking....havent had a chance to go check on it. I will do it right now and get back to ya

darthcual · Sep 20, 2012

Okay, jacked up the car and was able to duplicate the sound, though much quieter. Pulled the wheel and spun the rotor and no noise. I cannot for the life of me figure out where the wheel is touching though.

gearheadboy · Sep 20, 2012

Look at the inside of the wheel for scratches. The wheel usually hits the clips that hold the pad on the caliper. A quick zip with a grinder and a spray paint to stop rust and you are golden if thats it.

darthcual · Sep 20, 2012

I just wound up hitting it with a hammer (carefully) to knock those clips back. I put the wheel on, tightened two lugs and still the same noise. So I tried it again, and it appears to be gone. I will have to go for a test drive to be sure. I will update the thread when I know for sure.

gearheadboy · Sep 20, 2012

I did that too. Ended up with a grinder zippin the ends offa bit. My Capri ProStars hit the top caliper bolt. You have to index it so the flat side is just right.

darthcual · Sep 25, 2012

Okay, got some new info and another head scratcher. Just got back from the alignment shop where the guy showed me that the heim joint on the driver side was wallowed out and was likely the cause of my malady. So, yaaaaay for that. Now on to the conundrum. The steering rack that was put on by the p/o has a blue anodized bump steer kit. When I looked that up, it shows to be for a 94 and up mustang. The gold is the 87-93 according to steeda. So, is it possible that the p/o put a 94+ steering rack on their?

MFE92 · Sep 25, 2012

darthcual said:
Okay, got some new info and another head scratcher. Just got back from the alignment shop where the guy showed me that the heim joint on the driver side was wallowed out and was likely the cause of my malady. So, yaaaaay for that. Now on to the conundrum. The steering rack that was put on by the p/o has a blue anodized bump steer kit. When I looked that up, it shows to be for a 94 and up mustang. The gold is the 87-93 according to steeda. So, is it possible that the p/o put a 94+ steering rack on their?

How do you know it's a Steeda bumpsteer kit?

darthcual · Sep 25, 2012

I don't. Just realized that their are several that are anodized blue. I think I'm just going to put tie rod ends back on. The car was lowered but I returned it to its original ride height so I don't see the harm. Trying to get all the bugs worked out so I can go to the track. If its not one thing it's another...

gearheadboy · Sep 25, 2012

Well he should have noticed the play BEFORE he aligned it the last time. Replace that junk with tie rods and ditch the bump steer kit. Align it. Get a print out.

darthcual · Sep 25, 2012

Wasn't the same guy. I went to some shop near my work last time that has changed hands more times than I care to say. This time I went to a place that has been doing business with our business. And has been doing front end suspension/steering for 35 years. He found the problem right away. He also said besides that issue, everything looked good and tight.

gearheadboy · Sep 25, 2012

Good deal.

darthcual · Sep 30, 2012

Revist of this thread. I took the bumpsteer kit off and spun the tie rods on. For any that switch back to tie rods for whatever reason, a warning. Marking the threads or counting the rotations off will NOT work. Though they look like the same length, once I put them on they had my front wheels turned in like a knock knee'd third grader. So, I basically had to do the job twice. Making sure the second time around that the steering wheel was dead straight, and the rotors aswell.

darthcual · Oct 2, 2012

Well....deep breath, I got the tie rod ends on. Took me several tries to get the steering wheel straight but I digress. After the install the car pulled slightly to the right. I had the alignment done and now the car tracks straight and true. On the highway, I'm still having the vibration in the steering wheel. New tires on the front skinnys balanced. I just don't know what it could be? Maybe the oreilly front struts are crappy? Or it's just the wheels up front? Or because the sway bar is gone? Idk

gearheadboy · Oct 2, 2012

Sway bar NO, struts NO. It has to be a wheel or tire. Is the vibration when you brake or while driving? Better or worse at any speed? May have to swap the wheels and tires with someone to try. I know somebody will call me out on this post but 99% of the time it is wheels or tires. Spin the wheel on the balancer and watch for up and down tread. Like a hump. Sometimes you need to break the tire down and spin it on the rim and re inflate. Does the wheel wobble side to side while it spins? Bent wheel? Try loosening the lug nuts some and TORQUE them with a torque wrench in a criss cross pattern. Over or under tightening can cause a vibration. While mounted on the car and jacked up, wiggle gently left to right, do you feel play? Wheel bearing loose? Does it drive smooth when cold and get worse after a little driving? Like a caliper sticking and causing a warped rotor? Is this a new symptom?

darthcual · Oct 2, 2012

gearheadboy said:
Sway bar NO, struts NO. It has to be a wheel or tire. Is the vibration when you brake or while driving?While Driving at Hwy speeds 50+
Better or worse at any speed? Faster is worse
May have to swap the wheels and tires with someone to try. I know somebody will call me out on this post but 99% of the time it is wheels or tires. Spin the wheel on the balancer and watch for up and down tread. Like a hump. Sometimes you need to break the tire down and spin it on the rim and re inflate.
Does the wheel wobble side to side while it spins? Bent wheel? I will jack the car up and have a look
Try loosening the lug nuts some and TORQUE them with a torque wrench in a criss cross pattern. What torque spec?
Over or under tightening can cause a vibration. While mounted on the car and jacked up, wiggle gently left to right, do you feel play? Wheel bearing loose? No play
Does it drive smooth when cold and get worse after a little driving? Like a caliper sticking and causing a warped rotor? Is this a new symptom? No

gearheadboy · Oct 2, 2012

It depends on the wheel as to the spec. An aluminum wheel you will be safe at 85ftlbs. Check for a bent wheel, torque the wheels properly. What wheels again? Some require a centering ring in the rear of wheel or on hub. Most skinnies do not. This is NOT a new issue? Is there a ton of weight on one spot on the wheel?

darthcual · Oct 2, 2012

Weld Draglites. Problem started after I returned the front suspension to stock ride height/put on the welds. I will check or a bent wheel, if that passes, I will get the torque wrench out and torque them to spec. If all else fails I will get some Wheels off of Craigslist.

gearheadboy · Oct 2, 2012

Either a bent wheel or bad tire is my call. Or torque.

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