Suspension/Steering

smac61 · Jul 25, 2004

Just bought my kid his first Mustang...'90 5.0 Coupe (AOD to reduce the temptation to play), stock down to the air silencer. I know the suspension on this model is not the same as my GT, but the steering seems to have alot of slop. On a smooth, level road, no problem, no pull, no vibration. But if the road has ruts, this thing is allover the place. It's almost like the front tires are fighting each other. Where should I look first?

FrdMustangCpe · Jul 25, 2004

doesnt help....but it sounds like a nice car. notch= . AOD is a little restrictive...but he'll need it. temptation is bad sometimes w/a 5speed. i leave dumb stuff to empty parking lots (if i do anything at all)

HISSIN50 · Jul 25, 2004

couple things come to mind. castor can cause 'wandering' or following of road ruts. CC plates help that.
so you dont have any slop in the steering itself (i.e. when goin straight, you cant turn the wheel side to side, and go straight?). if so, you can check the tie rods and rag joint (inner tie rod is more likely than outer, rags seem to get slop).

i might get an alignment (or atleast an alignment check - they are ~10 bucks here, some places are free). then you know what gives.
good luck and congrats on the new ride.

smac61 · Jul 25, 2004

Thanks for the replies. Yeah, my son is nothin but teeth since we got it, and I believe he will get alot out of making it 'his'.

There is a little play in the steering when driving straight on a smooth road. I 'looked' at the rag joint, and didn't see anything strange or that appeared to be loose, but that probably just means I don't know what I am looking at. I can only say that I'm on my fourth stang, all having seen well over 200,000 miles, and I've never had to do anything with the rag joint. Tie rods are a different story, but I seem to remember that when they went, I was getting more wobble from the tires. Could it be just an alignment issue?

Ray III · Jul 25, 2004

could be tires, could be alignment, could be tie rods.

HISSIN50 · Jul 25, 2004

absent any other replies, i would go get an alignment check first. couple bucks, and they will let you know what is wrong - it could just be the castor. the stock castor is not adjustable, IIRC, and it tends to be borderline as it is.
plus, you know for sure that they will tell you everything that is [supposedly] wrong with the car. now dont take that the wrong way - you've got a nice sig full of stuff, and sound like you know your way around a car. but if you arent sure or dont have a lot of time to play, an alignment check (which one cant feasibly do ones-self) can be a time saver.
my thoughts.
good luck.

90mustangGT · Jul 25, 2004

If the tie rods, ball joints, bushings, ect are all in good shape, I would see about the struts and shocks. The job of the struts and shocks are to controll the bounce of the wheel, and if they are worn out/blown then the wheels are going to bounce all over the place making the small bumps seem like craters. Alignment should be checked as well, but if it has 14 year old shocks/struts on it they need to go first.

smac61 · Jul 25, 2004

Thanks for all the replies...my luck, it will be the inner tie rods which I suspect would be the most expensive considering labor. But I do know a good front end guy that I believe would tell me like it is. It's probably best that I let a professional take a look. I'll do alot of things to a car but steering/control is not one of them, especially where my son is concerned. And Hissin, I don't take things the wrong way....I ask questions on this board because I will be the first to admit that there are people that know more than I do about certain things. And thankfully some of those people respond with good advice, or at least an educated guess at possible causes of the problem. Once in a while I can even give back a couple of cents. Thanks again guys!

HISSIN50 · Jul 25, 2004

smac61 said:
Thanks for all the replies...my luck, it will be the inner tie rods which I suspect would be the most expensive considering labor. But I do know a good front end guy that I believe would tell me like it is. It's probably best that I let a professional take a look. I'll do alot of things to a car but steering/control is not one of them, especially where my son is concerned. And Hissin, I don't take things the wrong way....I ask questions on this board because I will be the first to admit that there are people that know more than I do about certain things. And thankfully some of those people respond with good advice, or at least an educated guess at possible causes of the problem. Once in a while I can even give back a couple of cents. Thanks again guys!

Touche`

sounds like you have a good plan set up. BTW, the inner tie rods can be costly - most just get a new rack. a reman'd rack can be had to 100 bucks. inner tie rods, even from parts stores, can cost almost that much. then you still have an old rack. just something to remember if you need to do inner tie rods.

im the same way, when it comes to info and learning. i hope to know as much as some of these guys have forgotten.

good luck.

90mustangGT · Jul 25, 2004

The inner tie rod isn't that big of a deal if you have the tool. They sell it at alot of autoparts stores. It looks like a long Maglite with a funky peice where the lence would be, sorry, that's the only way I can describe it.

Stang951 · Jul 25, 2004

Why bother with the inners when it is so easy to change the entire rack? three bolts and the lines out ya go and in with the new...then you get an alignment and wham you are set.

Jmet · Jul 25, 2004

what's the difference between the lx and GT suspension exactly??? the GT is just a bit stiffer??

HISSIN50 · Jul 26, 2004

Stang951 said:
Why bother with the inners when it is so easy to change the entire rack? three bolts and the lines out ya go and in with the new...then you get an alignment and wham you are set.

you and i are of the same mind. the inner tie rods are not tough to do, it is just not cost effective, IMHO.

Ray III · Jul 26, 2004

Jmet said:
what's the difference between the lx and GT suspension exactly??? the GT is just a bit stiffer??

the GT has stiffer springs all around I THINK, and I know for sure it has a rear swaybar and axle torsion dampers which the LX does not

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