Crazy Alignment

#1

My brother has been getting a car ready to run his first HPDE at CMP next weekend. We got the car back from the alignment shop earlier

Front Left:-1.4 camber
8.4 caster
.09 toe

Front Right:-2.3 camber
8.4 caster
.09 toe

Left Rear: -2.3 camber
.02 toe

Right Rear: -2.3 camber
-1.14 toe(what could cause this?)

all these number are within the specified range except Right rear toe.

My question is when you turn the wheel full lock to the left the car pulls hard to the left when driving. Now when you stop, if you turn the wheel full lock to the right and continue to drive the car pulls hard to the right. What could cause this? We are running out of time!!!

#2

Just a guess, but the pulling left/right sounds like the steering doesn’t want to return to center. You don’t say if any suspension work was done (parts replaced) and whether you have factory components or performance stuff, but the failure to return to dead center sounds like excessive friction somewhere in the suspension or steering, since it applies to both directions. First guess is the top camber plate bearings. May be worn, or something is installed incorrectly and the freedom of movement has been impaired.

On the RR toe, perhaps a bent trailing arm?

#3

Check ALL of the bushings (front control arm, rear subframe, trailing arm, blah blah blah). One might be destroyed on one side and not the other.

#4

We replaced the right control arm, both control arm bushings with urethane offset ones, and both upper strut mounts, with the old rubber ones out of my car.(they were in very good shape) As far as the rear, we just had urethane subframe mounts installed. We are going to drop the car back off over there this afternoon. It didn’t do this before.

How hard is it to replace a ta? as the money to pay the shop is quickly running out:ohmy:

#5

Regarding the front camber oddity, look at the strut tube and see if you can see scratches/rubbing/etc where the car may have been hit previously. Happened on my car when I first got it… Solution is to find a new strut (junkyard but use some CSI:Miami techniques to figure out if it’s straight or not), swap the shocks and springs, put it all back together.

#6

I am embarrassed to add…

I had a similar problem when I put in my suspension. Turns out, it was not alignment related; I forgot to reinstall a flat washer that lives under the strut top bearing and the plate that sits on top of the spring. I put it in and I was set.

#7

yeah we narrowed it down to the struts binding from leaving that damn washer out as well. Oops!!!:frowning: (but the guy at the shop did it so I don’t feel as bad;) )