99 VT Just got wheel aligned, now car jumps to the side after a bump!!!!?

[gsxrdan]

So im driving straight ahead, steering wheel pointing 12 oclock. hit a bump and car 'jumps' sideways a foot or so, now im still driving straight ahead, but steering wheel is pointing at 1.30... friggin bizarre!!! ALSO (and perhaps unrelated) driving up flagstaff hill she starts lugging - and the traction control light is flashing at me! so the computer thinks i have wheelspin and is stuttering a brake right? Just so happens both problems occur straight after new tyres allround and a wheel align (i.e store is closed at 12 and i drive away at 12.30, change the flat rear tyre a block away , no shit, and when i drive off again it jumps towards a merc!) Now the steering wheel will return to 12 oclock, but only after another bump, and another lurch sideways. Pulled a front wheel off at random, no movement on tie rod ends or steering rack that i can feel. HELP!!

[kniever]

i'd be taking the car straight back to where you had the new tyres and wheel alignment and make them sort it out cos it was fine b4 you went there

[gsxrdan]

yeah, means an hour drive back tho, and it's a pretty freaky drive when you dont know if your car wil keep going where you're pointing it!! And i kind of need to drive it before tomorrow...

[graham7773]

Probably not possible but it sounds like your steering rack is loose in its mounts.

[vt s]

maybe they didnt tighten the tie rods back up when alligning it?

[don0xer]

go somewhere local, then send the bill to them

[savage1987]

Sounds like you have yourself a serious problem and something is VERY broken.

Get this checked out ASAP.

Just a thought, if you haven't checked already make sure your front ball joints are done up tight enough, I know on my VR 304 this caused some bloody weird issues.

[Tree cutter]

They might have left your camber adjustment bolts loose so your front wheel leans in or out. They could have damaged a sensor wire causing your traction control problem. Camber adjustment bolts are at the bottom of your struts.
I would give the people that worked on your car a phone call and explain to them that it is not safe to drive anymore and you would like them to send someone out to make it safe enough to drive back to them so they can fix up what they damaged.

[alex2_s]

i agree ^ check the stretch bolts (big bolts in bottom of strut) for tightness, you may need to actually repace them. is there any 'clunks' when you stop/start /change directions at low speeds etc

[gsxrdan]

Ok, an update - this was a cash job, so i have no recourse with the shop and no rec't.

The car is up on stands, and while the rh front wheel is lined up dead on with the rh rear, the inside of the lh front is pointing almost exactly at the centre of the lh rear, thats a massive 90mm, and the steering wheel is pointing to 2 oclock. Turn the steering wheel to 12 oclock, and the inside of the rh front is a whopping 130mm toward (actualy past) the centre of the rh rear!!!

No clunks - but when it 'changes' (stephen king's 'christine') it feels kinda like the little earthquake of a few weeks ago, the car just shifts to the side...

Camber looks normal on the stands, but toe in is ridiculous - i assume its in christine form, and if i drive it over a bump and the steering wheel returns to 12, then toe will be normal...

[graham7773]

can you get under it and have somebody else move the steering wheel and road wheels to see if anything is about to fall out/off? For the wheels to have something like 130mm and 90mm difference, something in your suspension or steering is badly wrong. I know that's obvious but it's the only way I can describe what I am reading in your post. Something is just not bolted up correctly I think.

[Tree cutter]

Check the nut on the front of the radius rods that go from the bottom wishbone to your chassis.

[gsxrdan]

I hope something simple, but i cant find anything so i'm feeling a bit simple myself...

I can make the front wheels point in the right direction by reversing, rapidly. I think they actualy move forwards/backwards relative to the chassis... by maybe half inch, hard to measure. Which strut/bolt/device keeps the wheelbase length fixed?

[graham7773]

radius rod, one each side, treecutter i think is on the right track. there is a nut on the front and one on the rear of each. i just looked at mine and the rear nuts, behind the control arm, both need tightening up about 3mm. probably my control arm bushes need replacing.

[gsxrdan]

So Murphys law applied when i took it back to the shop, "a broken appliance demonstrated for the repairman will work perfectly every-time" first he stuck it on the hoist and changed the rear that went flat, then re-aligned the fronts (and agreed they shouldn't have been out...) but they weren't out by much. So we went for a drive, and the car was perfect, wouldnt jump for him at all... He sent me over the road to a mechanics, but he was at lunch and i couldn't wait around, so i went home. Since then Car has only jumped a small amount, once, and it was hardly noticable!!! And i've been throwing it around! - WTF?? Those radius rod bushes are rooted, so i'll replace them, but i think 8Ineed a suspension specialist. Who do i see in adelaide??

[graham7773]

nice to see you having some success. Replace the radius rod bushes before you spend megabucks at suspension. May be the solution after all that.

[Tree cutter]

It was probably your spare tyre that was upsetting your handling. This is why it is illegal to have different tyres on one axle . The front can be different to the rears but the two front tyres must be the same and the two rear tyres must be the same. Is your spare a different height or width to the others? You cannot mix steel radials with rag radials as they will cause handling problems.
I remember having a car that i put Goodrich TA radials on the back which are rag radials and i had michelin steel radials on the front, and it would dart all over the place under brakes. I put some Goodrich TA radials on the front and it fixed my handling problems. i was told you can get away with rag radials on the front and steel radials on the back.
If your radius rod bushes are worn then get them replaced. I dont know how your car can be wheel aligned with worn bushes because the settings will change every time you hit a bump.