Hi
1989 Ford Escort Mk4 1.3
After Waxoyling and swapping the rear and front tyres round the other day, I've noticed that the car doesn't steer straight when the steering wheel is straight any more!
Now, is this just due to one tyre being more worn than the other (puncture forced replacement) or have I perhaps broken something? Previously had no problems with (now on rear) front tyres, but these were identical.
It's driving me potty at the moment as I'm instinctively going to correct the wheel straight when in a straight line, only to find I'm drifting left!
Thanks
--------------
Mike Farrow
Edited by Pugugly on 01/11/2008 at 09:50
|
|
Hard to see how you could break anything.Are the wheels seated properly on the hub?I am just thinking sticky Waxoyl,bit of debris,maybe a stone,stuck to the wheel....
|
Sierraman,
Thanks for the input. I think the wheels are seated correctly, but I'll double check. Wheels were kept away from the car/waxoyl, and the hubs were tied up in carrier bags.
Incidently the steering isn't out by much, I'd say 5° or less, but It's enoughto give me a fright at the moment when I go to "correct" on the motorway. There is no undue vibration at speed.
--------------
Mike Farrow
|
|
This happened to my escort, although I have no idea why. I removed the track rod ends, and turned each one, one turn ( in opposite directions I think), this lined up the steering wheel but I then had to get the tracking done. I have no idea if this is the correct thing to do, so please seek further advice. It was a very simple procedure (although it was many years ago now) so I doubt it would cost much . Why not take it to get the tracking done, and ask the mechanic to straighten the wheel while he's on?
|
Have you tried swapping then back to see if it goes away?
|
|
|
Hi guys
I noticed today that not only is the wheel off-centre, but it is also pulling to the left, i.e. at speed letting go of the wheel will pull it back into the straight on position, and of course it veers left!
RF I would try that if it wasn't such a hassle to get at the jack/stands in the shed! Also I would like to keep the tyres as they are to wear the old front ones down first.
I think (or certainly hope) that the tyres are all the same width, they all say 155 on the walls.
--------------
Mike Farrow
|
Mike,
Forgive me for asking the obvious, but have you reset the tyre pressures after moving the tyres round?
Number_Cruncher
|
|
|
|
Are you sure its not just the camber of the road making the car veer left when you take your hands off the steering wheel?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Are your tyre widths the same on all wheels?
--
Steve
|
|
|
|
It could have something to do with one being more worn than the other and/or if the make/pattern is different. But it could also be due to poor tyre construction (manufacturing fault) where a tyre has a slight natural tendency to steer one way (called conicity or ply-steer). You would not have noticed this while the tyre was on the rear. You could try moving the fronts to opposite sides to see if the effect reverses, but 2 new matched tyres may be the only answer...
|
|
|
Have you moved the tyes back to their original positions to see if the problem goes away ?
If it does go away, then you have a tyre issue whereas if it does not go away then there is something else wrong.
|
In 40 years of motoring I've not driven a single car in which the steering wheel has been absolutely "straight". It would take a disproportionate amount of trial and error to achieve such perfection. Are you perhaps expecting too much on a 1989 Escort? Five degrees error equates to about 16 mm measured at the rim of a 380 mm diameter steering wheel, which I would have thought was neither here nor there.
Regarding the car pulling to one side, I had this on a 1990 XR3i. I proved to the dealer that it was tyre-related ~ swapping the wheels side to side altered the direction in which it pulled. The dealer solved the problem (fortunately under warranty) by removing the original Firestone tyres and fitting a set of Michelin. Perhaps your pulling problem is tyre-related too.
--
L\'escargot.
|
Hi
Thanks to all the replies.
L'escargot, the steering wheel was perfectly straight before, and yes, while 5 degrees isn't much, it is confusing my brain somewhat when it steers the car straight but isn't going straight. I guess it's something I'll get used to.
No FM2R. I should imagine you're right in it being tyre related. I've had a good gander at the suspension components and I can see nothing wrong. I don't think the tracking's been looked at since 1989!
steve.o, yes, all 155.
Victorbox, you're probably right with the camber, it always pulled to one side before when at low speed. Motorway cruising was fine.
howy868. With suspension damage more or less ruled out, I think I'm inclined to agree with you. One tyre is a Viking which has covered 18k miles, and the other is a CEAT which has done about 6k. So there is significant tread depth and pattern difference.
--------------
Mike Farrow
|
L'escargot, the steering wheel was perfectly straight before, and yes, while 5 degrees isn't much, it is confusing my brain somewhat when it steers the car straight but isn't going straight. I guess it's something I'll get used to.
No offence, but I can only assume that you have only recently passed your test. The steering wheel on ALL cars is out to some degree or other ~ you are unlikely to find a car on which the steering wheel IS straight. Ignore where the spokes are, unless they are a mile out and it annoys you. Steering is done by a combination of sensing the direction of travel relative to the road direction and making the necessary corrections. It sounds as if you are overly concentrating on the orientation of the wheel spokes and/or you are gripping the wheel too tightly.
--
L\'escargot.
|
No offence, but I can only assume that you have only recently passed your test.
4 years this month.
The steering wheel on ALL cars is out to some degree or other ~ you are unlikely to find a car on which the steering wheel IS straight.
Well this one WAS straight! I've even made a mental note to myself on how straight it is when travelling on straight motorway.
It sounds as if you are overly concentrating on the orientation of the wheel spokes and/or you are gripping the wheel too tightly.
The spokes provide a convenient resting place for the "base" of my hands on long journeys. The combination of this and the tendancy of the wheel to now pull left slightly is confusing my brain somewhat. I'm getting used to it though.
--------------
Mike Farrow
|
My Dad goes barrelling down dirt tracks, over speed bumps at non speed bump designed speeds and all things like that and the steering wheel is perfectly straight.
Mine wasn't, then was when I got it all done last year and has now become out of line slightly again. It would have bothered me but I keep forgetting to get it done so it can't be that much of a problem for me.
--
Adam
|
I should take the car to a garage and get the tracking checked. Make sure you ask them first whether they can get the steering wheel straight when they adjust it, some places seem to be incapable of this. Most cars have an adjusterment on each track rod so the steering can be aligned and the steering wheel made to point straight when the wheels are straight. Some cars (such as my old polo) have only one adjuster and this is used to set the tracking, the steering wheel has to be removed and rotated on its splined shaft to a position where it points straight when the car is going straight.
You should be able to find a garage that will get the tracking and steering wheel straight for you.
Incidently I also now have a set of CEAT tyres on the front of my golf and i'm finding it tends to pull to the left a lot, i think following the camber of the road. The old continental tyres did not seem to be affected so much by the camber of the road.
|
The steering wheel on ALL cars isout to some degree or other ~ you are unlikely to find a car on which the steering wheel IS straight.
Sorry, but I think that is nonsense. It is perfectly easy to adjust the relative track rod lengths at each side so that the spokes sit exactly central. I have always adjusted my cars so that the steering wheel is straight, and garages who know their job do the same.
As for 5 degrees at the steering wheel being "only" 16 mm at the road wheel, that is more than half an inch! Steering tracking is normally set to about 1-2 mm using a special machine. You can do better than 16mm with a plank of wood!
|
My steering wheels are always straight as far as you can tell without lasers, if not I will have the steering reset.
The only time it is crooked is when the road is cambered for drainage.
If you find a quiet road on the flat and drive on it's crest, it should be straight.
I expect your problem is due to mismatched/cheap tyres.
|
|
|
|
All
The fronts were replaced this summer so I'm back to identical tyres on the front and all is well again.
Thanks for the contributions.
|
|
Can't believe that that was three years ago. I need a life.
|
|
|
|
