New Problem..

8

89projectstang

New Member
Dec 14, 2005
64
0
0
#1
Ok when im driving my mustang Ive noticed over the past month that I have a new problem. Just after I got my transmission in I put 4 new tires on my car.

Ok when im driving the car, it feels like my car has no grip to the road and feels like im floating. (i know it may sound weird, but thats the best way I can describe it) I have to constantly correct my car while im driving to the left and then the right because it will not drive just straight. This only happens when my car is going over about 45mph.

Ive taken it to a shop and they said my front end, the tie rods and everything was tight and there was nothing wrong. I got my car's 4 wheels alligned and that didnt help. I took it to another shop and they replaced the rear controller arms with used ones to replace the bushings, and that helped a little for the first few days, but now its the same thing.

One of the shops suggested to check my rack and pinion, while the other stated i may need a rear sway bar, or it may be my tires.

I dont know to do, but really it does make driving my car really unbareable and I really cannot deal with this problem too much longer. Any advise from the 2.3 Gurus?
 

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#2
Check the rag joint. It's a rubber looking thing on the steering shaft down by the rack and pinion. It rots or wears out and falls out making the steering real sloppy. It's a weird feeling after being used to a tight rack and pinion. Seems like you correct to one side and then have to move the wheel real quick and alot farther than before to catch it and correct the other way. It's fairly cheap to fix, but a little time consuming. The part is available at most parts stores on the HELP! rack.
 
#4
Also make sure the ball joints are good. Tight is not always good. If they are too tight, caused by rust or other foriegn material they will bind and want to stay in one posisition. If turned slightly to one direction or the other it will want to drift that way. You make a correction and it will bind in that direction.
 
#6
You'll have to come up with a better definition or description of "floating". It's almost like trying to describe a sound in text and asking someone what they think the sound is.

What are we talking about here? Slop in the steering wheel? Bounces alot after hitting bumps? Wanders from side to side?
 
#7
lol would all of the above work? Ok its really hard to describe, but lemme try.

when im going above 40+mph my car feels like it has no grip on the road and it sways back and forth and i have to correct back and forth constantly.

hope that helps...

matt
 
#8
Heres another bit that will give a strange suspension feel for you to check if the shop that installed the rear suspension control arms did so with car in the air. The bushings have what could be refered to as "memory" meaning they try to stay in the position in which they are installed. They should be final tightened with the car sitting on it suspension. If the axle is hanging when installed, as when on a lift the bushings/arms will bind when the car is sitting on its wheels.
To fix this put the car on ramps or jack stands on the axle, loosen all 8 control arm bolts get out from under and bounce the car a couple times. then go back and re-tighten all 8 again.

Another thing that has me thinking is driveshaft length and condition. If too long it will cause bind in rear suspension. Also in length is correct but slip yoke is binding, shaft will not move with suspension and may cause another bind in suspension. This I mention because I have experienced before, everything looked fine but the slip yoke was twisted and would only go partly into transmission.
 
#9
ok...

lol, lots of more suggestions!!

anyhow, i doubt the dirve shaft is too long , i got it outta a 90 2.3 LX mustang when I got all my parts to do my swap. So the slip yoke may be binding? Hmm...ill have to check that too :- (

lol, eitheway ill have all that checked out. I really just want to get that problem solved, so ANY suggestions are good ones that I will check out.

matt
 
#10
Ok so you had all of the characteristics I mentioned above. Have you checked the rag joint yet? You never posted back about it other than you were going to check it.

Another thing I was thinking about...Have you replaced the shocks and struts or do you know the history of the ones you have in there now?
 
#11
ok,

Alright, the rag joint has been replaced already since ive owned the car, so that was about a year ago. I double checked it anyways and its still good.

I checked the ball joints and they have a little bit of play in them, but not much, just in case im going to replace them anyways.

About the history of the shocks and struts, I have no idea. As far as I know they are the ones that came with the car from the factory.
 
#14
Quite frankly, I just go get a good set of Gas-charged shocks/struts from the parts store. Gabriel, Monroe, etc. If I were racing the car, I'd think about the performance stuff, but it's a daily driver and sees no strip or auto X action.
 
#15
The rear control arm bolt tightening item sounds like the best thing to check and correct from here.

If they installed the arms and tightened both ends of both arms with an impact wrench, you would have a bound up suspension that would not give you normal road feel.

I also just changed from the stock 14 tires to a set of Pony's with 16's on them, and my 89 LX is now much more sensitive to the road, wandering as it follows the ruts in the pavement. I understood it as the effect of wider flatter tires, and just adapted. Yours sounds a bit more severe. That may take some work to fix. I have a local guy who is an alignment wizard, and who can compensate for most of my mods, etc.
 
#16
Rd, mine's alot more sensitive to road surface irregularities as well since I switched from 15" ten holes and 205/65's to 16" 245/50's It'll catch a groove in the road every now and then and the ride is a little rougher. I compensated some by adjusting tire pressure and that seemed to help. I'd like to get a set of caster/camber plates and tweak the alignment like you had your wizard do for you. I'm waiting a bit because I don't know if I'm going to continue running a 10" wide tire up front. I've got 5/16" spacers up front right now and I hate spacers but it keeps the tire off the strut. Alot of stuff to do and consider before I make a final decision on the front suspension. :)
 
#17
same problem.

ok, I know for a fact that the problem is coming from the rear of my car. I havent upgraded my wheels or anything, im planning on eventually getting 17" wheels. but I havent got them yet. I still have the stock 14" wheels. I dont know whats going wrong with it, but it does seem like my rear end is swaying .... could it be my tires? I didnt exactly get racing tires or anything, i got the cheapest ones.

im going to check on the ball joints and that rear end control arms tonite and tomorrow.

ok, i just for ****s and giggles decided to push the back of my car near my tire to the other direction to see how much it moved, cayse i know its not supposed to move all that much. It moved alot more than it should have. and i mean a LOT. What all can get lose in the rear end? im going crazy about this problem.

thanks!
 
#18
ok if think ive figured out what the problem is....the lugs on the rear end are loose. ok i know calling them lugs is wrong, but its the part that holds the tire that the lugs are attached to. They arent supposed to move that much at all and when i put my car on jacks i could move my wheels to the left and right about 1/4 of an inch on either side.

yeah...its bad. lol
 
#19
It is normal to be able to push the axles in and out about 1/4 inch. Thats the end play allowed by the c-clips. That should not be the problem.

Try jacking it under the axle, loosening and retightening the upper and lower control arm bolts so that the axle has the weight of the car on it.

On my 89 LX, I added a Cougar rear sway bar, last year, and just put new shocks on it, etc. Struts aren't too awful, and it goes down the road pretty good, except for areas that have noticably rutted pavement.

I have had the lca bolts loosen up a couple times in the past, also.

Try adjusting tire pressures also.

And, have you had an alignment recently? I had the 89 done when I got it, and it drove fine. My daughter ran over a curb, and upset it, so I had it realigned, and it's fine again.

I like cars with tight suspensions. My 79 Capri has Ford SVO springs, Koni's all around, sway bars, caster plates, etc. Handles great even with skinnies on Draglites. The 89 is close, but not there yet.

I have noticed that the 165 SR 15 skinny tires drive over more surfaces w/o wandering than anything else.
 
#20
ok...

ok your telling me that its normal to be able to grab my wheels and move then in and out like that? that doesnt sound right!!

lol damn back to square one now :((

oh well. lol just in case though, what are the different types of rear ends available for the 2.3 fox body?
 
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