Alignment

paul23122

Member
Jul 30, 2011
32
0
7
I have a 1995 gt with steering issues. The car has under 130,000 miles on it. Took it to several places to have it looked at and got several diagnoses. One company said i need new inner tie rods and rack. Other company said I need new tires before they can align it but said my parts were ok other than a small rack leak. Do the shops really have to put new tires on to do an alignment?? Thanks for your time.
 
  • Sponsors (?)


What are your steering issues? And have you confirmed a leak from the rack? Try asking the shop to show you exactly what's wrong with the car on the lift, or take pics and post for us to see. With 130,000 I can imagine your car needing tie rods and ball joints, maybe wheel bearings just from normal wear and tear. But the whole rack? Had the car been in any accidents? Do the front tires have even wear on both sides of the tire?

Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk
 
If the rack is leaking,then you would want to replace it. Upside is the new rack comes with new inner tie rods :)

If your front tires have a bunch of wear-mainly if the tread is gone on the inner or outer edge of the tire,it will still pull.
 
Why not rotate tires rear to front for now, to do an accurate alignment you need non worn tires. And tight parts. Excessive wear on any front end parts will affect alignment. I'd go back to shops that said you have worn inner tie rods and like other reader said, show me. I had a shop near where I live tell me my Ford expedition had worn lower ball joints. That was a lie as I jacked it up and put a pry bar under my tires. Their was 0 play. What I did have was a worn pitman arm, and worn idler arm, that the first shop didn't even mention. You need to find an honest alignment shop that's willing to show you your problem. Keep us posted.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Why not rotate tires rear to front for now, to do an accurate alignment you need non worn tires. And tight parts. Excessive wear on any front end parts will affect alignment. I'd go back to shops that said you have worn inner tie rods and like other reader said, show me. I had a shop near where I live tell me my Ford expedition had worn lower ball joints. That was a lie as I jacked it up and put a pry bar under my tires. Their was 0 play. What I did have was a worn pitman arm, and worn idler arm, that the first shop didn't even mention. You need to find an honest alignment shop that's willing to show you your problem. Keep us posted.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Thanks for the advice. I cannot rotate tires since i have different sizes front to back. The leak i have not seen myself and have never had to add any fluid. I think i will start with new front tires and an alignment and go from there. Is there a specific brand of rack that is preferred? I know there is a ton of stuff online but i don't want cheap crap when it comes to steering!!. Thanks again for everyone taking time to reply. I appreciate it.

-Paul
 
Paul, you need to ask the shop that's doing alignment when his alignment rack/ heads have been serviced/ checked. All it takes is a tech to drop one of the 4 heads that go on wheels, to give a false reading. Hopefully your guy or girl will be honest. If you or friends have a jack and stands, jack up front, leave tires on. Put a pipe or pry bar under each tire rock upwards, look at lower ball joint or have assistant, their should be no up and down on joint. Next grab tire at 9:00 and 3:00 shake both directions. Look at play at both inner tie rods at rack, and outer ties for movement. As far a leaking rack, as long as you keep power steering fluid up, you can nurse it along for a bit. The play at tie rods is another story. Last thing to inspect are the bushings in upper and lower control arms. Their harder to test at home, but look for chewed up rubber or loose fit where they go into a arms. Good luck!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
^ yeah, if you don't trust the shop, inspect things yourself with help from a friend. and a little Lucas power-steering stop-leak has worked for me in the past to get several years of extra life from a dried seal in a rack. power steering stop-leak is one of the few stop-leaks that actually works if your seals have just shrunk a bit with age.
 
I agree, Lucas is a good product. I used their automatic transmission additive to help with an overdrive issue. It helped for a while. Their power steering product will swell the seals, that should slow down leak. Keep in mind it's temporary, you will eventually have to change rack and pinion.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Just had the car aligned. The tech said that the camber adjustment is maxed out and its a little out of spec. I think this is due to the car having eibach springs with no camber plates installed. Anyone have experience installing camber plates and any suggestions on a good quality brand? Also does eibach have a part number stamped into the spring? The reason i ask is I purchased this car from a friend who was informed when he bought it eibach springs were installed. The car is lower than stock so something has been done. Car drives really nice now but would like to get it right so i can put some nicer tires on later. I went with some cheap crap just to get it aligned.