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Steering/wheel alignment problem

11K views 10 replies 10 participants last post by  venomXR6 
#1 ·
Calling all AU1XR6 & 8? owners (and anyone else with a past/similar problem).
I have an ongoing problem with my 98 AUXR6 VCT in that the steering contantly pulls to the right.
Have been to the Ford dealer today and have got the car back and despite the blurb.. 'this has been done and that has been done....' no change , but wait for it, now on top of the original problem the steering wheel is also 3-4 degrees off straight in line with the dash, leaning to the right as well!
Damn well annoying and distracting. In the past the Ford dealer has commented that it is the 'camber in the road', which is crap 'cause have been on roads with absolute odd ball camber and still have had the same problem.
Am running the standard 16" Dunlop Bathurst 1000's which are directional and have heard a whisper in the past that they can cause problems with the front steering.

Has anyone had any similar problems/solutions?
 
#2 ·
I offer no assistance what so ever, but i can tell you, i know what its like. after my near fatal accident in my EF it was repaired and never drove the same again, it also pulled to the right and no one ever knew what was causing it.

Ill be interested to see what people say.. its all a learning experience to me.
 
#3 ·
Some tyres can be prone to an effect called tramlining, my old HK was really prone to this before I had a proper wheel alignment done. It is usually most affected by the toe-in settings, best bet would be to go to a decent wheel alignment specialist tell them your problem, they could straighten up the wheel to, Ford will probably just check if wheel alignment is in spec, and remove steering wheel and then replace a couple of splines around to get it straight (not the right thing to do and it wont fix problem). Just make sure its a good wheel aligner.
With the tyres, the squarer the shoulder on the tyre the more prone to tramlining (but the better the turn in response so its a trade off)
 
#4 ·
Something to check

Just something to have a look at,with the steering wheel being out a bit i would first check that the steering rack is centred in the straight ahead position.You can easily check this by measuring both tie rods are equal length.You could also jack the car up and turn the s/wheel and count the turns lock to lock then find half way and see where everything is at..If the rack is not centred it could cause the pull.
 
#5 ·
Being an IRS car, it will be much more sensitive to alignment and the machine being used must have been properly calibrated.

I have had many problems with alignments on many cars, only solving the issues when I found a good operator who takes the time to do the job properly. On a front and rear alignment I would typically pay $90-100, however it is done RIGHT. Compare that to the alignments you typically get from the Bob Janes, etc of this world.
 
#7 ·
Jesmol said:
Ford will probably just check if wheel alignment is in spec, and remove steering wheel and then replace a couple of splines around to get it straight (not the right thing to do and it wont fix problem). Just make sure its a good wheel aligner.
Although i'm pretty sure that Falcons nowadays don't have the splines of old, its something like a square.

Our of interest, do AU's have caster/camber adjustment?

Kieron
 
#9 ·
ok its time to throw my bit in their is no need to contact previous owners any desent alignment machine and operator can tell you where the problem is as long as they know what they are reading the figures that need to be known are SAI [kpi] caster and camber angles etc as said in earlier posts take it someone who knows not a tyre store or ford as factory specs are only a guide and the tollerances are far from optimium have got any specs from the people that have alighned it so far forward them to me or post them just 1 more thing have you tried rotating the wheels front to rear to rule out tyre pull?cheers greg
 
#10 ·
Steering Wheel Could Be Out 3 Deg Because When You Tighten Up The Bolt Holding The Wheel On,it Can Actually Locate It Out That Amount,all That You Do Is Undo It And Relocate The Wheel.(have Done It Myself)as For The Pulling To One Side ,try Two Standard Wheels On Frt Of Car.if It Does Not Pull Its A Tyre Problem.
Regards Richard
 
#11 ·
sorry98xr6vct but all airbag srs steering wheels are master splined and can only go in one position as to how you can move a wheel 3 deg and retighten the nut is beyond me are you creating new splines with the nut? and what about the charged airbag that you have to remove to what you say in case you did not know an airbag is charged all the time even upto 48 hours after it is removed so if you remove one always be prepared to get covered in white powder and 2 black eyes when it goes off cheers
 
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