help w/ steering and front suspension

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Frank II

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I recently had the ctr track bar, new ball joints and some rubber pieces replaced and now the steering is dangerous. I told the mechanic the car had been lowered and also asked him to measure between the ball joints. he replied it will all go back in exact. now it is like riding the edge of a razor blade, smaal move to the right and whoosh, same going left. wheel does not want to turn back on its own as normal when turning and allowing wheel to slip back through your hands after the turn. as I have stated before I Love this auto but am not mechanically inclined. any and all REAL help is and will be appreciated.
 
Simple question- Did the shop align the front end after replacing the steering components?

Replacing old parts without an alignment is a disaster.

Since the current mechanic is unable to fix your problem- you have no choice but to take the car to a new shop with an alignment rack for alignment and inspection.
 
When the ball joints/tie rod ends are replaced with new components you may have what is called "steering memory" - where the steering wheel will not want to go back to the straight ahead position. This is supposed to go away after a few hundred miles of use. I just did my Audi suspension with all new components (lowered springs/bilsteins HD). The alignment mechanic I took the car to told me about this. He also mentioned that many of the newer components do not have enough grease in the joints, and that if the "memory" does not go away he can insert a bit more grease into the joints with a syringe.
 
Sven said:
When the ball joints/tie rod ends are replaced with new components you may have what is called "steering memory" - where the steering wheel will not want to go back to the straight ahead position. This is supposed to go away after a few hundred miles of use. I just did my Audi suspension with all new components (lowered springs/bilsteins HD). The alignment mechanic I took the car to told me about this. He also mentioned that many of the newer components do not have enough grease in the joints, and that if the "memory" does not go away he can insert a bit more grease into the joints with a syringe.
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it is ashtonishing !

any scientific explanation/reason on that ?

I know about the "memory" of materials when they have been submitted to forces and their internal comfiguration is able to recover shape and/or performance, but this seems so strange !!
 
Nothing scientific that I know of. It sort of makes sense, in that, new parts/joints tend to be can be stiffer until used a bit. For example, a new engine before it is broken in.
 
Yes, I suppose the theory is that new components are stiff, and that a few hundred miles of driving will loosen them up.

Still, it sounds odd, and begs the question: When BMW, or any other automaker builds a NEW car, with all new components, do they pay a worker to drive the car a few hundred miles to loosen up the ball joints? Or, do they tell new buyers to be careful since the car may shoot off the road on the first few drives? I don't think so.

My guess would be that the alignment - specificly the caster which causes the steering to return to center - has been messed up. A competent alignment shop ought to be able to debug it.
 
"some rubber pieces replaced "

WHICH rubber pieces exactly?

If your compliance bushings were replaced- did your mechanic pre-load the wishbones and z rods before torquing?
 
I have to agree with the various comments so far. You may also inquire as to if your mechanic has attempted to adjust the steering gear box in an attempt to reduce steering freeplay. Overtightening will cause a similar sensation as steering memory.
 
Buffarea said:
You may also inquire as to if your mechanic has attempted to adjust the steering gear box in an attempt to reduce steering freeplay. Overtightening will cause a similar sensation as steering memory.
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+1
Check it, a wrench 17mm I believe and a flat head screwdriver. Loosen the nut so you can adjust the stud/screw a little looser.

Jon
 
One more comment- if the "Mechanic" got into the strut bearings- did he forget the washer or over tighten the bearings? Either will cause a bad "return to center" problem.
 
As noted by the others, there are a number of things that can affect the self centering of the steering, e.g., over adjusted steering box or maladjusted upper strut bearings. You might want to jack the front wheels of the car off the ground and try manually turning the steering back and forth looking for any obvious binding.

You did not mention rotating or replacing your front tires. If your suspension previously resulted in abnormal tire wear and you are still using those tires - that could be part of the problem. Not saying that this is your situation, only that it is something to consider.

Align_CamberWearOnRoad.gif
 
Unstable steering after rebuild

It's likely the caster angle has changed drastically outside of the norm which results in a loss in stability and self centering. Improper assembly would be the cause.

An alignment shop would tell you the story. Use the alignment sheet in the manual. If you were handy- an angle protractor would get you in the ballpark; but is no substitute for a proper alignment.

A quick check- lower your front tire pressures temporarily by 10psi. If it feels much better what you've done is alter the tire patch area and artifically induced negative caster.

We're all so far assuming you have power steering with member comments regarding over center box adjustment. A power steering pump and it's valve can malfuntion and do the same. It usually starts in one direction rather than both left and right and can cause a rather violent return of the steering. Manual steering sometimes had a damper ( small horizontal shock absorber) to compensate for road input. If that damper is bad the same symtom could be happening.

I'm personally not a subscriber to mechanical memory of new parts. Wear patterns, yes. The third line of cause is binding as Don points out. But also in the are of the steering shaft u-joints. If you place pieces of masking tape on the column and steering wheel hub and mark center and turn each way till you feel resistance and compare the reference marks for left and right- it might tell you which way the steering components have been altered incorrectly.( stiff vs. free) The procedure is in the manual.
 
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