P-body 24v updates

[Reaper1]

OK, I just re-read what you said was replaced. You didn't mention the INNER tie rods. It is possible for those to take a dump and cause this issue. It *should* be noticed byt her person doing the alignment, but not always...it depends on how bad they are. If you can get the car in the air on only one side(doesn't have to be a lot), grab a hold of the wheel and try to turn it. You should NOT be able to move it without great effort at ALL. Do this for both sides. The rear I say that is becuase these cars tend to toe-in under acceleration.

[SpeedyEd]

Okay Shadow,
A couple of other things to check. The mounts on the rack (loose bolts or worn out mounts), the crossmember bolts & nuts. Look for any shiny spots around the fasteners.
This is an interesting challenge. I think there is enough mental horsepower on this site to figure it out,and I know you have the determination to find the answer.
SpeedyEd

[Shadow24V]

tightened up that motor mount bolt and it shifts/drives a bit better but the pull wasnt affected. ill see if i cant take a look at the rack bolts and K-member bolts. there is an occasional "clunk" from the right front on some bumps, i dont know what or where it is yet, but that may be the culprit.

also, i was thinking that with teh motor rocking, that was causing the axle seal to leak, but im not sure

reaper - inner and outer tie rod ends were done with the ball joints and A arm bushings

[SpeedyEd]

The clunk may be swaybar bushings.
SpeedyEd

[Shadow24V]

poly bushings there too..., unless one of the brackets is loose or something *shrug*

[BAKES]

long shot but try swaping front tires side to side and see if the pull changes sides as well i have seen tires do strange things under power

[Ondonti]

whether or not you have good quality parts installed should not keep you from checking them out.

Otherwise you will be kicking yourself if thats your problem.

My clunks have always been bad bushings on the control arms. A nice pop sound. For that stuff, pushing on the car etc etc etc cant find your problem. I cant see your suspension being perfect yet you have your pulling problem and a clunk.

[Shadow24V]

yeah, i thought it might have been one of the coilover springs bouncing around, but i checked those today and they are good. ill have to go to a friend's house and borrow a jack or something to check a few things. ill have to go through the front suspension to find this i think

[SpeedyEd]

Shadow,
Try Videoing The reaction of the front tires to a hard, but not spinning, launch. You only need to go a few feet ahead while taping to see if there is any front to rear travel of the wheel. Do both sides. If you have trouble detecting the movement, use a strip of masking tape across the wheel opening & put reference lines on it. Depending on wheel offset, you my have to space the tape out. Don't run over your photographer.
SpeedyEd

[Shadow24V]

thats not a bad idea. ill see about doing that. and she'd be PISSED if i tried to run her over lol

[Shadow24V]

took a few videos and came up with nothing for wheel movement. im beginning to think either the upper mount bolts arnt tight enough or the shock is dead.

stomped on it tonight though and chirped 2nd gear :-D i love this car!

[BluEyes]

Check the strut mount. I had a clunk for a in time in my front suspension and it took forever to find it. The metal sleeve had torn loose from the rubber in the upper mount and it was banging up and down over bumps. A quick way to diagnose would be to bounce the car with the hood open and compare how the top nut on the strut moves on one side vs the other.

Regarding your pull, it sounds like you might have a bit of axle wrapup? The left axle is stiffer due to it being shorter, so will deflect less when loaded with a given torque. Or another way to look at it is some of the left wheels forward rotation is used up in twisting the axle. Result is the left wheel traveling further and a pull to the right.

[SpeedyEd]

Hey Shadow,
More questions. Whose sway bar bushings did you use? Are they for the 92, or did you modify? I used older bushings on a 93 Caravan but had to make them round (old style were square) on the ends. The middle ones were the same.
The upper mounts on your coilovers, were they new or recycled from your car?
Are you getting much lift on launch? Could the toe be changing enough cause the problem?
Is the lift equal on both sides? Refer to your video.
Tune in next time for the next exiting chapter of "Shadow24's Quest for Straight Line Performance"
SpeedyEd

[Shadow24V]

polybushings.com A-arm and sway bar bushings (got the right ones for my 92, round and square)

top mounts were re-used and were not really that good, but i didnt have the $$$ at the time for new ones from FWDPerf. im thinking they might be worth replacing (along with the crap-a-track struts)

ill take some better video (daytime) on the launches and all

[jory]

Are the balljoints good? I can see those causing your problem if they are loose.