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Car Forum / Lexus Cars / August 2007Car pulls to one side. Struts damaged???
Dear Experts, I have a 97 Camry XLE that I bought in 2000. Unbeknownced to me (and the I believe also the dealer), the car had been in an accident. There had been a collision with the right front fender. The Right front, passenger fender had been changed. The car kept pulling to one side. The Tires and passenger Lower Control Arm were changed. The steering was much better. But not perfect. To keep the car straight, I still have to turn the steering wheel slightly to the right. Since then, the right front wheel bearing has also been changed. There was some play, and the tires became scalloped on the edges. The tires made strange noises. Here are the stats from the wheel alignment the last time I bought tires. NOte the Caster on the right front. Just within spec. Actual Before Specified Range Front Right Camber: -1.3 -1.4 -1.4 to 0.1 Caster 1.4 1.4 1.4 to 2.9 Toe -0.02 0.04 -0.10 to 0.10 SAI 13.9 14.0 12.3 to 13.8 Included angle 12.7 12.7 11.0 to 14.0 Turning Angle Diff -- -- --- Front Left Camber: -1.0 -1.1 -1.4 to 0.1 Caster 2.5 2.5 1.4 to 2.9 Toe -0.06 -0.13 -0.10 to 0.10 SAI 14.2 14.4 12.3 to 13.8 Included angle 13.3 13.3 11.0 to 14.0 Turning Angle Diff -- -- --- I'm wondering if the right front strut might also have been bent in the accident. And if this could explain the pull to the left (requiring steering to the right). Does this make sense? If not, does anyone else have any other explanations for the pull to the left? Thanks a lot > Dear Experts, > [quoted text clipped - 51 lines] > > Thanks a lot Hopefully, you had a 4 wheel alignment and not just a front wheel alignment. To answer your question, the strut or strut mount may have been bent in the accident, but it should show up when the alignment is checked. Also check tire inflation pressure and the condition of the tires themselves.  SignatureRay O (correct punctuation to reply) >> I have a 97 Camry XLE that I bought in 2000. >> Unbeknownced to me (and the I believe also the dealer), [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > Also check tire inflation pressure and the condition of the tires > themselves. Fender? Tire? I thought this was a UK newsgroup? A >>> I have a 97 Camry XLE that I bought in 2000. >>> Unbeknownced to me (and the I believe also the dealer), [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > > Fender? Tire? I thought this was a UK newsgroup? We're the fifty first state of the USA. Did you not know this?! >>>> I have a 97 Camry XLE that I bought in 2000. >>>> Unbeknownced to me (and the I believe also the dealer), [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > > We're the fifty first state of the USA. Did you not know this?! Fifty-second. Canada is the fifty-first. And Mexico the fifty-third. Same day, Peurto Rico may become a state. Jeff > >>>> I have a 97 Camry XLE that I bought in 2000. > >>>> Unbeknownced to me (and the I believe also the dealer), [quoted text clipped - 25 lines] > Fifty-second. Canada is the fifty-first. And Mexico the fifty-third. > Same day, Peurto Rico may become a state. I'm lead to believe that *technically* some "states" in The States aren't states at all but are territories therefore there are fewer actual states than most people think. This won't help the car of course. >I'm lead to believe that *technically* some "states" in The States >aren't states at all but are territories therefore there are fewer >actual states than most people think. This won't help the car of >course. No, territories aren't counted in with the fifty states. However, the Commonwealth of Virginia and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts are. --scott Signature"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis." Scott Dorsey <kludge@panix.com> wrote in article <f9a3g3$n1u$1@panix2.panix.com>... > >I'm lead to believe that *technically* some "states" in The States > >aren't states at all but are territories therefore there are fewer [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > the Commonwealth of Virginia and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts are. > --scott Ya missed one "Commonwealth" Do you know which one? Commonwealth of Kentucky > Scott Dorsey <kludge@panix.com> wrote in article > <f9a3g3$n1u$1@panix2.panix.com>... [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > > Do you know which one? JJ <Theom@hotmail.com> wrote in article <v66ui.6538$2v5.5067@bignews2.bellsouth.net>... > Commonwealth of Kentucky A bit further North, and a lot bigger.....That's the "key" to the answer. > JJ <Theom@hotmail.com> wrote in article > <v66ui.6538$2v5.5067@bignews2.bellsouth.net>... > >>Commonwealth of Kentucky > > A bit further North, and a lot bigger.....That's the "key" to the answer. That would be Pennsylvania > > JJ <Th...@hotmail.com> wrote in article > > <v66ui.6538$2v5.5...@bignews2.bellsouth.net>... [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > - Show quoted text - _________________ It seems like we have two interwoven threads here - politics and a Camry that pulls to one side! -CC ChrisCoaster <ckozicki@snet.net> wrote in article <1186603670.389545.73310@19g2000hsx.googlegroups.com>... > > > JJ <Th...@hotmail.com> wrote in article > > > <v66ui.6538$2v5.5...@bignews2.bellsouth.net>... [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > It seems like we have two interwoven threads here - politics and a > Camry that pulls to one side! How about civics/geography and auto repair technology? Why does EVERYTHING on the usenet have to end up with politics? > >I'm lead to believe that *technically* some "states" in The States > >aren't states at all but are territories therefore there are fewer [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > the Commonwealth of Virginia and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts are. > --scott *Commonwealths* - that's what I was thinking of, not territories. > >>>> I have a 97 Camry XLE that I bought in 2000. > >>>> Unbeknownced to me (and the I believe also the dealer), [quoted text clipped - 29 lines] > > - Show quoted text - ____________________ Iraq is the fifty-second state - right? ;) >> Fender? Tire? I thought this was a UK newsgroup? > > We're the fifty first state of the USA. Did you not know this?! That view assumes we'de have you ... PS The OP crossposted to several groups, but all of them are automotive according to their title. I don't get the beef ... "Adam H" <adam.t.harvey@REMOVEntlworld.com> wrote in message news:J3Uti.10523 > Fender? Tire? I thought this was a UK newsgroup? The problem arises because he has crossposted to just about everyone except Osama. I have no idea where the OP resides. > Dear Experts, > [quoted text clipped - 51 lines] > > Thanks a lot Try swapping front 2 tires & wheels. It may remove all the pulling and still give good tire wear. Experienced symptoms & corrected it SEVERAL times by doing so. Found the suggestion nearly unacceptable upon my 1st experience--just after I had 4 new w-letter tires installed and front end aligned (on a '72 Cutlass convertible) by same tire man who made the sug'n. He made a believer out of me and I've seen that cure it numerous times since. HTH, s > I have a 97 Camry XLE that I bought in 2000. > [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > To keep the car straight, I still have to turn the > steering wheel slightly to the right. Take this car to a real alignment shop. Not some tire store with a kid who puts the car on the machine and does whatever the printout tells him, but a real alignment shop with people who actually have brains and can understand what is going on. > I'm wondering if the right front strut might also have been > bent in the accident. And if this could explain the > pull to the left (requiring steering to the right). > Does this make sense? Yes, but there are other possibilities as well. A real alignment shop can actually check the strut and frame in the car without having to tear it down or start swapping parts randomly. Maybe you have a strut issue. Maybe you just have a tire problem. Maybe you have something much more severe. A real alignment specialist should have no problem figuring it out and folks on the internet will only be able to make vague guesses based on fragmentary information. --scott Signature"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis." > Dear Experts, > [quoted text clipped - 51 lines] > > Thanks a lot I'm intrigued by the fact that you refer to the fender in question as the right front passenger fender. In the UK we have right hand drive and so passengers sit on the left of the driver. I have to assume, therefore, that you are calling the fender 'right hand' because it's on the right when you look at the car from the front. If I look at you from the front does that mean that your left hand is actually your right hand? OTOH, are you posting from the USA? If so, it would help to explain your use of the words fender and tire. Rob Graham The message <fLmdnRSUrvshtyXbnZ2dnUVZ8s-qnZ2d@bt.com> from "Rob graham" <rttgrahamwow@btinternet.com> contains these words: > If so, it would help to explain your use of the words fender > and tire. Fender's a sort of guitar, innit? Tire is what kids do to adults. SignatureSkipweasel We have always been at war with Iran. [George Orwell - almost] On Aug 7, 5:32 am, condor_...@yahoo.com wrote: > Dear Experts, > [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > The car kept pulling to one side. Take it to a laser jig alignment and get them to measure the bodywork/ chassis. On Aug 7, 12:32 am, condor_...@yahoo.com wrote: > Dear Experts, > > I have a 97 Camry XLE that I bought in 2000. > > Unbeknownced to me (and the I believe also the dealer), > the car had been in an accident. Did the accident occur in 2000 when you bought the car? Or did it occur recently? Was the dealer repairing the car when the accident occured? > There had been a collision with the right front fender. > The Right front, passenger fender had been changed. > The car kept pulling to one side. > > The Tires and passenger Lower Control Arm were changed. > The steering was much better. But not perfect. When were the repairs done and by whom. > To keep the car straight, I still have to turn the > steering wheel slightly to the right. [quoted text clipped - 36 lines] > > Thanks a lot On Aug 6, 11:32 pm, condor_...@yahoo.com wrote: > Dear Experts, > [quoted text clipped - 51 lines] > > Thanks a lot _______________________________ Most of the suggestions here are on point(equal tire pressure all around - make sure it's Toyota's recommended pressures NOT the number on the tire, etc). As for your specs above, your front left & right caster specs are a degree off - that will translate to a pull in the direction of least caster(btw you need to tell us is that caster negative or positive?) Your camber(leaning effect of tire) is less negative on the front left - it will pull to the least negative side, hence to your left. Post alignment figures can be within spec but the car can still pull to one side, for reason#1 - bent parts, reason #2, figures for left and right are more than 1/2 degree different - resulting in pull, or reason#3 - car manufacturer over-over-compensates for road crown in designing the suspension, so no amount of adjustment can cure it! **Bring a printout of my suggestion to the shop - if they are a good shop they will already know this and adjust accordingly**. I keep a pound less air in my right-hand tires because although my align. specs are less than 1/2 degree left-right the car insists on pulling left. It's a 2005 Malibu - no accidents, no hard hits, etc. Go figyuh... regards, ChrisCoaster > On Aug 6, 11:32 pm, condor_...@yahoo.com wrote: >> Dear Experts, [quoted text clipped - 81 lines] > > ChrisCoaster I find that too in your last, in my 2 cars, 88 polo/54c2. but it stops when i overtake. I think is just the camber on the road for drains etc. On Aug 7, 12:40 pm, "Neil - Usenet" <usen...@SPAMblueyonder.co.uk> wrote: > > On Aug 6, 11:32 pm, condor_...@yahoo.com wrote: > >> Dear Experts, [quoted text clipped - 87 lines] > > - Show quoted text - ______________ Well like I said, the roads here up in CT have almost no camber/crown unless you kneel down to the sidewalk and gaze across the street. Down the Jersey shore - now that's a different story! I'm not talking torque-steer here, just ordinary coasting and keeping speed. I hate having to force the steering wheel to one or two o'clock just to go straight. -CC > Dear Experts, > [quoted text clipped - 51 lines] > > Thanks a lot I hate to be the buzz kill here, but you need to consider the possibility that the front and rear are not in alignment with one another, and/or that the entire engine/transaxle assembly have been knocked out of place. You said the fender had been replaced, but you did not tell us why -- how much damage was being repaired. If a shopping car slammed the fender and bent it, then the underlaying frame is probably okay. But if the car was hit by another car, then the entire front end could easily be pushed aside, and you are going to be faced with a lifetime of a car that will not drive straight. Ray O suggested a four-wheel alignment, I agree with him on this point. A lesser alignment will look at the two front tires in relation with each other, but the front tires can be okay to each other while they screwed up relative to the rest of the car. You need a four-wheel alignment before you can make any honest assessment of the damage. Any number of suspension and frame components could have been damaged, and there is no way to tell you what the trouble is from here. condor_222@yahoo.com wrote in news:1186461167.356787.62360 @l70g2000hse.googlegroups.com: > To keep the car straight, I still have to turn the > steering wheel slightly to the right. Swap the front wheels with the back ones and see if that makes a difference. The other thing to look out for is the bushes in the front strut. If they are worn the strut can swivel a bit, putting out the tracking. SignatureTunku "Caution : traces of irony and other metallic objects may be present in the above post" > condor_...@yahoo.com wrote in news:1186461167.356787.62360 > @l70g2000hse.googlegroups.com: [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > "Caution : traces of irony and other metallic objects may be present in the > above post" You mean swap the front wheels left to right. - swapping them front to back won't accomplish anything. ChrisCoaster <ckozicki@snet.net> wrote in news:1186526922.441257.74530 @l70g2000hse.googlegroups.com: > You mean swap the front wheels left to right. - swapping them front to > back won't accomplish anything. And why not? SignatureTunku "Caution : traces of irony and other metallic objects may be present in the above post" > ChrisCoaster <ckozi...@snet.net> wrote in news:1186526922.441257.74530 > @l70g2000hse.googlegroups.com: [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > "Caution : traces of irony and other metallic objects may be present in the > above post" _________________ Tires vary slightly from their specified diameter and shape - albeit by fractions of a millimeter- even consecutive copies of the same model coming off the assembly. A tire may even be cone-shaped - that is, its inside shoulder circumference(the side you don't see) may be greater than its outside shoulder circumference. This will cause the tire to pull in the direction of lesser circumference. Keeping the tire on the same side of the car will not correct pull related to conicity(cone shaped properties). -CC If it has been like this for 7 years it can't be too serious so is it worth doing anything at all? Alan > If it has been like this for 7 years it can't be too serious so is it > worth doing anything at all? > > Alan Exactly, if he changes things now he'll be back later saying it fells funny to drive. SignatureThePunisher Hi all, Thanks for responding. To clarify some things. - tires have been switched, changed, pressure checked, etc. Issue is not the tires. Especially when they were brand new. - I didn't put the rear wheel alignments in, because they are all within the spec. The alignment jocks have told me that the problem is in the front. - the alignments have been expert 4 wheel aligments. Alignments have been done at Toyota which had a really expensive laser alignment system, at Sears when I got the tires, and at the best alignment jock I could find. - multiple mechanics have not seen any issues with the body or frame. Questions: - Car had been in accident. There are new tires, lower control arm and wheel bearing. Expert four wheel alignment done. Body and frame look fine. There is some concurrence that it could be a bent strut. But one says it could be many things. As far as damaged/new parts are concerned, if it is not any of the above, and not the strut, what other realistic possibilities are left? > Take it to a laser jig alignment and get them to measure the bodywork/chassis. - what kind of shop has the laser jig? What do I look up in the yellow pages of the telephone book? Automotive - Alignment. A special machine shop? Thanks a lot > Hi all, > [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] > parts are concerned, if it is not any of the above, and not the > strut, what other realistic possibilities are left? If it is none of the above, then the chassis is probably bent. >> Take it to a laser jig alignment and get them to measure the > bodywork/chassis. [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > Thanks a lot A good body shop will have a laser chassis alignment machine. SignatureRay O (correct punctuation to reply) I spent a year chasing a pull to one side. In the end a competent shop found a U-joint sort of thing in the steering that was damaged. > > Hi all, > > [quoted text clipped - 41 lines] > > A good body shop will have a laser chassis alignment machine. |
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