StRaNgE & ScArY problem with my EK

[jay_ek9]

Hi there,

Ive got a 1998 EK2 that went for an oil change recently. The mechanic noticed that my rear suspension bushings were worn out and got it replaced. After that, problem starts.

Now everytime when there is weight in the boot and/or ppl seating in the rear seats, the rear tires would be misaligned and the steering would either steer towards to the left or right. When i check with the tyreshop, its confirmed that the rear tyres are badly misaligned and need to be aligned. (by the way, ive changed the rear absorbers about 1 year plus already)

So now, everytime if got ppl seating in the rear seats or if im carrying some load in the boot, my rear tires would require alignment which would eventually make my wallet thinner.

Went back to the mechanic, he is also puzzled by this and does not know the solution. He also noticed that the 'power steering pump' pulley is misaligned.

First the rear tyres go misaligned, then the pulley, next would be my head :stupid: if this goes on......

Hope you guys could help me solve this 'mystery'

 

[shiroitenshi]

You have to identify what aspect is 'misaligned' for the rear, there are only a two that I know of. The toe, which is adjustable and also prone to loosening if you drive the car hard, and the camber, which is fixed, unless you changed it to adjustable types. No caster for rear, so that probably is not a problem.

Without knowing, I can only guess that your toe adjuster part, the place where the bolt ties to the chassis is not gripping well enough, so the toe tends to change after a while.

If you look under the chassis, you can notice the toe adjuster bolt and the plate where it clamps on, the plate will have a shiny area (because the bolt slides on that, rather than holding it in place)

Not much to do after that, other than welding a new plate on there, and clamping the bolt on that, or go for adjustable toe adjusters, and weld a plate there with a non-adjustable hole (not the stock elongated style) or if you don't plan to drive the car till the doors fall off, meaning you're not keeping the car for long, simply changing the bolt could solve the problem

But that's what I got from my experience. I'd suggest to check everything whether the situation you're suffering from is the same as mine.

Sometimes, it could be that one of your shocks are sagging, or spoilt, causing the camber and toe to change as the final sag after the rebound is different each time. This is more likely if your shocks are really old / 2nd hand / bought from kedai potong, etc.

That's why you should ask the tire shop to bounce the car while on the machine and see if the toe/camber changes after the car rebounds to it's original sag.

Find out if it's the shock absorbers, or the toe adjusters that's causing it. It could be another reason, but I can't think of one right now.

 

[jay_ek9]

Thanks bro...
appreciate tha reply...
actually it was the steering rack cushion that was giving the problem..
not enuff cushion they say.So, they added more rubber cushion and presto, the steering did not go one side when theres xtra weight or ppl sitting at tha back.....