Erratic steering

Mdog

Hi all!

I have a '92 Ford Tempo which seems to be having steering problems. I have recently replaced the wheel bearings & tie rod end on the right side of the vehicle. I have not yet had the wheels aligned. While making a right hand turn the car seems to want to keep turning while I straighten back out. While counter acting this pull with the steering wheel the car will suddenly jerk back straight. Also, from time to time while driving straight I can also feel the car want to wonder, again jerking back straight after a bit but this is most pronounced while turning right. No problem turning left that I have noticed. With the car jacked up I can move both wheels a bit from side to side, however this seems to be a bit of normal slop on an old vehicle, and the amount of slop is realitivly little compared to how much it pulls. My Question is, would the tires being out of alignment cause something such as this or should I start looking elsewhere before getting the alingment? What else could cause something such as this?

Thanks in advance,

Mdog

Den69RS96

If your alignment is bad, your car will pull to one side while driving. It may also cause a vibration at highway speeds similiar to if you tires needed balancing. Sounds like you need to replace your ball joints and possibly your suspension bushings. Most likely its the ball joints. I would get this fixed asap as that is a major safety issue.

depriate4repair

I know on trucks they have an idler arm/pitman arm. (most cars have something similar. Check to see if those are loose.

The easist way to check your alignment is find a long straite COMPLETELY DESERTED ROAD. Do like 2-5 miles per hour (SERIOUSLY DONT GO OVER 5) and then let go of the steering wheel for 3-5 seconds. if she pulls sharp (1. grab the wheel) but you know it is seriously off. if it goes striaght with a slight turn to the right over an extended period then you are fine.

All cars are SUPPOSE to pull to the right just a little. (VERY VERY LITTLE) this is so when you fall asleep at the wheel you vear to the side of the raod and not oncoming traffic. it shoud be seriously only a Very minor drift.

The best thing to do is either take it to a pro or have a buddy that knows cars real well take a look at it. Heck thats the only reason my last husband kept me around. he didnt know S**t about cars. But

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crecore

sounds more like rack and pinion binding up. Remove hose from ps pump and blow out all fluid. work steering wheel back and forth and get as much out as possible. Try some ps conditioner and hope for the best... and be careful, these can be dangerous. oh, btw, when a rack binds it's the valving sticking, the more you force it the higher the hydraulic pressure, which makes it worse. Get off the gas and ease your returns if this happens.