Remember the lean thread I made? Decided to address some issues today.
jacked the Miata up on ONE SIDE (passenger). Removed both wheels. Went about inspecting. On the front passenger side, I decided to not touch anything except the front springs and where they sit in the perch.
went to the back passenger side. Loosened all arms on the chassis side. I put wheels on and jacked the front driver side up, took the wheel off and got that spring back into its perch (if you remember the photo from the last thread, the front driver side spring was slightly out of the perch)
I went for a drive. The steering wheel was still centered at this point.
came back, torqued all bolts wheel lugs and ensured the cam alignment bolts were in the respective positions I marked prior to loosening them.
Went for another drive, steering wheel not centered now. Wtf. I didn't loosen ANY front end bolts. All I did in the front end is tap the spring ends into the perches using a mallet and crowbar. (They we're at droop, but still loaded)
is that what threw the steering off? I have a really hard time believing that since the steering rack and arms weren't touched
Oh, and the car drives as straight as ever, no wobbles or shaking. Just an off center wheel. The lean is slightly better, though not 100% even. Within .5 on all sides.
ddavidv
UltimaDork
11/20/21 9:12 p.m.
My Audi GT once had a randomly changing steering center after I installed new springs. I had unbolted the lower ball joints to get the struts off (I think). The ball joints slid into a slot in the lower arms and had two bolts that held them in position. The holes were slotted. Anyway, drove me nuts for a whole weekend until I found the bolts were tight, but not tight enough to keep the ball joint from sliding in the arm depending on the load applied.
Probably not a helpful anecdote, but I figure it couldn't hurt to mention.
In reply to SnowMongoose :
I don't know what that means
Buck Futter said:
In reply to SnowMongoose :
I don't know what that means
The steering wheel in e36 BMWs is offset to the right rather than being centered in relation to the driver's seat
In reply to SnowMongoose :
Oh that would suck. That would be so annoying.
If the front suspension/steering geometry is subject to bump steer, then having one side compressed relative to the other is going to toe that side in or out depending on how that geometry works out. If the car got aligned when it was leaning, the tech may have re-centered the wheel to compensate. Fix the lean, the suspension rebounds on that one side, now the toe is wrong and the wheel is offset.
Has the car been crashed? Is anything bent in the suspension?
SnowMongoose said:
Buck Futter said:
In reply to SnowMongoose :
I don't know what that means
The steering wheel in e36 BMWs is offset to the right rather than being centered in relation to the driver's seat
AIUI it's pretty common for the steering wheel not to be aligned with the seat, it's surprising how much it can be off without being really noticable.
In reply to codrus (Forum Supporter) :
Never crashed. And with only 30k on the clock all bushings and tie rod and wheel bearings and ball joints looks fine.
Adjusting the rear axle alignment will have an effect on steering wheel straightness (If the thrust angle changes). Think of it like crab walking.
You may have changed the thrust angle when you moved the rear eccentrics.
codrus (Forum Supporter) said:
SnowMongoose said:
Buck Futter said:
In reply to SnowMongoose :
I don't know what that means
The steering wheel in e36 BMWs is offset to the right rather than being centered in relation to the driver's seat
AIUI it's pretty common for the steering wheel not to be aligned with the seat, it's surprising how much it can be off without being really noticable.
The steering column in a Chevette is angled to the center of the car at the bottom, and the steering wheel is bent to compensate. It's noticeable, but not debilitating.
You messed with the rear suspension, this changes the car's thrust angle.
Alignments are always done rear end first for this reason.
In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :
Good point I forgot about that. I thought I got the eccentric bolts back in where they were, must not have. Alignment time. Hard to do this work with two broken ribs anyway.