1990 100 Tranny and Steering woes

[Tony Hoffman]

Pretty much covered it all here. I'd add that I'd REALLY check (or have checked) the front control arm and sway bar businggs. The symptoms that you point out are dead on for that.
 
Also, although caster is unadjustabli on these cars, it does show up during an alignment. The measurements for everything show up, but you just can't adjust some of them. Years ago on a '78 Fox...............
 
Tony Hoffman

Ed Kellock <ekellock at gmail.com> wrote:

As far as tracking, you've got tires, bushings, and alignment. If the tires
are the same brand, model, tread pattern, and size (don't laugh, it happened
to me once with brand new tires. the tire store gave me two free alignments
over that one) and the pressures are even, the only thing you can do would
be to swap them side to side or one and/or the other front to back to see if
the behavior changes.
With regard to bushings, etc. if an alignment shop declared them good, then
you might get another opinion just to be sure. I had a subframe bolt missing
and mine would pull to the right when I braked.

 

In regard to alignment, only two of the 3 factors are adjustable, so that
may be all the shop checked. Toe and camber are adjustable, castor is not.
 If it's not even from side to side or if its evenly way less than spec it might
cause the car to wander or seem to pull. (A certain amount of positive
castor is used to cause the front wheels to stay pointed in the direction of
travel.) With the number of issues you mention, I would suggest getting another
opinion from a different alignment shop, one that is dedicated to
alignments, not a tire center alignment guy. Bear alignment shops are
usually pretty solid. Look in the yellow pages under Wheel Alignment.
Ed

		
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