Alignment Mystery (misery) solved. NEW QUESTION 88 80q

[Huw Powell]

> The car has over 250k on it.  And, it appears that over that time,  some 
> things have shifted that would make aligning the wheels, steering wheel and  
> center of rack travel pretty tough to do.  

That really shouldn't be - did you figure out how your tie rods were 
bent?  As I recall, the car was parked and afterwards the wheel was way 
off center?

You could have a bent control arm (about $70 with new bushings I think), 
  perhaps a ball joint has been tweaked, or a damaged strut bearing... 
or something like that.

> I am curious as to whether a tie rod from a slightly older vehicle  (4kS or 
> 4kCSq) would be slightly shorter in overall length (1/2" or so ideally,  thus 
> making it possible to make a dead-on alignment.

I'd get the right part and bring it to the shop for the FEA.

> The alternative is to align the drive wheels to the steering wheel, with  the 
> rack being slightly off center in its travel (steering wheel would have to  
> be straightened 30 to 45-degrees).

Doable, I suppose, but why not figure out why the tie rods won't adjust 
right with the rack centered first?

-- 
Huw Powell

http://www.humanspeakers.com/audi

http://www.humanthoughts.org/