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

[TooManyAudis at aol.com]

I replaced the right side tie rod last night -- then I determined the  center 
of rack travel by removing, then replacing, the steering wheel so that it  
aligned with an equal number of turns from side to side.
 
I then did my best to eyeball the wheels to straightness (for the drive to  
the alignment shop).  The right wheel had plenty of adjustment on either  side, 
so no worries there.  However, The left wheel was still pointing  slightly to 
the outside when I adjusted the tie rod bolt all the way  in.  
 
Upon further inspection, the left side tie rod appears to be very slightly  
bent -- probably not that unusual for a car with well over 250k -- about half 
of  which was not on my watch, so anything could have happened.  And, the  
slight bend in the left tie rod may not even be enough to cause any real  problems 
in and of itself.
 
I do have an alignment shop that I will take the car to as soon as I  
determine if I am going to A) replace the left tie rod or 2) just get the car  
aligned and be done with it.
 
 
-- Tom
 
PS thanks for looking the info up on the FA.  Upon further inspection,  the 
Worldpac sites give the same part number for both the 87 4kq and the 88 90q,  
so that part of the question is moot.  
 
 
 
 
Tom, something doesn't sound right. The tie-rods should have plenty  of
adjustment on each side. That's the way it was designed. Was the rack  ever
replaced? The steering wheel may have not been put back in the right  place.
That could make the center of the steering wheel and the center of the  rack
different and to compensate, the tie-rods were adjusted to the end of  their
range. I would make sure you have the same number of turns on the  steering
wheel left and right of center. If not, just take of the steering  wheel and
adjust until you get the same number of turns on each side. I hope  that's the
problem, otherwise who knows... could be bent rack mounting points  or 
something
up with the rack itself.

There's no info in the FA.  Personally, $25 is nothing for something as
important as a tie-rod. I'd  figure out what's going on, get the right part, 
and
get a shop to align it.  You'll feel safer and you won't have to worry about
vibration or extra wear  on tires, bearings, etc. Good luck.


-Ameer 


 
<BR><BR><BR>**************************************<BR> AOL now offers free 
email to everyone.  Find out more about what's free from AOL at 
http://www.aol.com.