Problem with front tire position; Alignment???

[SuperZ]

The passenger side front tire appears to be too far forward. There is about a 3" gap between the body and the back of the tire, but only a 1" gap betwen the front of the tire and the body.

The driver's side tire is perfectly centered.

Due to this, the car pulls really hard to the left. (cuz the passenger side tire is too far forward)

Is this just a simple problem that an alignment job would take care of? Or do I have to do something else?

I haven't taken the time to go through everything yet, and I don't really know much about aligning the front end. But I know enough to get the work done if you know what might be wrong. Any suggestions?

[blitzkraig]

Hate to break it to you, but that sounds like major suspension damage! I'm not too sure how cuz it seems like your car shouldn't be able to even roll at all by your description of wheel location. Jack the car up and take the wheel off. Whatever's broken should be very obvious. Good luck

[SuperZ]

okay, I'll take a look. Hope it isn't too bad!

Any ideas of what it could be?

The tire isn't turned at all, it is just too far forward. It still sits faily straight compared to the driver's tire. It doesn't even bend in or out.

???

[mdbrandy]

The position of the center of the tire is located in space by three things: The strut, the control arm, and the T/C rod. I can't see how the tire could be forward of where it should be without the T/C rod attachment on the frame being bent forward or something like that. The T/C rod is the cylindrical steel rod that runs from the outside end of the control arm back to a "pocket" on the frame in front of the firewall. Of course, the frame itself could be bent too. Not sure of what else could cause that kind of geometry change...

[SuperZ]

Is the T/C Rod adjustable? I did see that rod back there when I was looking at it, but I didn't get under it to check it out.

Also, what does T/C stand for? Is that the same as a tie-rod?

What kind of options are available if something is bent out of shape? Can I bend it back and weld it? Or does it need to be replaced?

Thanks for the help guys. I sure need it!

[Ed]

The T/C rod (tension/compresion) is adjustable. The amount of adjustment is very limited though, your talking about maybe 1 inch. The tie-rod is part of your steering. As far as bending things back into shape $ talks. And with enough $ you could pretty much do anything. Like mentioned earlier take the wheel off and inspect, compare the drivers side to the passenger side. If you wheel is off by 3 inches then the damage should be obvious. Take a picture for us and we will tryto get you going in the right direction.

Good luck and Don't Drive your car until you get this fixed!

[SuperZ]

Thanks Ed!

The wheel is only about 1" off. There is a 3" gap in back, 1" in the front. If I can move it back 1", then it would be even (2" and 2").

Hopefully that works!

I will be taking it all apart tomorrow. I will take lotz of pictures during the process too. (of both sides) And don't worry, I won't drive it any more until this is all cleared.

Now, if only tomorrow were here...

[mdbrandy]

Originally posted by Ed

The T/C rod (tension/compresion) is adjustable. The amount of adjustment is very limited though, your talking about maybe 1 inch.

Ed,

how would you go about adjusting the T/C rod position? Only way I could see would be to shim at the rod pocket, although I'm not quite clear how to do that either. Stack of washers on the rod before you slide on the bushing cups or something?

Edit: Although in this case, the rod would have to go the other way. Wouldn't you have to remove the inner busing or something to move it backwards without bending the T/C pocket?

Confused...

[panchovisa]

My guess is that the rubber donut on the BACK side of t/c frame mounting bracket split and fell out.

[SuperZ]

If that is the case, then a new one should solve my problem, right?

I sure hope that is it!

[panchovisa]

If that is the case I'd go with FOUR new donuts and a repair manual that shows which way the "cup" of the large washers should face.

Somebody may have had it apart before. If they put it back together wrong and you copy them, then where will you be?

While you are under the car look at the bushings (L & R sides) at the inner pivot of the control arm. The long side of the bushing should be to the rear, and the short side to the front.

If someone reversed the passenger side it would effectively move the ball joint forward from the correct location even with no problem regarding the t/c rod.

[Ed]

Originally posted by mdbrandy

Ed,

how would you go about adjusting the T/C rod position? Only way I could see would be to shim at the rod pocket, although I'm not quite clear how to do that either. Stack of washers on the rod before you slide on the bushing cups or something?

You are correct. The only way to adjust the T/C is by shims and washers at the pocket. If you don't want to remove the rod then use some "U" shaped shims on the front end of the bushings to "push" the control arm forward. To move the rod back you have to remove the shims. If there are no shims or extra washers at the front end of the bushings then you can't adjust the rod.

Now you can spend some money and make your own adjustable T/C rods. You can either take the old T/C rod and have the threads cut down the rod about another 3-4 inches. Then you could use a nut to make the adjustments. I've seen some pics in the gallery of these. I'll try and find some....