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View Full Version : suspension feels wonky and wanders randomly while driving



turkish
03-02-2014, 08:09 PM
04' 140k stock. i'm trying to diagnose this problem i'm having at the moment. ep darts around on highway, feels really wacky at times and wanders around, say you're going slower down the street it feels like the swaybar/endlink could be the issue, like an odd suspension travel. If you can picture loose ball joints in the knuckle thats what it feels like on highway or driving down street it feels like you're driving on square tires and can cause a strange suspension feel, ride, odd travel etc... My front tires worn really bad and unevenly so I rotated them to the back, I wonder how messed up the tires got from this issue and if they're the problem?

replaced LCA's, ball-joints, end-link bushing (original tie rod & endlinks), endlinks & swaybar bushing. had alignment done today just to get it somewhat straight etc..., front tires are little uneven, rears tires extremely uneven. the really bad uneven tires are in back (kuhmo 4x suck)

my suspicions are in this order, tires, tie rod end link, or the ball joint is moving in knuckle. I'm almost certain its tires, on the highway it feels like my uneven rear tires are causing strange behaviors. you can really notice the car wiggle when the roads are wet or if you hit a patch of snow the car goes left and right then straightens out on dry or when it gets more traction. really bad in light snow constant battle to drive straight.

EP3Lov3
03-03-2014, 07:23 AM
04' 140k stock. i'm trying to diagnose this problem i'm having at the moment. ep darts around on highway, feels really wacky at times and wanders around, say you're going slower down the street it feels like the swaybar/endlink could be the issue, like an odd suspension travel. If you can picture loose ball joints in the knuckle thats what it feels like on highway or driving down street it feels like you're driving on square tires and can cause a strange suspension feel, ride, odd travel etc... My front tires worn really bad and unevenly so I rotated them to the back, I wonder how messed up the tires got from this issue and if they're the problem?

replaced LCA's, ball-joints, end-link bushing (original tie rod & endlinks), endlinks & swaybar bushing. had alignment done today just to get it somewhat straight etc..., front tires are little uneven, rears tires extremely uneven. the really bad uneven tires are in back (kuhmo 4x suck)

my suspicions are in this order, tires, tie rod end link, or the ball joint is moving in knuckle. I'm almost certain its tires, on the highway it feels like my uneven rear tires are causing strange behaviors. you can really notice the car wiggle when the roads are wet or if you hit a patch of snow the car goes left and right then straightens out on dry or when it gets more traction. really bad in light snow constant battle to drive straight.

Seems like you looked at everything except your struts n springs, if they haven't been replaced for 140K miles then i'm guessing they would be responsible for the way your car is handling. Also bad struts can lead to odd treadwear as well.

.colin
03-04-2014, 10:37 AM
If you're still driving on your oddly worn tires, your car will still drive strangely - even if you fixed whatever caused them to wear unevenly in the first place. Try putting on some different tires (if possible) and see if that solves the problem. Post of picture of your tire wear too, that may help us diagnose the problem.

turkish
03-05-2014, 11:39 PM
after doing my LCA's on saturday, the steering wheel and ride felt much better immediately i noticed the difference even in the parking lot. It was shifting into gear a lot smoother, felt real nice releasing clutch.

10hrs later the ride felt like horrible again, steering wheel feels like it has tension but stays straight on hwy, its pulling to the left sometimes driving down the road, the last 3 times i pulled it out of the shop (past 6months), each time the steering feels really nice and plush just pulling out of the shop and parking lot. there are 2 constants last 3 times the car was in the shop, LCA & ball-joint is separated and the struts are not under load.

Its has to be the struts or moog ball joints!? Everything seems to suggest struts, just want to verify its not moog ball joints and knuckle. the fact the car rode nice all day saturday has me thinking its has to be the struts. the moog ball joints look fine, c clip in place. i wish i got new knuckles with OE ball joints though. are you even suppose to reuse the knuckle to press in new ball -joint?

turkish
03-06-2014, 11:12 PM
The bump stops were ripped at the top so they were just sitting loose in struts. I pushed down on fenders and rear and the strut feel stiff and do not bounce or move easily. However, if i push side to side the front end seems to jiggle, could it be the rubber seats in top hat or bearing? The wheel feels oddly heavy to turn left and right stopped or driving, no noises, just tension trying to turn wheel while stopped and the car jiggles left and right while driving. the jiggle feels like bad tires with no sidewalls but the wheel has odd tension on it while stopped so thats why i dont think its the tires.

Is it possible the spring rubber seats are binding up in the top hat and there is play? would the strut bounce more if they are bad/blown? It does sound a little clanky up front over uneven road surfaces but if its smooth the ride is smooth but it always jiggles left and ride.

turkish
03-10-2014, 10:19 AM
struts are blown, i can move the springs when car is lifted, the top spring seat/s sound noisy move around as well.