323 Pulling Hard To the Right

[crazyrog17]

My girlfriend's 1990 Mazda 323 pulls hard to the right.

I don't know what the deal is, but occasionally the wheel sits straight and the car goes straight ahead! The acceleration is better as well when the wheel is straight, but randomly, it goes back to pulling hard to the right.

It's been doing this in some form or another since she got the car. I did all of the brakes thinking one was dragging, but it's still pulling. Wondering if anyone has some insight.

I would think it's an alignment issue if it weren't for it behaving correctly once in a blue moon.

[crazyrog17]

I should mention it has power steering. It assists when turning both ways, but I do circles in a big parking lot when I let go of the wheel!

[FestYboy]

have your alignment checked, you should have a bit of toe IN and i suspect you have quite a bit of toe OUT.

[crazyrog17]

After doing a lot of research, it makes sense why it's pulling now and why sometimes it's alright.

Her driver's side strut mount is BAD. It's so bad that it sits out of center and off to the side and (now I know) creates a negative camber. That's why it's pulling to the right. Whenever I have the jack out, I recenter the mount, but never thought that's what was making the wheel straight again.

Now that I think of it, it makes sense. I recentered it a few weeks ago when I installed auxilliary lights and needed the jack to get under there. A few days and bumps later, back to crooked wheeling.

Before I replace it, anything I should know? I know I'll need a spring compression kit. I've done one in shop class, but that was years ago now, haha.

[wflaw45]

for all intensive purposes camber wont make a car pull, castor is more of a leading factor. that being said with a bad strut mount it could also throw off your castor causing it to pull.

havent ever changed a strut bearing in these cars but i dont know if you will need a spring compressor since the strut mounts to the bearing and the bearing mounts to the chassis, its not actually part of the strut assembly.

[crazyrog17]

Keep in mind this is on a 323. I should've mentioned I already replaced the offending strut mount and it's bearing. I guess I tightened the strut's nut down too far so it sheared the rubber of the mount straight away from the metal of the mount. I'll have to redo it and only snug that nut.

The bearing was just a flat little piece that went under the mount. I did need a spring compressor for all of this.

Castor makes sense, too. One of the sites I was just reading mentioned that if the camber is off from side to side, the car will pull to the positive camber side. Left - negative camber, Right - normal, more positive camber = pulling to the right.

[FestYboy]

for all intensive purposes camber wont make a car pull, castor is more of a leading factor. that being said with a bad strut mount it could also throw off your castor causing it to pull.

havent ever changed a strut bearing in these cars but i dont know if you will need a spring compressor since the strut mounts to the bearing and the bearing mounts to the chassis, its not actually part of the strut assembly.

ummm really? camber can and does make a car pull (to which ever side is most positive). caster won't cause a pull unless under load. remember that caster is the measurement of the axiel angle of the knuckle and doesn't affect the tire when going straight. i need pix to describe better, but the point is caster won't affect the car's willingness to go straight as much as camber or toe.

ok i just thought of an illustration for you... take a tire and rim, stand it straight up and roll it away from you. if the tire is true, it will roll straight. that's like havving 0* toe and 0* camber. now take the tire again and lean it to one side just a bit and roll it again, now it wants to fall over after rolling in the direction the top was leaned in. that's like having 0* toe and 2* camber (positive or negative, doesn't matter). now if you have one tire leaned into the car and one leaned away, it will want to pull in the direction that they are leaned. hope this makes sense.

[wflaw45]

note to self: no more posting right as you wake up from a nap!

re-read my post. had my terms mixed up. took a steering and suspension class last semester and gained a good amout of knowledge compared to what i knew. (new to these small cars, used to building lifted trucks) thanks for the correction

[FestYboy]

hey, i know how it is man, no prob.

[GenevaDirt]

hey, i know how it is man, no prob.

WHERE WERE YOU TODAY.....sheeeesh!!!!

[FestYboy]

didn't you talk to you're daughter? i didnt know i had today off in time to do anything about it. sorry willie.

OH BTW, were YOU there? and if so, how are you feeling after the trip?

[miami man]

my mom has the same car

[crazyrog17]

Funny, I haven't seen but two others around here. I don't see Festivas very much either, haha.

[GenevaDirt]

didn't you talk to you're daughter? i didnt know i had today off in time to do anything about it. sorry willie.

OH BTW, were YOU there? and if so, how are you feeling after the trip?

LOL...yes I was there.....was tired when I got home. Was the longest outing I had to date since the operation. But it was a VERY nice day and it felt good to get out.

[FestYboy]

so back on subject... get you're alignment checked?