<-- DARTING -->

[ottoparts]

New parts list:
LCA's, Sway bar bushings, Festiva inner tie rods, Escort outer tie rods, hub bearings and seals (Aspire hubs), brake pads, brake lines, brake hoses.

Used parts list:
Kia Rio struts and top hats with 1.5 coils cut, Mazda Daisy wheels and tires.

Back story.... I bought the car non running with a broken timing belt. Therefore never got to drive it in a factory/stock set up. While the car was down, I performed a suspension/brake swap from both an Aspire and a Rio. Bought the daisy wheels used with almost brand new tires on them. As you can see from the list above, anything I felt should be updated/upgraded I did (to save from tearing the car apart again anytime soon).

Yesterday I took the car in and had the brakes power bleed and had it aligned.

The car darts something fierce and at random.
You can be driving in a straight line, out of nowhere it feels as if someone grabs/jerks the steering wheel to turn left (darts to the left).
Once this happens, the steering wheel is no longer centered. It is pointed to the right at the 2 o'clock position.
Mind you we are still going in a straight line.
It can happen quickly or sometimes go for many miles this way.
Then it happens, from out of nowhere it feels as if someone grabs/jerks the steering wheel to turn right (darts to the right).
Once this happens, the steering wheel is now centered again.

At 65 mph, it tends to make ones butt pucker. Especially when it happens with a on-coming vehicle.

I did a search and did not see any one thread as bad as mine. I saw where some switched tires around, or replaced parts (which I already had done).

Is this a steering rack issue?

Any of you fine folks have/had this or a similar issues?

[htchbck]

Did you by any chance get the red energy suspension sway-bar to body bushings with their own brackets? Since the sway bar on this car also functions as a trailing arm for the front suspension, the factory brackets must be used (ie. non-slotted brackets, unlike the slotted replacement ones that come with ES bushings). I usually buy the ES ones, throw away the brackets, and grind down the bushings to fit the stock brackets. But if you do use the replacement slotted ones they will slip and slide forward and backward occasionally, and can definitely cause the symptoms you are describing. Basically you are changing both toe and caster, and I guess maybe a little bit of camber, randomly whenever the brackets decide to slide.

[Movin]

I have had a completely shot bushing in the steering rack do that and almost as bad , a bent rear axle do that.

[Damkid]

Moved to the proper section

[ottoparts]

Thank you Damkid for the movement.

*** UPDATE***

I went to take my buddy for a ride in it. We are both 6'2"+, 250 lbs.
With him in the car, the darting stopped. It only mildly did it once, and that was due to me pitching it into a corner.
With his weight leveling out the car, it had me thinking that it might possibly be an alignment issue.


Htcbck, I did not replace the body to sway bar bushings. I will look into that in the morning. If the sway bar is moving, I would think that I would be able to see the marks on the sway bar. Thank you for the tip.

[koRnhead]

No matter what after you changed that many parts up front you need an alignment.

[Team Lightning]

If you drive alone most of the time, get the alignment shop to let you sit in the drivers seat while it's being aligned. It does affect it, I was sitting in mine once assisting and when I got out, they rechecked the alignment and it had changed.

[ottoparts]

I had an alignment done this past Friday.
I'll start with the body to sway bar bushings.
I'll let everyone know the outcome.
Thanks

[Flyin4stroke]

Check the tie rod ends. There should be a washer under the nut. If there isn't, it may be bottoming out the nut on the unthreaded portion of the tie rod end. Not allowing it to tighten all the way.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Movin]

doesn't the alignment shop test drive there work ?

[ottoparts]

doesn't the alignment shop test drive there work ?

I honestly do not know if they did or not. I left the paperwork at work, but I'll grab it and let you guys know what they set everything at.

[ottoparts]

This is the alignment sheet they gave me.
They also gave me a few sheets that state the Vender does not state any info setting caster. I can upload those to if anyone wants to see them. They are nothing special.

Alignment.jpg

[Movin]

That isn't very pretty readings. It shows that the right front may have been hit on the bumper and pushed that side back a bit. They usually buckle slightly in the fake frame where it goes over the cv shaft area. Another possibility is the right sway bar to lower control arm is not assembled with the right bushing or anything that could position the lower ball joint to to the rear from where it should be.

The rear looks like it slid side ways into a curb and bent the axle a bit.

Neither of these problems are something a normal alignment shop usually repairs. A repair shop with collision experience can get the car ready for an alignment. It was not ready for an alignment when it was done, after it is fixed perhaps this shop will give a good deal on a redo , you can ask.

If you are good at measuring you could probably fix or jerry rig the front. The rear could be fixed with another axle or with shims. Rear shims has been discussed on this site not long ago.

You have shook and wiggled every where with the car jacked up and looked for loose or shiny metal around bushings ?

[Flyin4stroke]

&lt;-- DARTING --&gt;

My car did that exact darting with a loose tie rod end.

[ottoparts]

I replaced the sway bar to body bushings and it made a huge difference.
With that being said it still darts. But nowhere close as bad as it was.
when looking at it from the front, we can see (at least to me) that the tires are toed in.
My son pointed out that when I performed my "home" alignment and drove it to the tire store, that it did not dart and the tires did not looked toed in.
I'm going to play with the toe and see if that helps.