POP. then my steering wheel is misaligned

**justinmc978** · 09-30-2009, 12:30 PM

i was backing up and right as i put the car into R i heard a pop. thought nothing of it until i got back on the road and noticed my steering wheel is way to the left when i'm going striaght. parked the car, and the wheels are even, WHAT JUST HAPPENED? i had the wheels aligned a week ago dont know if that has anything to do with it? how do i fix it? THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU!

**BIG GUNS** · 09-30-2009, 01:04 PM

Sounds like mine but, mine happened after I jacked it and put it on stands. Had everything where it was supposed to go and my steering wheel is a little to the right.

My alignment is not off at all but, I suspect there is some way to realign the steering wheel.

**Too Fast** · 09-30-2009, 04:00 PM

I know what happened. How much money can you pay me?

Alright, alright, here's what happened. When they aligned your car, the way to adjust camber/caster is by loosening the lower control arm mounting bolts, then using a pry bar to put it where it belongs. If whoever did the job did not retighten these bolts enough, then under certain situations it will move. Yours did, and that's when you heard the pop. Go back to the shop and tell them you heard a pop, and now your steering wheel is crooked, could they please check it.

**justinmc978** · 09-30-2009, 04:08 PM

Originally Posted by Too Fast

I know what happened. How much money can you pay me?

Alright, alright, here's what happened. When they aligned your car, the way to adjust camber/caster is by loosening the lower control arm mounting bolts, then using a pry bar to put it where it belongs. If whoever did the job did not retighten these bolts enough, then under certain situations it will move. Yours did, and that's when you heard the pop. Go back to the shop and tell them you heard a pop, and now your steering wheel is crooked, could they please check it.

DUDE, thank you SO, SO much, this has been driving me crazy all. damn. day worrying, its nice to be able to go back in and pretend to know what i'm talking about to get them to do something

**Too Fast** · 09-30-2009, 04:16 PM

Originally Posted by justinmc978

DUDE, thank you SO, SO much, this has been driving me crazy all. damn. day worrying, its nice to be able to go back in and pretend to know what i'm talking about to get them to do something

You're welcome. I've been doing alignments for 20+ years, so this was an easy one for me to point someone in the right direction. Just be nice when you go back in, and you did get a printout on your alignment, right?

**justinmc978** · 09-30-2009, 04:27 PM

Originally Posted by Too Fast

You're welcome. I've been doing alignments for 20+ years, so this was an easy one for me to point someone in the right direction. Just be nice when you go back in, and you did get a printout on your alignment, right?

i have the reciept, done at firestone 4 new wheels and the left side was aligned, the same side i think i heard the pop from

**Too Fast** · 09-30-2009, 04:33 PM

Some kinda karma for me to see this thread then, I worked for Goodyear for 20 years 10 days and the poor economy made them cut back last April, the 2 other techs, one had 20 years 5 months, the other 26 years, so I had to go and F'ing Badyear would not transfer me to another company store. 5 weeks vacation after 20 years, now nothing. Bitter? You bet....

So now I'm at Firestone. We just got a rockin' new alignment machine. Do ask for the alignment printout, that way you can see where it is set.

**justinmc978** · 09-30-2009, 04:46 PM

Originally Posted by Too Fast

Some kinda karma for me to see this thread then, I worked for Goodyear for 20 years 10 days and the poor economy made them cut back last April, the 2 other techs, one had 20 years 5 months, the other 26 years, so I had to go and F'ing Badyear would not transfer me to another company store. 5 weeks vacation after 20 years, now nothing. Bitter? You bet....

So now I'm at Firestone. We just got a rockin' new alignment machine. Do ask for the alignment printout, that way you can see where it is set.

my friends are getting layed off right and left, it sucks, guy who sold me my t/a did too i felt bad for him, i promised to keep it perfect incase there was a chance he wanted to get it back someday,

so what i need to do is:

go in, explain what i believe happened, ask for a tech to look,

and also ask for print out of alignment, will this be a sheet of number values or a diagram of how it was set or...?

when they get the car up, will they have to realign it? or will they just have to put it back into place?

**Too Fast** · 10-01-2009, 02:18 AM

They'll have to realign it. The alignment printout will show the range of where it is supposed to be, and preferably your numbers will be in the middle of those ranges, after they are done putting it back. If you have any questions about those numbers, post it here and I'll explain.

**justinmc978** · 10-01-2009, 07:37 AM

Originally Posted by Too Fast

They'll have to realign it. The alignment printout will show the range of where it is supposed to be, and preferably your numbers will be in the middle of those ranges, after they are done putting it back. If you have any questions about those numbers, post it here and I'll explain.

alright coolcool, i just took her back, thanks so much man your really a big help,

talked to one of my country buddies before i talked to you, he said: "yeahhh its probably your steering column just got out of place, we'll put the wheel up against a curb and steer into it, try to pop it back"

so glad i got a second opinion.

**Mean Green Z28** · 10-01-2009, 09:39 AM

Originally Posted by justinmc978

talked to one of my country buddies before i talked to you, he said: "yeahhh its probably your steering column just got out of place, we'll put the wheel up against a curb and steer into it, try to pop it back"

ha ha ha, that's awesome! It's not a damn bicycle!!! lol

**Too Fast** · 10-01-2009, 04:36 PM

Originally Posted by justinmc978

alright coolcool, i just took her back, thanks so much man your really a big help,

talked to one of my country buddies before i talked to you, he said: "yeahhh its probably your steering column just got out of place, we'll put the wheel up against a curb and steer into it, try to pop it back"

so glad i got a second opinion.

Whaaaaaatttttt!!!!!!!! LOL.

**lvbroham1** · 11-24-2009, 05:47 PM

I know I'm bring this thread back from the dead, but did you ever get that fixed? Was that actually the cause of the popping sound and misalignment? I was wondering because I have the exact same problem right now. Thx!

**herculesrider1** · 11-25-2009, 07:27 AM

Originally Posted by justinmc978

alright coolcool, i just took her back, thanks so much man your really a big help,

talked to one of my country buddies before i talked to you, he said: "yeahhh its probably your steering column just got out of place, we'll put the wheel up against a curb and steer into it, try to pop it back"

so glad i got a second opinion.

So, did you get a printout of the alignment values? Was the jacked steering wheel due to a loose lower control arm bolt????

I was wondering about this, because on my '98, I NEVER had to have an alignment done and didn't know how they actually did the alignment. They really changed the front end geometry on our cars from the way they use to be. You don't even have any place to grease our front ends... remember the old days when you had grease serts all over the place? Anywho, let us know Justin!

**LSCyaL8R** · 11-25-2009, 10:44 AM

What kind of awesome alignment equipment would that be? I'm a fan of the Hunter DSP 600 and the Hunter GSP9700 Wheel Balancers. I hunt out shops that use that combo.

**Too Fast** · 11-25-2009, 05:07 PM

We have the new Hunter Hawkeye alignment machine at our shop. Very quick and awesome!

**justinmc978** · 11-26-2009, 11:43 PM

well the shop aligned it correctly, but after it popped out of place a few days later i took it back to the shop and they fixed it free of charge, as Too Fast explained, a bolt just popped out of place on the tie-end or control arm area due to no being tightened enough,

the owner had the balls to accuse me of off roading

yeah cause i love to do that in my pontiac

regardless its been fine since, just like new

i had the values printed, and i filed them away, i'm at my pop's house in campbell for TG, so i dont have any of it with me right now

**Too Fast** · 11-27-2009, 02:21 AM

The owner really said that? Pretty ballsy and arrogant. I'd never say anything like that, I would just realign it and make damn sure the lower control arm bolt is tight this time, and apologize to you that I f'd up.

**cammed goat** · 11-27-2009, 03:51 AM

Originally Posted by Too Fast

The owner really said that? Pretty ballsy and arrogant. I'd never say anything like that, I would just realign it and make damn sure the lower control arm bolt is tight this time, and apologize to you that I f'd up.

Honest mechannic right there.

**herculesrider1** · 11-27-2009, 09:29 AM

Hahahahaha, people have been blaming everyone else since the dawn of time...."Adam, where are you and who told you you were naked?" "The woman you gave me made me eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil" "Eve, did you eat of the tree?"....."The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat".....He did it, it's not my fault, I'm innocent, smoking gun in hand....I didn't kill dat man, honest............ It's so hard to find an honest mechanic now days who won't make things up that are wrong with your car just to make a buck, or in this case, make it look like you are in the wrong and try to charge you again..... That's why I always say, "If you want something done right, you have got to do it yourself" I think that's why most people on this site work on their own vehicles as much as the situation allows them to...cuz they know it will be done right. Glad you got it straightened(literally) back out Justin!!