posted by
someone claiming to be lummer57
on
Thu Oct 16 10:33 CST 2008 [ RELATED]
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1988 740 Wagon With 186,000 miles. When I am driving absolutely straight my steering wheel is slightly counter clockwise but only when going below aprox. 50 mph . Above 50 mph say 65 or 70 then all is fine - steering wheel is then centered Okay. Car was properly aligned about 5 months ago. Tires are all fine and evenly inflated. What could be up with this ?? What should I look at and adjust or replace ?? Thanks in advance for advice on this.
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posted by
someone claiming to be lummer57
on
Tue Oct 21 09:56 CST 2008 [ RELATED]
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Hello & thanks for all the various replies. Yesterday I adjusted the tie rod ends so steering wheel is straight when driving straight and not slightly counterclockwise.Which is fine under 50 mph. However now steering wheel is slightly clockwise above 50 mph. When underneath I noticed a torn bad rubber bushing on drivers side behind tie rod end slightly higher and inward toward center of car. I think maybe this is the problem. I am ignorant of what this bushing is to or what is does. Is this a relatively easy repair ?? Should I do it asap ?? Thanks again.
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If the car seems to pull a little, I would suspect uneven tire pressure or a problem with one of the tires. I would check pressure, and then rotate tires to see if anything changes.
If it did not pull, but was the same at all the time, the solution would be to adjust the tie rod ends a quarter turn or so, one inward, one outward, to center the wheel without changing the alignment.
Since it is speed sensitive, and off counter-clockwise, my guess is that it is rear axle bushings. As you go faster, the car pulls harder against wind resistance, and the back axle torques with the dominant wheel (right rear) end of the axle pulling forward. That makes the car tend to go right, so you have to compensate by turning left.
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I have a similar problem. The wheel on my 1992 740 wagon is about 10-15° clockwise when driving straight. The car doesn't pull to either side. I noticed this right away when I test drove it, but the previous owner claimed he had never noticed it. It annoys the hell out of me.
My first thought was to pull the steering wheel and move it over one spline, but I'm leery of the airbag. Second option would be to spend $100 on an alignment job and ask them to centre the wheel while they're at it, but I hate spending money to fix what isn't broken because the car tracks straight with no abnormal tire wear except the characteristic outer shoulder wear from positive camber. Third solution would be to adjust the tie-rod ends, but that's a lot of work. Finally, I thought I might loosen the steering rack, straighten the wheel and then tighten it to see if that works. I guess the first step would be to see if the wheels turn exactly the same amount to the right and left.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to suggestions.
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I have to disagree with the "characteristic outer shoulder wear from positive camber." This is not normal. I suspect your toe adjustment is wrong. Been driving Volvos since 1985, never heard of such a thing.
As far as not centered. This is a simple adjustment that any reputable alignment shop can make. What is odd, centered at low speeds, and out at higher. Think there is more wrong than just a simple adjustment.
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Post Back. That's whats makes this forum work.
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I presumed that if this driver is accustomed to seeing excessive outer shoulder wear on the front of a brick, he probably has the habit of braking deeply into the turns, rather than slowing down before beginning to turn.
I agree that bricks don't normally 'push' and chew the outer edge of their front tires as some cars do.
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aleekat said 'I have to disagree with the "characteristic outer shoulder wear from positive camber." This is not normal.'
It all depends on how you drive. Driving 90% on straight highways will wear the front tires pretty evely. If you take turns very gently, let's say so that a cup of coffee sitting on the dash won't move or spill, you probably won't wear the outside edge of your front tires very much. However, with "spirited" driving, you most certainly will. In fact, most sporting drivers I know, especially those who participate in autox on weekends, will set their camber to zero or a degree or more negative for better front grip and so the tires wear evenly.
I see from the FAQ that the camber spec is 0.1° +/- 1°, so perhaps mine is on the plus end of the tolerance, which would accentuate wear on the outside edge of the tires. Come to think of it, maybe I should just take it to an alignment shop and get it done right. I know a good one where the guy actually knows what you're talking about. The monkeys in the big chains will just set it to what the computer tells them and wouldn't know how to follow a customer's suggestions.
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This is pretty odd. I would take a really careful look at the wear across the front tires, ie is the outer wearing more or less than the inner tread. This would indicate bad toe in/out. The off center wheel would mean the wheels are not both pointed ahead with the wheel centered. If that then is OK (wheel centered) when going faster, then likely a bushing is worn and pulling the left tire toe out a bit, pulling the car left, which you then turn the wheel clockwise to correct. There are a couple of bushings there, but the one which wears in 700's is the compression rod front bushing. This bushing holds the lower A arm in position, and if worn allows the arm to move for and aft, changing toe.
It also shows up in braking, the car may steer under hard braking.
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84 242Ti IPD bars&springs, 89 745 16v M46 IPD bars, 89 744 16v M46 IPD bars, 90 745 AW70, 91 245SE AW70 IPD bars, 93 245 CLassic M47
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posted by
someone claiming to be fixit2002
on
Fri Oct 17 05:53 CST 2008 [ RELATED]
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Any unusual front tire wear??
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posted by
someone claiming to be lummer57
on
Fri Oct 17 15:28 CST 2008 [ RELATED]
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Thanx for your reply. No. No unusual tire wear. Both front(and rear) tires are worn evenly. I'm thinking maybe a bushing or bushings are worn and need to be replaced. However I am alltogether unfamiliar with that area.
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Well, I got the alignment done on my 1992 740 wagon this morning and the cocked steering was corrected. It was really annoying and obvious due to the square design of the steering wheel hub and steering column shroud. Also, sometimes the turn signal would not cancel after a right turn because the wheel was still turned a bit to the right.
aleekat was right on the money. The cause of the outside edge of my front tires wearing was toe-in, which apparently had not been readjusted after the right tierod end was replaced a year ago for the previous owner.
lummer57's complaint about the steering wheel position changing at higher speed might be related to caster. Normally caster is set about 1/2 a degree different from left to right to counteract the tendency to steer towards the curb on crowned roads. Of course, this won't work on divided highways, where the passing lane is crowned the opposite way. However, according to the alignment shop I used, the caster and camber are not adjustable on these cars, which I'm not sure I want to believe.
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