I bought this car about 1 and a half year ago. Love the car, but here is my question.

When I got it, the left rear tire was absolutely bald ... the front two were like new and the right rear was worn slightly. The tires were on the factory aluminum wheels, so I thought the left rear wheel might have been warped. I had 4 15" 10-spoke wheels and I had 4 nearly new coopers. I had them mounted and installed on the 240. Now, I have driven it very little over the time I have had it, but once again I have the left rear tire into the wire (more on the inside but pretty smooth all over) and the right rear is worm slightly....front two again are like new. I did a little calculating and have put a little over 9k miles on it -- that's all. Would the rear trailing arm bushings do this? what could be some other problems? Frame being warped come to mind and it makes me sick. It has wear patterns like the rear end itself is crooked relative to the front.

Anyone have this come up before? Any help, as always, is appreciated.

randyB

Well guys. I found out that the car doesn't have a frame per-se, it is what he called a uni-body. On the alignment rack it showed that the right and left were both out. The left side was out almost .5 degree toe out and camber was negative a bit. The right side was out the same, but not as bad. So the car was going down the road virtually scrubbing the tires. Long story short, the rear axle is bent and I will need to replace the housing. Makes you wonder though, how did it get tweaked so that both sides were out the same way. I understand one being out one way any the other being out the opposite, but both were toe-out?! Whoopee.

Thanks greatly for the advice and ideas!

randyB

does the car Crab down the road? Meaning: does the car ride like the back is trying to pass the front.. Not as extreme as that.
I don't think Trailing Arms Bushings would do it, or Torque rods Unless someone replaced one with one that is longer or shorter then the other.

Trailing arm Bushings just control the axle from Rotating, same with the torque rods. I can't see the axle 'turning' right or left causing a tire drag unless they were so so bad you'd hear a racket under there.
Possibly the rear may have been hit, bending something.


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'75 Jeep CJ5 345Hp ChevyPwrd, two motorcycles, '85 Pickup: The '89 Volvo is the newest vehicle I own. it wasn't Volvos safety , it was Longevity that sold me http://home.lyse.net/brox/TonyPage4.html http://cleanflametrap.com/tony/

No, it really drives great, that is why the evidence surprises me!!

Well, it is kind of what I was afraid of, no other thing to blame it on. Here I am actually wanting to replace those bushings...man, what a loser, huh? They actually look and feel good too. So, I am afraid it has to be the frame or could the rear end have taken a lick and bent it some??? No roaring leaking, or anything like that.

Thanks for the responses, I go to the frame shop Monday and see what they have to say.

Too good of a car to just park it!!

randyB

It not totally impossible someone whacked the axle tube and skewed it.. you have tire wear on both rear tires AND they are wearing differently. Very odd
With the rear of the car on Jackstands and having the tires turning, there is no wobble like a bent rim or bent axle flange?
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'75 Jeep CJ5 345Hp ChevyPwrd, two motorcycles, '85 Pickup: The '89 Volvo is the newest vehicle I own. it wasn't Volvos safety , it was Longevity that sold me http://home.lyse.net/brox/TonyPage4.html http://cleanflametrap.com/tony/

No, bent rims were my first thought. I changed them, after I bought it, to a set from my wife's 940 (before I sold the 940). So, I don't think two sets of wheels could be bent ... also on the same note, I had the tires taken off the stock aluminum wheels that I took off the first time. After the tire was off the one from the left rear, I had them spin it on the balancer and it was straight. That SHOULD have been my first clue as something else was going on, but I ignored it.

If it is a bent rear axle housing, I have another rear end to replace it. My concern is that it is the frame. We will see what they say next week!!!

Thanks for the reply -- it is appreciated;

randyB

Please let us know what they find out.. I'm very curious.
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'75 Jeep CJ5 345Hp ChevyPwrd, two motorcycles, '85 Pickup: The '89 Volvo is the newest vehicle I own. it wasn't Volvos safety , it was Longevity that sold me http://home.lyse.net/brox/TonyPage4.html http://cleanflametrap.com/tony/

I actually have experienced these cars "crabbing" or at least changing direction slightly under accel/decel load.

If one trailing arm bushing is really really shot, the axle can move all over the place, including fore-aft up to an inch.

I'd suggest getting under there and replacing them as soon as possible... though it's a big pain of a job. A long air chisel, to collapse the old TAB shell may be the best approach if they are severely rusted or blown out to the point that the shell grows to a larger OD.

A shop with a 4-wheel alignment machine can quickly check the wheelbase side to side and verify if anything is going on. It is always possible for a car to have been in a bad accident and be bent, but I would think you'd have big problems with the back doors long before you'd move the suspension pickup points.

Inspect those trailing arm bushings and I'm going to guess you find at least one of them is totally destroyed.

--Rob
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~ 92 244 M47 modified ~ 89 244GLT Turbo Conversion ~ 90 745T Auto ~ And a VW Bus~