Topic: 98 Civic - wheel not straight

[adironca]

I spent hundreds of dollars on repairing my 98 Honda Civic LX. The problem is still there. Can any expert suggest me whether I should keep and repair, or I should give it up?

Thanks.

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2005/06 140,000km The car started to develop a tendency to pull over to the right.
2005/09 150,000km The alignment was checked. The mechanic said it's the tires that were in trouble because when he changed the two front tires, the direction of the pull-over shifts to the left.
2005/12 153,000km Two old front tires were replaced with new.
2006/03 157,200km Two old front tires were replaced with new (because of their end of lives) and tires were rotated immediately. The pull-over tendency is gone and the car is going straight but the wheel has to be kept at some degree - noticeably, perhaps in about 5 to 7 degree.
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The alignment record on 2005/09/30
FRONT AXLE (Final)
CASTER  left 1.2, right 1.0
CMBER left 0.6, right 0.7 ee
TOE total 0.1, left 0.05, right 0.05
SAI left 5.4, right 3.3
INCLUDED ANGLE left 6.1, right 4.0
SETBACK  ---
TOE OUT ON TURNS ---
MAX TURNS ---

REAR AXLE
(blank - it seemed that the mechanic didn't check it)

[articsteve]

This should be moved to technical to receive more responses.

Even though your alignment may be set properly, your tie rods are not set the best they could be so the steering wheel is off.  When you get new tie rods have them centre the wheel and then install the rods and then align.

[articsteve]

The link doesn't work for me.  You might want to contact the webmaster or copy your original post to a new topic in the Technical Section..

Maybe I misread your problem.  Are you saying that you must hold the wheel to keep the car straight?  OR it runs straight but the steering wheel is just simply off a bit?

[morty]

Sounds like your car alignment is now correct, but the steering wheel just needs to be centred. I would take it back to the shop and have them reset it. Should be done as part of the alignment.

[adironca]

I used to hold off the wheel to make it go straight. Starting from Mar 2006 when the last two  tires were replaced, it runs straight but the steering wheel is just simply off a bit?

[articsteve]

Well go back and read my first reply.  That is what needs to be done.  They didn't centre the steering wheel when the adjusted the tie rods.

[Bazzer]

   Even though you car does drive straight now. Your alignment readings are not the best. You want to have more caster on the left than the right, by about .2 to .5 degrees. Yours has .2 more on the left. As for your camber you want to have more on the left. Again with about a .2 to .5 spread. you have a .1 more on the right. Or as us alignment guys would call it "the wrong way". By the sounds of it you did have a raidial tire pull. Your tech would not have been able to get the wheel centered with the car pulling. He would have needed to drive the car again after you had got the tires done to center the wheel with out it pulling. At the end of the day though your reading aren't that good. They are well with in spec, but the spread is far from great. If the tech tries to tell you that it is in the GREEN then he is green on doing alignments. The setting that you have are okay in that they won't wear your tires, but it will drive better with a better alignment.

  The reason for having the spread the way I described is to compensate for the crown of the road.
 

  I hope that helps you out.

           Bazzer

[morty]

Bazzer is a new TT employee and is our suspension guy. Direct any suspension/alignment questions to him....

[adironca]

Thank you everybody. The info here will definitely when I communicate with the mechs.