atdprod

hi, new to this forum and to owning a lexus and front wheel drive cars. so the car pulls to the left and i have to counter it via canting the wheel about 45 degrees to the right, on a rear wheel drive car i would just have it aligned, but thats not the end of it either, when i let go of the wheel when driving not only does it pull to the left but the wheel turns with it. i have no idea what the problem is. my best guess is that its a bad seal with the power steering causing a preassure differential issue. but i have never had this particular problem and i have had the car a few days and i got it with this issue and figured it was a line up thing, but the more i read and think about it the less i think thats the problem. i know it could also be a tire issue, but i dont have that feeling about it. what are some of your ideas and what do they usually cost to fix?

brandoe91

iTrader: (1)

I have the same problem with my 96 es300.My mechanic told me it's my rack and pinion.

HamBurglar

I have the same problem but leaning to the right. The bushings on my rack and pinion are damaged on mine. I think that might be the problem with yours as well since the car is old it might just have worn out over time.

atdprod

that was actually what i was hoping it wasnt. thats so much more expensive to replace. i also did notice the the little balancing weight on the driver side front tire is missing so i was kinda hoping that was the problem. how long can i get away with the rack and pinion bushings being bad? i just had to buy this car because my truck was totalled in an hit and run by an unissured driver so cash isnt something i have in abundance.

HamBurglar

Sorry can't be much help on this especially with how long you'll be able to ride on it safely. If it is damaged really badly I know that you can pretty much lose control of steering on your car. I'm still learning about cars myself. I had a tech point that out to me recently when I was mounting new tires on my car.
In my situation, I've been driving with the damaged parts for quite some time about 6 months. I ran over a horrible pothole on my way to I-10 one day going to work and bent 2 rims, broke CV joints and probably damaged the bushings or put enough stress on them atleast.
Hopefully this helped a little.

mooseboy84

The absolute first thing to check, and this may sound stupid, but check your tire pressure. If you have a really low/flat under inflated tire, it will pull badly to that side.

There could be alot of issues causing a car to pull. Try to have it inspected by someone that does alignments to check your suspension.

You may have a toe in/out on one side. Could be camber on one side of car causing problems before you start getting into more expensive repairs like replacing the rack.

Secondly, was the car in a accident? Many times cars in accidents have bent frames, and have offset problems which will cause them to pull to side no matter how aligned it is.

Balancing weights on tires should not make your car pull that much. Theyre there to balance heavy spots in the actual tire, and make the ride smoother.

atdprod

first thing i did is check the tire pressure. and i have done the basic at home shock test each corner behaves the same it goes right back up with no extra bouncing. they do compress easier than i expected though. how sensitive is the suspension on these cars? i am on the far side of 300 pounds... also its never been in a wreck im the third owner and its been in the family since it was new. so i know its been well kept up. it started doing this about 2 months ago according to my cousin(who i bought it from) right after a bad ice storm. but he didnt wreck it or even curb it. it just sat and then the problem started.

MikeLex

Canting the wheel 45 degrees to counter the pull is impressive. You must have severe issues in the suspension/frames geometry (as mooseboy said). Find a good alignment shop and interrogate your cousin again... hahaha

atdprod

i could actually buy it being an alignment issue. i do living in oklahoma the land of potholes. but i know the car wasnt in any collisions. and i can look at the tires and rims and tell it hasnt bee curbed. i have talked to him abit more today he said he didnt "notice" the problem till after the last ice storm when the roads cleared. so its possible he hit a narly ice median or a pothole in a clear spot. the initial reason i didnt figure it was an alignment issue was because when i let go of the steering wheel not only does it pull left but the wheel turns itself left aswell. ive never owned a front wheel drive car before so i can see how an alignment issue might do that but i can see how it wouldnt aswell.

JamesBond1

Check alignment and tires!!! Worn out and or damaged tires can cause pulling as well. I had really bad brand name tires on my car, when I first got it, and after putting new tires on it help me out. (my car was pulling hard to the right and getting new tires fixed it.)

oh, and my brother in law owns a tire shop and told me this...

mooseboy84

Any time a car "pulls" or veers to a certain direction and does not go straight... its an alignment issue.

The problem is, trying to figure out what type of "alignment" issue it is. Cars are supposed to go straight, and you need to figure why it isnt.

As I say, go to a shop that does A LOT of alignments. I dont know if you live in a rural area or not, but try to find someone that aligns cars or a body shop to inspect your suspension, because theyll be more aware of problems of suspension.

Your weight should not be an issue either.

atdprod

i was looking under the hood today and noticed when i pump on the fenders the the center bolts on the strut plates/upper mounts move about an eighth to a quater of an inch on each side. any chance these could be part of the problem? or is alittle free play normal? if it isnt can i get away for abit seeing if the bolts are abit loose and tightening them?

trk1

I have a similar issue and over time the outer edge of the drivers side front wheel has been balding. I 'm thinking its an alignment issue , the car pulls to the left& the steering wheel is not centered about 10-15 degrees off. So I was thinking about changing the tire and getting an alignment job done. Toyota dealer said Four wheel alignment $89.64, thinking I might go with Bell Tire instead.

dcapo

new camber or bushings?