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I've been dealing with my '09 GS350 not driving consistently for a while now and it's gotten much better, but I still have one major issue.
My car likes to pull right after turning the steering wheel to the right, but I think it's more to do with weight transfer. It doesn't pull right when vehicle is tilted to the driver side, but does when it's tilted to the right like on highways or any road that causes the car to not be level. I can’t keep guessing rn. That’s what messed me up last time.
If I accelerate while it's pulling right, I can tell it isn't putting as much power down and if I brake while it pulls right, the pedal feels soft and they don't have as much bite. Seemed like the pads were rubbing so I figured this was due to seized calipers because the of the soft pedal. Well, after replacing the front calipers and doing a bleed with Techstream (lines are completely bled as brake pedal feels super firm when not pulling right), the issue has not gone away (left caliper was actually seized causing a pull to the left as well so this was needed anyway).
Rotors, pads, and calipers are all new so this left me with the conclusion of the wheel bearing being bad and causing the rotor to rub against the pads, but when I jacked the car up (both front wheels in the air) and checked for vibration in the spring while spinning the wheel, I didn't feel anything. Additionally, I had an alignment done about a month ago and the measurements showed my right side caster is ~2 degrees less than the left side. I know caster mismatch can cause pulling to the side with the smaller angle when equally/more loaded so this is probably contributing as well, but I don't know how much.
Tires are all the same pressure and have decent/even wear (tires have less than 10K miles and were rotated at the same time as alignment).
Can anyone possibly provide insight as to what might be going on here, or what to look at next?
I haven't been able to experience my car's true performance since I got it because of this. Please help.
Side Note: During the caliper job (rotors replaced <1k miles, <2 weeks ago), I noticed the left side rotor was sticking in place despite the removed caliper, and right side rotor was loose. Maybe this is a clue?
You must either have a taller tire on the left hand side, or your alignment is off. When you did an alignment did you do a 4 wheel alignment? You can try this, swap the wheels from right to left and see how does that drive. If it still pulls to the right then go take it to get an alignment at a different shop. While getting an alignment, have them inspect the wheel bushings. A common failure bushing to go out, is the front lower control arm rear bushings, its that huge bushing that sits behind the wheel. I would replace that even if you have never replaced any suspension parts, as they are super simple to swap out and require an alignment right after install.
But have them raise the front end, and grab all the wheels and jerk them left to right, then top to bottom to test all the ball joints and tie rods etc.
You must either have a taller tire on the left hand side, or your alignment is off. When you did an alignment did you do a 4 wheel alignment? You can try this, swap the wheels from right to left and see how does that drive. If it still pulls to the right then go take it to get an alignment at a different shop. While getting an alignment, have them inspect the wheel bushings. A common failure bushing to go out, is the front lower control arm rear bushings, its that huge bushing that sits behind the wheel. I would replace that even if you have never replaced any suspension parts, as they are super simple to swap out and require an alignment right after install.
But have them raise the front end, and grab all the wheels and jerk them left to right, then top to bottom to test all the ball joints and tie rods etc.
I'll take it and get it checked by my shop, but to be clear, the affect on braking is still there and goes away when it's no longer pulling. I would think that the only way braking would be affected would be because the rotor is misaligned in reference to the calipers. Any suspension play that isn't the wheel bearing wouldn't affect the rotor's position relative to the caliper, correct?
I'll take it and get it checked by my shop, but to be clear, the affect on braking is still there and goes away when it's no longer pulling. I would think that the only way braking would be affected would be because the rotor is misaligned in reference to the calipers. Any suspension play that isn't the wheel bearing wouldn't affect the rotor's position relative to the caliper, correct?
If you suspect wheel bearing being bad, then you will most likely hear it. A wheel bearing will make a growling noise and change tone when you turn the steering wheel. A bad wheel bearing can cause a vehicle to drag, but usually that happens when they are totally shot.
Im still confident that its your suspension bushings! Especially if the bushings are all original, mainly that big bushing in the front. Replace it (with oem), its easy to replace and cheap, and have the car aligned right away. Because that bushing handles the side to side tracking of the car. For instance I had a issue when driving over uneven road surface and my steering wheel would sway left to right. After replacing that bushings the car would track straight.
I have the same issue, especially since installing 19"s and new pads/ rotors. I did alignment and front wheel swap. I recently noticed that it pulls to the right when I apply brakes.
If you suspect wheel bearing being bad, then you will most likely hear it. A wheel bearing will make a growling noise and change tone when you turn the steering wheel. A bad wheel bearing can cause a vehicle to drag, but usually that happens when they are totally shot.
Im still confident that its your suspension bushings! Especially if the bushings are all original, mainly that big bushing in the front. Replace it (with oem), its easy to replace and cheap, and have the car aligned right away. Because that bushing handles the side to side tracking of the car. For instance I had a issue when driving over uneven road surface and my steering wheel would sway left to right. After replacing that bushings the car would track straight.
oh damn you touched on something I didn’t think was related. Yeah when I go over bumps or uneven surfaces, my steering wheel sways almost an 1/8th of a turn to the left/right sometimes. I’ll def get it checked.
turns out I may have messed up the caliper install and got air in my brake lines cuz now the brake pedal is super squishy. Getting the brakes bled by the shop so I’ll ask them to check out the bushings and such. Thanks a ton
The problem with that big bushing is that its a huge chunk of rubber. When you go to test it, its difficult to see it flex because theres so much rubber. I would just replace it! You can replace the bushing yourself, its super simple, you dont even need to remove the wheel just jack up one end and you can figure it out. Just make sure to buy left and right, as they appear to be the same, same with installing it.
The problem with that big bushing is that its a huge chunk of rubber. When you go to test it, its difficult to see it flex because theres so much rubber. I would just replace it! You can replace the bushing yourself, its super simple, you dont even need to remove the wheel just jack up one end and you can figure it out. Just make sure to buy left and right, as they appear to be the same, same with installing it.
Bought these from Amazon and they worked out great. They are much stiffer than oem, and that's a very good thing. Steering is straight and cornering is greatly improved over stock.
I’ve had the car back for a few days now and the brakes feel great. No rubbing, it just works. I’ve been monitoring how the steering feels in different conditions and I’ve come to the conclusion that the steering wheel feels “loose”, like you said, probably because of these bushings
I’m going to give those Amazon bushings a try simply because of the price difference between OEM and those.
Hi all, as an update to this: turns out my front right my wheel bearing is bad. It was causing pulling in both directions and it would go away after the car was jacked up until it got knocked loose again.
i suspected it could be it, but confirmed it while driving on the highway. The initial steer to change lanes had a bit of resistance but would go away after a while of holding the steering wheel at the angle. After that, the resistance would go to the opposite side. Additionally while going over bumps and other imperfections in the road, I’d notice the steering wheel quickly change resistance back and forth while holding it in place. I could literally feel the steering wheel trying to pull in a certain direction. Also my braking would be spongy when it was pulling, but if I turned the steering wheel just a bit to avoid the resistance (steering into the pull, thus allowing the caliper to be almost properly aligned with the rotor), braking was great. I also ended up hitting the curb while parking and all these problems disappeared…for a while, so that was pretty much the nail in the coffin.
I suspect this bearing went out last November when I grazed a curb at speed pretty badly. It had caused my rim to crack which I got repaired. I never noticed a difference in sound or driving because I hadn’t been driving the car long enough to build a mental baseline at the time.
it’s in the shop now getting new wheel hubs and those Amazon bushings installed. The wheel hubs I went for are Mevotech supreme from rockauto. I’ll update when I’ve got more to share.
09-10-22, 01:19 PM
Need help diagnosing car pulling right
