Help! Wheel is not centered in wheel well!!!
07-25-09, 11:37 PM
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Help! Wheel is not centered in wheel well!!!
Hey fellas,
Im the owner of a 97 sc300 and i noticed that the pass front wheel is not perfectly centered inside the wheel well. The wheel looks pushed back about +/- 1 inch. I was thinking it may be a bent control arm, but im not to sure what to check first. I also know that the factory tie rods tend to bend over time but im not too sure if its bent or not...i just dont want to buy parts that i dont need and was hoping someone can point me in the right direction on narrowing the cause of this. The car was hit on the driver side by previous owner but there was no frame damaged and i just got my car back from the body shop with a new radiator support and headlight cage thingy....it was put on a frame machine and the frame is straight. my alignment is fine, all other wheels are centered except the pass front. Im almost sure something may be bent from when the car was hit, just dont know what to check first. Any help would be appreciated.
-Zeeshaun
Im the owner of a 97 sc300 and i noticed that the pass front wheel is not perfectly centered inside the wheel well. The wheel looks pushed back about +/- 1 inch. I was thinking it may be a bent control arm, but im not to sure what to check first. I also know that the factory tie rods tend to bend over time but im not too sure if its bent or not...i just dont want to buy parts that i dont need and was hoping someone can point me in the right direction on narrowing the cause of this. The car was hit on the driver side by previous owner but there was no frame damaged and i just got my car back from the body shop with a new radiator support and headlight cage thingy....it was put on a frame machine and the frame is straight. my alignment is fine, all other wheels are centered except the pass front. Im almost sure something may be bent from when the car was hit, just dont know what to check first. Any help would be appreciated.
-Zeeshaun
07-26-09, 09:25 AM
#2
pictures tell a 1000 words
the cross member(part that mounts the lower control arms and cradles the motor to the chassis) may be bent a bit
bent tie rod wont do that and you will definitely notice the car driving erratically.
easiest thing would be to take it to a trusted shop, have them take the wheel off, and examine all the components.
since your car was at a shop why didnt they mention it or fix it. technically if it is something potentially hazardous and they dont notify you and it break, they can be held responsible for negligence.
one thing is if you refuse their service and then it breaks. then youre on your own.
since the car was already at a shop they should have examined the problem. it doesnt take a rocket scientist to do that.
good luck.
btw post a pic
the cross member(part that mounts the lower control arms and cradles the motor to the chassis) may be bent a bit
bent tie rod wont do that and you will definitely notice the car driving erratically.
easiest thing would be to take it to a trusted shop, have them take the wheel off, and examine all the components.
since your car was at a shop why didnt they mention it or fix it. technically if it is something potentially hazardous and they dont notify you and it break, they can be held responsible for negligence.
one thing is if you refuse their service and then it breaks. then youre on your own.
since the car was already at a shop they should have examined the problem. it doesnt take a rocket scientist to do that.
good luck.
btw post a pic
07-26-09, 02:44 PM
#3
Take pictures.
Have someone hold a tape measure for you. Compare both sides of the car to each other of the distance from the edge of the tire to the edge of the fender.
For a quick reference you can use finger spaces with your hand. Like this side I can fit 4 fingers in, this side is only 2. That's what we do when we write estimates on the fly.
Take the car back to the bodyshop. Speak to the bodyshop manager and explain the problem. Ask to put it up on a lift and examine it.
Call your insurance company's claim rep that helped you with all of this and explain the situation to him. Fax him pictures. Ask him to come out and take a look at your car.
I agree, tie rods won't cause this. It has everything to do with the mounting locations of the control arms on the subframe or a bent control arm. Your alignment can't be 'fine'. What are the specs?
I had a tech at my shop fudge numbers on frames by putting the lazer targets where he needed them by laying a hammer beside it and nudging the target to get a good reading, recording the data, and making a printout. Needless to say he's no longer with us.
Have someone hold a tape measure for you. Compare both sides of the car to each other of the distance from the edge of the tire to the edge of the fender.
For a quick reference you can use finger spaces with your hand. Like this side I can fit 4 fingers in, this side is only 2. That's what we do when we write estimates on the fly.
Take the car back to the bodyshop. Speak to the bodyshop manager and explain the problem. Ask to put it up on a lift and examine it.
Call your insurance company's claim rep that helped you with all of this and explain the situation to him. Fax him pictures. Ask him to come out and take a look at your car.
I agree, tie rods won't cause this. It has everything to do with the mounting locations of the control arms on the subframe or a bent control arm. Your alignment can't be 'fine'. What are the specs?
I had a tech at my shop fudge numbers on frames by putting the lazer targets where he needed them by laying a hammer beside it and nudging the target to get a good reading, recording the data, and making a printout. Needless to say he's no longer with us.
07-27-09, 02:34 AM
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well the reason the paint shop didnt check the wheel issue was one because i only had enough money for the paint and and rad support repair...i bought the vehicle that was wrecked before i owned it.
this was something i figured i could tackle myself and i just needed help figuring out where to start my own diagnostic, so ill check the lower control arm and the subframe.
i wheel appears to be pushed back, i can fit only 1 fingers on the side closest to the door (9 o'clock) and almost 3 fingers on the other side closest to the bumper (3 o'clock)...i do know my shock on this side is saggy but i dont know if it would mess with the wheels positioning. I will have pics up tuesday.
so according to you guys, its not the tie rods, it can either be the lower control arm or the subframe itself? is there anything else that could be causing this?
this was something i figured i could tackle myself and i just needed help figuring out where to start my own diagnostic, so ill check the lower control arm and the subframe.
i wheel appears to be pushed back, i can fit only 1 fingers on the side closest to the door (9 o'clock) and almost 3 fingers on the other side closest to the bumper (3 o'clock)...i do know my shock on this side is saggy but i dont know if it would mess with the wheels positioning. I will have pics up tuesday.
so according to you guys, its not the tie rods, it can either be the lower control arm or the subframe itself? is there anything else that could be causing this?
07-27-09, 06:57 AM
#5
mmm... not really. The upper control arm is aluminum and probably won't bend that much...I suspect it would break before it bent too much.
The lower arm is cast steel. It will bend and deform but not break unless it's a major hit.
On a mac strut car a bent strut could cause this issue. But on our cars with a double independent wishbone, a bent strut shouldn't cause this unless the lca bushings are in really bad shape.
The lower arm is cast steel. It will bend and deform but not break unless it's a major hit.
On a mac strut car a bent strut could cause this issue. But on our cars with a double independent wishbone, a bent strut shouldn't cause this unless the lca bushings are in really bad shape.
07-27-09, 04:06 PM
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mmm... not really. The upper control arm is aluminum and probably won't bend that much...I suspect it would break before it bent too much.
The lower arm is cast steel. It will bend and deform but not break unless it's a major hit.
On a mac strut car a bent strut could cause this issue. But on our cars with a double independent wishbone, a bent strut shouldn't cause this unless the lca bushings are in really bad shape.
The lower arm is cast steel. It will bend and deform but not break unless it's a major hit.
On a mac strut car a bent strut could cause this issue. But on our cars with a double independent wishbone, a bent strut shouldn't cause this unless the lca bushings are in really bad shape.
as far as my alignment goes...it is kinda weird...the steering wheel pulls to the left but the car itself pulls to the right...its not real bad, the car doesnt shake or anything and there is no uneven tire wear, i rotate/balance my tires every 5k.
I just finished my GTE swap, paint and body is getting done as we speak. now i wanted to focus on wheels/suspension. i already bought some tien comfort sport coilovers and wanted to get some 19 inch wheels of some sort, but im worried the wheels/tires will rub due to the centering of my pass front wheel, so i want to fix all the suspension components before i throw $3-4k on some wheels that dont fit properly.
I recently replaced my rack and pinion and the bushing (daizen rack bushings) and my plan now is to get the lca's with the same daizen bushing, ill prolly replace the tie rods with the JIC hard tie rods just as a safety measure...like i said, im just scared about the subframe being bent...i will try to post some pics of the gap of the wheel and ill take a pic of the components behind the wheel when i take it off. Hopefully ill have pics posted up tom evening when i run to the body shop to check on the progress of my car.
All the help is much appreciated.
-Zeeshaun
Last edited by jdmJZA70; 07-27-09 at 04:12 PM.
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