FR caster issue. How to identify and fix.

[Diamond Star Werks]

So awhile ago after an alignment i was told the caster on my FR wheel was off. They said it was the reason my car pulled to the right.

Early this morning i went off the road when i lost control trying to miss something on the highway. I am not sure if this made the issue worse. But before my wheel was straight and now its turned alittle to the to go straight.

Checking it out I really noticed how off my caster is now. I am not sure if it was always this bad but I don't believe it was.
But with it turned all the way left the shock was at an angle like this >> /.

Then I noticed the bad caster problem. Pix are of the driver and passenger fronts. Driver is at 4.3* caster last I left alignment shop. And passenger was at 2.5* & possibly worse now.

What could be bent to cause this? Body and frame are straight far as i can tell. Will be taking the wheels off soon as this truck is done so i can pull my car up.

Driver

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Passenger

 

[Diamond Star Werks]

Not seeing anything wrong. Anyone?

 

[Diamond Star Werks]

From center to center right side wheels are barely an 1/8th" closer than the left side. No where near the amount of difference of tire to fender gap in the fronts

 

[yhype]

If the strut mounts are ok then you must have a bent control arm or worn out control arm bushings, is the only I can think of that would change your caster.

 

[Diamond Star Werks]

The lower lateral(straight ) ca is new. I looked at the bushings and they don't look like they could cause this.

Do these cracks in the seem sealer mean anything?

 

[steve]

CV boot is shot. Depending on how long it's been that way you may need a new outer CV joint or replacement axle.

 

[Diamond Star Werks]

Its been that way since i started driving it. I dropped the engine in around january i believe. All but about two months since its been dd'd. I'll just replace axle soon and fix these later.

Could that be the cause of my issue?

 

[AK Thunder]

Are you positive its caster and not camber? Worn out bushings in your control arms will allow the arms to shift backwards and forwards, and damaged strut mount bushings could cause the same effect.
Orrrr (but this is a big 'or') you may have a bent steering knuckle. You'd have to smash into something pretty hard to do that one.

 

[DSM_love_GST]

What is up with the how the knuckle is bolted up? That should not be a through bolt.

 

[PieEyedPiper]

Not seeing anything wrong. Anyone?

That second picture. Wtf.
I'm on my phone and on a geology field trip but it appears to be an aftermarket balljoint with an exploded boot.

Additionally, the locknut that is currently installed should be a castle nut, no? Maybe I just switched mine to castle nuts. Either way, that nut looks like it is about to fall off. That, or that balljoint stud is damn long.

 

[grothe3297venge]

Why isn't your shock seated all the way to the lip on the shock?

 

[PieEyedPiper]

^^^ This is coming together nicely. I wonder though, is it possible this was all intentual? It almost appears as though the PO did a little bit of "engineering" to get that setup all rigged up and "functional".


EDIT: When you said stock, I did not realize that you had swapped suspension around from a wrecked car to this one.

 

[Diamond Star Werks]

Are you positive its caster and not camber? Worn out bushings in your control arms will allow the arms to shift backwards and forwards, and damaged strut mount bushings could cause the same effect.
Orrrr (but this is a big 'or') you may have a bent steering knuckle. You'd have to smash into something pretty hard to do that one.

Only bushings that need to be replaced/are worn out are the roll stops and the RR top spindle bushing. The rest are in good shape. Till yesterday car had never been wrecked. And I didnt really wreck bad. Just went off road. Driver door hit a sign pole. I drove off.

 

[Diamond Star Werks]

What is up with the how the knuckle is bolted up? That should not be a through bolt.

By the knuckle do you mean the wishbone that the shock slides in? Or where my UCA bolts on?

 

[Diamond Star Werks]

That second picture. Wtf.
I'm on my phone and on a geology field trip but it appears to be an aftermarket balljoint with an exploded boot.

Additionally, the locknut that is currently installed should be a castle nut, no? Maybe I just switched mine to castle nuts. Either way, that nut looks like it is about to fall off. That, or that balljoint stud is damn long.

The bj boot is torn yes but it is still good. There is no damage/movement there. That nut is how its supposed to be. It is bolted tight. Been that way since installation. They are sliding ball joints.

I adjusted camber myself by sight front and rear and neither alignment shop told me the camber is off. Visually you would say there is little to no camber.

 

[Diamond Star Werks]

Why isn't your shock seated all the way to the lip on the shock?

What do you mean by this? Shocks are mounted how they are supposed to be. Driver side is identical.

 

[Diamond Star Werks]

^^^ This is coming together nicely. I wonder though, is it possible this was all intentual? It almost appears as though the PO did a little bit of "engineering" to get that setup all rigged up and "functional".

Besides a greddy trust filter and adapter and a bse, this car was completely stock when i bought it. Suspension was removed from my previous gst(rip my love). I've installed/setup everything on this car.

 

[greengoblin]

Thing that will affect caster are.

Your compression arms. Bent, bad or bad bushings. Or if you have the compression arm units that have the offset holes . If that the case you can press out the bushing and flip it to bring the caster back to equal on both sides.

Read about that here: http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/handling-tech/176057-resolved-2g-caster-changing.html

Or you could have problems with the upper arms. Same things. Bad bushings,bent arm or what would really suck is bent mounting points.

If your frame or crossmember is bent know one will really be able to tell you look at pics on the net. You would have to poke around and look for buckle cracks bends etc.

 

[ACM]

You also appear to be missing the outer clamp on the steering rack boot. This will not cause a caster imbalance but it will certainly cause an excessive lightening of the wallet in the very near future if not rectified.

2Gs have at least 1* difference in caster L to R, more or less depending on the year - the car may simply be this way naturally. Or bent.

 

[Diamond Star Werks]

Just got an alignment sheet.

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Anyone know where i can get one of these?

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[zack13277]

I see the Cross SAI is out by like 4.5 degrees, I would say something has to be bent. That angle is not adjustable unless something is bent. I would say look at lower control arms and see if there is anything bent.

 

[grothe3297venge]

What do you mean by this? Shocks are mounted how they are supposed to be. Driver side is identical.

If you look on your first and last picture, the shock has a lip about an inch above the seat for the shock. I know this is irrelevant to your question because I think people have already answered it (bent control arm/s). But I just wanted to see why it's not seated properly and how you think it's supposed to be like that when there's a lip there.

 

[psycho]

Specifically the compression (curved) arm, just as Kevin mentioned.

The shock (grey) is not fully seated inside the "fork" as someone else mentioned.

There's a lot a wrong in those pictures. Fix each issue one-by-one.

 

[Diamond Star Werks]

If you look on your first and last picture, the shock has a lip about an inch above the seat for the shock. I know this is irrelevant to your question because I think people have already answered it (bent control arm/s). But I just wanted to see why it's not seated properly and how you think it's supposed to be like that when there's a lip there.

After i rolled my other car this one shock alone was pushed to that point. At the time of swapping parts i didn't realize that. I bottomed out the strut everytime i hit a bump too hard. It only happened in that corner alone. So i looked at it and the other shocks and seen the difference. I had also noticed that particular side/corner always sat lower than the other.

I loosened the bolt pushed the shock up to where it is now(just like the driver side was) and i have yet to bottom out since and ive hit some rough bumps.

You mean this lip right?

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[grothe3297venge]

Yes that's the "lip" I am reffering to. Of course it won't bottom out now the car is more so evened out (or level) and not tilted to that one side. Now seat all the shocks correctly and I bet you won't bottom out (given the shock is still good after your off-reading trip).

Don't get me wrong if it works for you, great. I would be more so concerned if it ever gives way.. That shock will blow past that perch on the fork and well.. you think of the rest.