Alignment doesn’t fix car’s pull to the left

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 05/08/2005 (7511 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

QUESTION — My car hit a deep hole about a week ago. Since then, the car is pulling to the left and I have to keep turning the steering wheel to the right to drive straight. I went and had a wheel alignment and balanced the wheel twice, but the problem still exists. There is no vibration or rattling noise at 110 km/h or above it. I would be glad if you could give me some advice on how I should detect the problem and tell the mechanic. I did the wheel alignment twice. What is still going wrong? What should I tell the mechanic to check? The lip of my right rear alloy wheels is slightly dented. The mechanic told me that the alignment has been done, but why does my car still pull to the left when I try to let go of the steering wheel?

ANSWER — It sounds like you probably bent something on the chassis when you hit the hole. Because I don’t know what car you are driving, I don’t know what suspension system you have, but it may have a bent lower control arm or even a subframe. Look for differences in shape from side to side. Also look for places where surface rust on the suspension parts has flaked off. This is a sign of flexing or bending.

There could also be a part bent on the rear suspension. If you have leaf springs and a solid rear axle, the rear axle may have been shifted backward on one side. This would cause the vehicle to steer to one side. Like the front, look for differences from side to side and flaking rust.

A four-wheel alignment should be able to help locate where the problem is. Four-wheel aligners are capable of measuring the thrust line. This is the difference between the car’s centre line and the direction the car is steering. Ideally, these should be the same. If they are different angles, then something is shifted.

The aligner can also measure setback. This is the difference in wheel base from one side of the car to the other. The vehicle typically steers towards the side with the shortest wheelbase. For most vehicles, the wheelbase is the same from side to side, but there are a couple of exceptions. Alignment specifications should show the allowable setback.

Balance has nothing to do with a vehicle pulling to one side, so it doesn’t need another balance. It was a good idea to have it done once though, as it is an easy way to locate bent or damaged wheels.

Your alignment technician needs to know your vehicle has had an impact. This will help them locate the damage. If they have already been doing four-wheel alignments, then perhaps you need to find a more experienced wheel alignment technician.

QUESTION — We have a 2000 Buick Regal, purchased new, and the power windows are malfunctioning. The front passenger side works intermittently and the ones in the back seat do not work at all (except yesterday when one worked once!). The problem occurs when they are activated from the driver’s controls or at the windows themselves. They probably have not been used more than 10 times in total (no children)! The fuse is fine. Any idea what may be causing this?

ANSWER — The car likely has one or more broken power window wires. Every time a door is opened, the wires that run near the door hinge have to flex. The more often they flex, the sooner they break. The right front passenger window and the rear windows all receive power and ground connections from the master switch assembly in the driver’s door and because this door opens most, it is likely where the broken wires are.

If you open the wiring harness at the door hinge, the broken wires can be joined there, but this is only a temporary repair. The repair will cause the wires to flex over a shorter distance, so they will break soon again. The correct repair is to remove the door panel and the kick panel so new wires can be run through the hinge area. Use quality wire with a high number of strands. This will allow it to flex for a longer time period without breaking.

Jim Kerr is an experienced mechanic, instructor of automotive technology and freelance journalist. You can e-mail questions to Jim at the address below.

kerr.jim@sasktel.net