Car Pulling or Drifting to the Left

Hi Folks! The car has recently been worked on. It's a 2002 Escort SE, with Automatic Transmission. The car pulls to the left, and has been doing this for a long time.
I am NOT a mechanic, but I jacked up the front left corner (drivers side) yesterday to check the front left wheel. I put the Auto Transmission in Neutral, and tried to turn the wheel. It turns, but it's quite TIGHT (I don't know exactly how to say it, but it DOESN'T turn easily.) It definitely is NOT "free- wheeling")! When I pulled on it, I don't think it went even ONE complete revolution by itself.
I had the local Ford Dealer install a new wheel bearing in that wheel, about 4,500 miles ago, at their suggestion. It's been "pulling to the left" for a long time, but I can't remember if the pulling started before or after the car got the new wheel bearing.
Anyay, is there any kind of an adjustment on a wheel bearing, or might anyone have any idea what is causing the problem? Also, should a wheel be so tight that it won't "free wheel" at least a couple of revolutions when it's up in the air and pulled on?
Thanks for any comments!
yahoo1

A characteristic of disc brakes is that there will be a small amount of friction between the rotor and the pads, anytime the wheel is off the ground. There is only a couple of thousandths of an inch spacing between the rotor and pads after you take your foot off the brakes. While they actually dont touch when the weight of the car is on the wheel, when you raise a wheel off the ground, a tiny change of angle results from the hub being 'unloaded' - and the pads slightly rub the rotor. If you can rotate the wheel by pushing it with one hand - thats perfectly normal.
Even if you pushed the pads back away from the rotor with a C-clamp, there would be noticeable resistance to the wheel spinning on any front wheel drive car, because some of the gears inside the transmission are being rotated as the axle rotates.

The 'pulling to the left' is the result of some misalignment, usually of the front suspension. This can happen if your car has hit a pothole hard enough, or has slid on an icy road and hit a curb, or even from one of the front suspension bushings being softened enough by oil-soaking that it has gone off center. Either the Camber (tilt of the wheel away from vertical) or the Caster (the rearward tilt of the steering axis) could be out of specification. The other alignment variable is 'Toe-in', which on our Escorts is essentially 'zero' - meaning the front wheels should be parallel when the car is moving forward. Camber, Caster, and Toe-In are all adjustable.
Your car may also pull to one side if the rear wheels are out of alignment or if you have a broken spring. I had a broken spring on the rear of my 92 Escort for a couple of years, & finally fixed it when I got tired of hearing a clunking noise on bumps. A broken spring will let the car tilt very slightly, which will result in both front wheels both having the wrong Camber.

Its also possible the change in Camber or Caster took place when the wheel bearing was replaced, as they have to disconnect the hub from the strut to install the new bearing. But since the mechanics at the dealership know about this, hopefully they would have gotten it back together properly.

A characteristic of disc brakes is that there will be a small amount of friction between the rotor and the pads, anytime the wheel is off the ground. There is only a couple of thousandths of an inch spacing between the rotor and pads after you take your foot off the brakes. While they actually dont touch when the weight of the car is on the wheel, when you raise a wheel off the ground, a tiny change of angle results from the hub being 'unloaded' - and the pads slightly rub the rotor. If you can rotate the wheel by pushing it with one hand - thats perfectly normal.
Even if you pushed the pads back away from the rotor with a C-clamp, there would be noticeable resistance to the wheel spinning on any front wheel drive car, because some of the gears inside the transmission are being rotated as the axle rotates.

The 'pulling to the left' is the result of some misalignment, usually of the front suspension. This can happen if your car has hit a pothole hard enough, or has slid on an icy road and hit a curb, or even from one of the front suspension bushings being softened enough by oil-soaking that it has gone off center. Either the Camber (tilt of the wheel away from vertical) or the Caster (the rearward tilt of the steering axis) could be out of specification. The other alignment variable is 'Toe-in', which on our Escorts is essentially 'zero' - meaning the front wheels should be parallel when the car is moving forward. Camber, Caster, and Toe-In are all adjustable.
Your car may also pull to one side if the rear wheels are out of alignment or if you have a broken spring. I had a broken spring on the rear of my 92 Escort for a couple of years, & finally fixed it when I got tired of hearing a clunking noise on bumps. A broken spring will let the car tilt very slightly, which will result in both front wheels both having the wrong Camber.

Its also possible the change in Camber or Caster took place when the wheel bearing was replaced, as they have to disconnect the hub from the strut to install the new bearing. But since the mechanics at the dealership know about this, hopefully they would have gotten it back together properly.

Denisond3! Thank you for your response! There's actually a LONG story connected with this car problem of mine! I was trying to keep it as short as possible, but maybe I cut it TOO short. This car has had a huge amount of problems since I bought it in Nov. of 2006. I've only put a little over 4500 miles on it since I bought it. The odometer shows about 62, 600 miles.
There were 2 (maybe 3) latest recent problems. The speedometer quit, and the car needed a new VSS (vehicle speed sensor). The old one was TERRIBLY corroded into place, and the transmission had to be removed from the car and taken to a machine shop to get the VSS out. Also, the one bolt head that holds it was broken off. So anyway, this entire project cost me nearly $700. I'm serious! So then there has been a clunking in the car, and ALSO the front right wheel was making a LOT of squeeking (or maybe I should call it grinding). So a mechanic replaced the front right wheel bearing, for about $150, and that seemed to fix the squeeking and also the clunking!

So, so far so good! But, I drove it for a while, to see if the "fix" was going to last. That's when I noticed that it's "pulling" to the left again, pretty strongly. Two other things that I forgot to mention---1. I've been driving the car for quite awhile with the front right tire being a little softer than the other three to try to offset the pulling to the left, and also 2. That I just got new front calipers on both sides for $319, because the front right wheel was getting warmer than the other 3. The mechanic said that the car needed them.

So anyway, all this has happened within about the past 4 months.

I guess Denisond, that you think that the pulling is probably caused by either the brakes, or an alignment.
Regarding an alignment, I already had one of those done (all 4 wheels), shortly after I bought this car. That alignment was probably done about 4000 miles ago. Everything passed OK, except for one thing---I think it was caster or camber on one front wheel. But the shop told me that it wouldn't cause any problems, and in order to fix it, I'd have to get another lower front control arm. I think that's what they said. Anyway, the rest of the front end seems "tight", according to a couple of mechanics!
Where would you suggest that I start to fix the "pulling" problem?
Thanks much!!!
yahoo1

If someone said you needed a lower control arm, I would ask them why ? It may be it showed signs of damage, or the rubber bushing was mushed and off center. That would affect camber AND caster, and could result in the pulling.
My advice would be to get that control arm replaced, either with a new one, or with a good used one. You need to be able to let go of the steering wheel and not have your car careen into oncoming traffic! Having to drive with one tire having low pressure doesnt sound good either. Are both front tires the same size, and on the same types of wheels?

If you had one rotor running warmer than the other, its likely you did need either new calipers, or doing a labor intensive repair to the old ones.
The front brake calipers are made to slide sideways (in-out) to remain centered over the rotor as the pads wear. Its fairly common for those sliding pins to rust up when the rubber bushings that keep the water out go bad.

If someone said you needed a lower control arm, I would ask them why ? It may be it showed signs of damage, or the rubber bushing was mushed and off center. That would affect camber AND caster, and could result in the pulling.
My advice would be to get that control arm replaced, either with a new one, or with a good used one. You need to be able to let go of the steering wheel and not have your car careen into oncoming traffic! Having to drive with one tire having low pressure doesnt sound good either. Are both front tires the same size, and on the same types of wheels?

If you had one rotor running warmer than the other, its likely you did need either new calipers, or doing a labor intensive repair to the old ones.
The front brake calipers are made to slide sideways (in-out) to remain centered over the rotor as the pads wear. Its fairly common for those sliding pins to rust up when the rubber bushings that keep the water out go bad.

Denisond, I've got the Alignment papers here in front of me. I guess the one is a "before alignment" paper, and the other is an "after alignment" paper. The before paper has 5 red marks, and 6 green marks. The after paper has 10 green marks, and one red mark. The one red mark (I guess red means bad), is for the FRONT, RIGHT CAMBER, and the number that they got for it is: -0.77 degrees. They told me that in order to correct this one bad reading, I'd need to get a new lower control arm. BUT, they said that it's not bad enough to need repairing. They further said that it's effect on tire wear is negligible.
So that's what I'm up to, Denisond. I've got over $3000 in maintenance and repairs into this car, in exactly 3 years and about 4,500 miles! And the damn thing still drifts over to the left, which I agree with you is VERY DANGEROUS (not to mention uncomfortable to drive). I've still got the feeling (although I'm not a mechanic), that the front LEFT wheel being pretty hard to rotate while up in the air, is somehow causing the pull (or drift) to the left.
This car is TRULY driving me NUTS!!!!!!

The problem of it pulling to the left could be as simple as a radial tire pull. Switch the front tires and see if it pulls in the opposite direction. If so, It is a radial tire pull usually because the belts are separated. Go for the simplist fix first.

The problem of it pulling to the left could be as simple as a radial tire pull. Switch the front tires and see if it pulls in the opposite direction. If so, It is a radial tire pull usually because the belts are separated. Go for the simplist fix first.

Thanks Dave!!!
yahoo1

Cars can be expensive. Sorry you are having such bad luck.

Its unfortunate we have to deal with alignment shops. They are expensive and, I'm afraid, usually are not very skilled. My experience has been they know just enough to be dangerous: but not enough to thoroughly understand what they are looking at.

I have studied the subject enough to take the mystery out of the subject and now do my own alignment work ... but that's not relevant here.

What I do suggest is you keep looking for an alignment shop that is proficient ... they do exist, just hard to find. The rear wheels of an Escort are part of the total alignment package ... and should be checked first to see if they are true to the chassis/body ... so if an alignment shop does not begin at the rear of the car, try to disengage with them and quietly move on.

Cars can be expensive. Sorry you are having such bad luck.

Its unfortunate we have to deal with alignment shops. They are expensive and, I'm afraid, usually are not very skilled. My experience has been they know just enough to be dangerous: but not enough to thoroughly understand what they are looking at.

I have studied the subject enough to take the mystery out of the subject and now do my own alignment work ... but that's not relevant here.

What I do suggest is you keep looking for an alignment shop that is proficient ... they do exist, just hard to find. The rear wheels of an Escort are part of the total alignment package ... and should be checked first to see if they are true to the chassis/body ... so if an alignment shop does not begin at the rear of the car, try to disengage with them and quietly move on.

Thanks much for your post, 12 ounce!!! Much appreciative!
yahoo1
PS, I've got a mechanic who's going to take this car to a place that he's familiar with on Wednesday, to get it aligned. Last Friday, he put the car up on the rack and showed me that the front wheel turns OK. He also said that what the car needs (besides a "GOOD" alignment), is a "Camber Kit". I think that's what he called it.
Thanks again!

When your car came off the assembly line, you can bet the alignment was perfect for the most part ... the caster and camber are "frozen" in the welded structure and the suspension components, all new in the beginning. The only thing that may have been "off" on that first day of car life was "toe-in". Toe-in is adjustable, on both the front and rear .... and may have left the assembly plant a little "off" but probably not.

As the car ages and is driven, there is only two things that will affect caster and camber...
(1) An accident .... that causes the welded body to be distorted. If the car has been in a major accident ... forget it!! Likely too much expense. Buy a different car!
(2) Looseness ... Rubber components become aged and lose their original dimensions, other looseness such as worn wheel beariings, tie-rod ends, etc. All of this can be corrected by part-replacement! No one needs to re-engineer the suspension. Remember it was once perfect! Caster and camber needs to be corrected (brought back to original) only by part replacement ... no changing the "tilt of the strut assembly" and all of that nonsense!

Now after caster/camber: that only leaves "toe-in", at both front and rear, .... if its "off", its likely off because someone mis-adjusted it ... or failed to adjust correctly after something such as a tie-rod was replaced.

When your car came off the assembly line, you can bet the alignment was perfect for the most part ... the caster and camber are "frozen" in the welded structure and the suspension components, all new in the beginning. The only thing that may have been "off" on that first day of car life was "toe-in". Toe-in is adjustable, on both the front and rear .... and may have left the assembly plant a little "off" but probably not.

As the car ages and is driven, there is only two things that will affect caster and camber...
(1) An accident .... that causes the welded body to be distorted. If the car has been in a major accident ... forget it!! Likely too much expense. Buy a different car!
(2) Looseness ... Rubber components become aged and lose their original dimensions, other looseness such as worn wheel beariings, tie-rod ends, etc. All of this can be corrected by part-replacement! No one needs to re-engineer the suspension. Remember it was once perfect! Caster and camber needs to be corrected (brought back to original) only by part replacement ... no changing the "tilt of the strut assembly" and all of that nonsense!

Now after caster/camber: that only leaves "toe-in", at both front and rear, .... if its "off", its likely off because someone mis-adjusted it ... or failed to adjust correctly after something such as a tie-rod was replaced.

Thank you AGAIN very much for your post(s), 12 ounce!!! You know, I suspect that this car has very likely been in either a flood, or maybe an accident, or maybe both, because of all the problems it's had! But I've got so much money into it now (a lot of money for my wallet), that I hate to quit on it. I'd love to see a carfax on it, but after all the money I've spent on it I just don't want to spend another $20, or whatever it costs!
Thanks again for your help!
yahoo1

The sort of accident I'm referring to would be obvious ... you would see rework evidence around the engine box, radiator supports, and/or wheel wells. Repair welds, mis-matched paint, etc, etc.

When your car came off the assembly line, you can bet the alignment was perfect for the most part ... the caster and camber are "frozen" in the welded structure and the suspension components, all new in the beginning. The only thing that may have been "off" on that first day of car life was "toe-in". Toe-in is adjustable, on both the front and rear .... and may have left the assembly plant a little "off" but probably not.

As the car ages and is driven, there is only two things that will affect caster and camber...
(1) An accident .... that causes the welded body to be distorted. If the car has been in a major accident ... forget it!! Likely too much expense. Buy a different car!
(2) Looseness ... Rubber components become aged and lose their original dimensions, other looseness such as worn wheel beariings, tie-rod ends, etc. All of this can be corrected by part-replacement! No one needs to re-engineer the suspension. Remember it was once perfect! Caster and camber needs to be corrected (brought back to original) only by part replacement ... no changing the "tilt of the strut assembly" and all of that nonsense!

Now after caster/camber: that only leaves "toe-in", at both front and rear, .... if its "off", its likely off because someone mis-adjusted it ... or failed to adjust correctly after something such as a tie-rod was replaced.

12 ounce! You say that there are only 2 things that will affect caster and camber---an accident (a serious one I guess), and looseness. So, a simple question: Can't pot holes knock a car out of alignment if they're bad enough ones? I've always heard that and believed it. I'm NOT trying to be argumentative, I'm just trying to learn something.
Thanks again for all your help!!!
yahoo1

If the Pot Hole is large enough to distort the welded uniframe in a permanent way ... it is indeed the Mother of All Pot Holes. Otherwise, the car drives on ... aligned just as well as before hitting the hole. I can't imagine any alignment adjustments that a pot hole would change.

However a pot hole can certainly caused some failing component to give up its last gasp of life. Could be motor/tranny supports, control rod bushings, anti-sway bar bushings/links, steering rack bushings, etc, etc, ... a long list: some items can be inspected ... many should be replaced based on mileage/usage. I'm not familiar with your year model ... or I would make a suggested 'hit list'.

Usually the parts are not that expensive, but the labor can be.

If the Pot Hole is large enough to distort the welded uniframe in a permanent way ... it is indeed the Mother of All Pot Holes. Otherwise, the car drives on ... aligned just as well as before hitting the hole. I can't imagine any alignment adjustments that a pot hole would change.

However a pot hole can certainly caused some failing component to give up its last gasp of life. Could be motor/tranny supports, control rod bushings, anti-sway bar bushings/links, steering rack bushings, etc, etc, ... a long list: some items can be inspected ... many should be replaced based on mileage/usage. I'm not familiar with your year model ... or I would make a suggested 'hit list'.

Usually the parts are not that expensive, but the labor can be.

12 Ounce, Thank you one more time for giving us your expert knowledge! It is most appreciated!
yahoo1

To make sure I don't mislead anyone: My comments about alignment adjustments not being affected by pot-holes are for fairly recent models ... such as your 2002. If we are talking about some much earlier models ... say the Escorts of the early '80's ... there is a weakness in the alignment set-up. In particular, the rear control arms were secured to the body by a bolt that ran through a slot in the body structure. To make rear toe-in adjustments ... the attaching bolt was loosened and control arm moved, then the bolt retightened. Not a very secure situation.

I don't know exactly when Ford got away from this setup on all passenger cars, but I think it was around 1986, or so. All adjustments on Ford products now are screw-type, with lock-nuts ... similar to tie-rod ends ... very difficult to upset with a pot-hole. (However, I believe Ford pick-up trucks still use a "slip" type adjustment on rear axles. ??)

There are "pot holes" and then there are frigg'n "craters"...

I've hit plenty of the later in my '94/'95 but have never caused an alignment issue or loss of a hub-cap. However, I've seen plenty of caps on the sides of the roads for other makes & models. Very sound design with good quality suspension parts. Rust up in the rear strut wells can be a problem however.

TIP: When approaching a crater, (or pot hole or speed bump or construction plate or road debris) absolutely do not brake while rolling over it. Brake BEFORE and after hitting it, but NOT during the impact. This avoids multiplying the amount of shock that has to be absorbed by the vehicle.

As mentioned, there are several things that can cause a pull or drift. Camber and caster are not adjustable on your vehicle, only toe, and toe will not cause a pull or drift. A common problem that will cause a drift or pull is excessive "cross camber" and/or "cross caster". Both refer to the difference in each from side to side on the vehicle. It's possible, and quite common, for a vehicle to be aligned within factory specs and still drift or pull to one side or the other, this is where the "cross" comes into play. Your camber setting on the right side measured -.77 degrees. This means the top of the tire is leaning inboard .77 degrees. (The + or -tells which way it's leaning away from perfect vertical.) The reason it is red on your printout is because it is out of specification. **side note: incorrect camber and toe will cause excessive tire wear. incorrect caster will not.** A vehicle will pull or drift in the direction that has the most positive camber or the most negative caster. If you look at your camber on the left side, (on the printout) more than likely it is more positive, that's why it's green, it's within spec. There should also be a spot on the printout that tells what cross camber is and what cross caster is. If you post each angle here, I can explain why the vehicle is drifting/pulling. And yes, "reading" the alignment settings can diagnose a bad tire, as mentioned above, but I need all of the settings on your printout to do it.

As mentioned, there are several things that can cause a pull or drift. Camber and caster are not adjustable on your vehicle, only toe, and toe will not cause a pull or drift. A common problem that will cause a drift or pull is excessive "cross camber" and/or "cross caster". Both refer to the difference in each from side to side on the vehicle. It's possible, and quite common, for a vehicle to be aligned within factory specs and still drift or pull to one side or the other, this is where the "cross" comes into play. Your camber setting on the right side measured -.77 degrees. This means the top of the tire is leaning inboard .77 degrees. (The + or -tells which way it's leaning away from perfect vertical.) The reason it is red on your printout is because it is out of specification. **side note: incorrect camber and toe will cause excessive tire wear. incorrect caster will not.** A vehicle will pull or drift in the direction that has the most positive camber or the most negative caster. If you look at your camber on the left side, (on the printout) more than likely it is more positive, that's why it's green, it's within spec. There should also be a spot on the printout that tells what cross camber is and what cross caster is. If you post each angle here, I can explain why the vehicle is drifting/pulling. And yes, "reading" the alignment settings can diagnose a bad tire, as mentioned above, but I need all of the settings on your printout to do it.

Hi Old Master! OK! Here's the numbers on my printout---
All readings are in GREEN, except for front right camber in RED

Front
front left camber: -0.27 degrees
front right camber: -0.77 degrees (in red)
front cross camber: 0.50 degrees
front caster: nothing for left or right
front cross caster: nothing
front left toe: 0.11 degrees
front right toe: 0.11 degrees
front total toe: 0.22 degrees

Rear
rear left camber: -0.54 degrees
rear right camber: -0.87 degrees
rear cross camber: 0.33 degrees
rear left toe: 0.13 degrees
rear right toe: -0.05 degrees
rear total toe: 0.09 degrees
thrust angle: 0.09 degrees

"This vehicle may be adjusted with WinToe" (whatever that means)
Thanks MUCH!!!
yahoo1

Special parts (like eccentric bolts) and/or modifications (like slotting) are sometimes used to correct camber and caster.

With accident damage, worn suspension or corroded frame welds, the alignment may yet change again.

I doubt if the Escort has used the eccentric bolt concept ... but I may be wrong. The MacPherson suspension (which I believe all Escorts use) has such a large geometric "footprint" ... i.e., the points that attach to the body are so far apart ... small adjustments offered by eccentric bolts just are not needed.

Before "correcting" caster/camber in a MacPherson setup ... its best to first correct all looseness and worn/broken parts.

Hi Old Master! OK! Here's the numbers on my printout---
All readings are in GREEN, except for front right camber in RED

Front
front left camber: -0.27 degrees
front right camber: -0.77 degrees (in red)
front cross camber: 0.50 degrees
front caster: nothing for left or right
front cross caster: nothing
front left toe: 0.11 degrees
front right toe: 0.11 degrees
front total toe: 0.22 degrees

Rear
rear left camber: -0.54 degrees
rear right camber: -0.87 degrees
rear cross camber: 0.33 degrees
rear left toe: 0.13 degrees
rear right toe: -0.05 degrees
rear total toe: 0.09 degrees
thrust angle: 0.09 degrees

"This vehicle may be adjusted with WinToe" (whatever that means)
Thanks MUCH!!!
yahoo1

Each car model is designed differently when it comes to adjusting camber, caster, and toe. Some cars are fully adjustable, others allow for camber adjustments only and some only allow for caster adjustments. On some vehicles neither camber or caster are adjustable. All vehicles have provisions for adjusting toe. On vehicles with struts, camber and caster are adjusted by changing the angle of the strut. On your Escort, the upper strut mounts bolt to the strut towers and are not adjustable. The lower end of the strut fits into the steering knuckle and is held in place with a pinch bolt and is not adjustable either. Toe is adjusted by lengthening or shortening the tie rods.

Your alignment was checked on a Hunter alignment computer. "Win Toe" is a program in the computer that "walks" or "prompts" the technician through the checking and adjustment procedure. Only one problem... the technician didn't check caster.. either too lazy, in a hurry, or doesn't know how to do it, lazy is my bet.

As I mentioned in the earlier post, cross camber and cross caster are important information to the technician for determining if a vehicle will drift or pull. Your cross camber is +.5 degrees. In lay terms, the tops of both tires are leaning to the driver side of the car. Think about riding a bike: When you lean to the left, the tires lean left, and you go to the left.... simple concept, the same holds true with a vehicle. Your +.5 degree cross camber will cause your vehicle to drift to the left. Without a caster measurement, we have no idea what affect caster is adding to the equation. If all other factors and parts are ok, cross caster would have to be -.25 degrees for the vehicle to track correctly.

Rear camber will not cause a pull due to the fact there is very little weight in the rear. Rear toe on the other hand CAN cause a pull or drift. Your thrust angle, (the direction the rear tires are headed,) is +.09 degrees which means the rear of the vehicle will tend to steer the front of the vehicle to the left. However, .09 degrees is so slight that it wouldn't be noticed. When thrust angle approaches .5 degrees, it must be taken into consideration when aligning the front wheels to compensate for it.

As for the front toe... Positive toe means the leading edge of the tires are closer together than the rears. Negative toe means the trailing edge of the tires are closer together. With a rear wheel drive vehicle, toe is usually set positive... when the drive axle pushes the vehicle and reaches approximately 35mph, the toe will decrease and end up close to zero, (tires straight ahead). On front wheel drive vehicles, toe is usually set negative. When the drive axle pulls the car, toe will increase to near zero. They have yours both set at +.11 degrees, (+.22 degrees total) which is technically within specs however, you may notice cupping on the outside edges of the front tires as get more miles on it. The reason is the toe will increase with vehicle speed and toe them in even further.

Bottom line, you paid for half of the job, and as a result, a complete and accurate diagnosis can not be made as to why it pulls left. Two of the three adjustments, cross camber and thrust angle, will cause a pull to the left. The right front tire is leaning in too far at the top, that's why camber is in the red. It's not adjustable, so the cause will need to be located and repaired. Find a new alignment shop ;) Hope this helps.

Each car model is designed differently when it comes to adjusting camber, caster, and toe. Some cars are fully adjustable, others allow for camber adjustments only and some only allow for caster adjustments. On some vehicles neither camber or caster are adjustable. All vehicles have provisions for adjusting toe. On vehicles with struts, camber and caster are adjusted by changing the angle of the strut. On your Escort, the upper strut mounts bolt to the strut towers and are not adjustable. The lower end of the strut fits into the steering knuckle and is held in place with a pinch bolt and is not adjustable either. Toe is adjusted by lengthening or shortening the tie rods.

Your alignment was checked on a Hunter alignment computer. "Win Toe" is a program in the computer that "walks" or "prompts" the technician through the checking and adjustment procedure. Only one problem... the technician didn't check caster.. either too lazy, in a hurry, or doesn't know how to do it, lazy is my bet.

As I mentioned in the earlier post, cross camber and cross caster are important information to the technician for determining if a vehicle will drift or pull. Your cross camber is +.5 degrees. In lay terms, the tops of both tires are leaning to the driver side of the car. Think about riding a bike: When you lean to the left, the tires lean left, and you go to the left.... simple concept, the same holds true with a vehicle. Your +.5 degree cross camber will cause your vehicle to drift to the left. Without a caster measurement, we have no idea what affect caster is adding to the equation. If all other factors and parts are ok, cross caster would have to be -.25 degrees for the vehicle to track correctly.

Rear camber will not cause a pull due to the fact there is very little weight in the rear. Rear toe on the other hand CAN cause a pull or drift. Your thrust angle, (the direction the rear tires are headed,) is +.09 degrees which means the rear of the vehicle will tend to steer the front of the vehicle to the left. However, .09 degrees is so slight that it wouldn't be noticed. When thrust angle approaches .5 degrees, it must be taken into consideration when aligning the front wheels to compensate for it.

As for the front toe... Positive toe means the leading edge of the tires are closer together than the rears. Negative toe means the trailing edge of the tires are closer together. With a rear wheel drive vehicle, toe is usually set positive... when the drive axle pushes the vehicle and reaches approximately 35mph, the toe will decrease and end up close to zero, (tires straight ahead). On front wheel drive vehicles, toe is usually set negative. When the drive axle pulls the car, toe will increase to near zero. They have yours both set at +.11 degrees, (+.22 degrees total) which is technically within specs however, you may notice cupping on the outside edges of the front tires as get more miles on it. The reason is the toe will increase with vehicle speed and toe them in even further.

Bottom line, you paid for half of the job, and as a result, a complete and accurate diagnosis can not be made as to why it pulls left. Two of the three adjustments, cross camber and thrust angle, will cause a pull to the left. The right front tire is leaning in too far at the top, that's why camber is in the red. It's not adjustable, so the cause will need to be located and repaired. Find a new alignment shop ;) Hope this helps.

Old Master! I find yours to be a phenomenal report! Thank you so much!!!
Last night when I provided the numbers on my alignment printout, I forgot to provide what could be ONE more critical fact. That is that the Service Rep told me when he gave me the report, that they COULD ONLY correct the -0.77 degree front right camber thing, IF I got a new "Lower Control Arm". At least I think that's what he told me, cause I didn't write it down till I got home. I was overwhelmed when they gave me these 3 printouts, because I had never seen one of them before and I didn't know what to make of them.

Here's the numbers for the vehicle specifications:
FRONT SPEC. TOL.
front left camber 0.20 degrees 0.75 degrees
front right camber 0.20 degrees 0.75 degrees
front cross camber blank just the degree sign
front left caster 1.25 degrees 0.75 degrees
front right caster 1.25 degrees 0.75 degrees
front cross caster blank just the degree sign
front total toe 0.20 degrees 0.30 degrees

REAR SPEC. TOL.
rear camber -0.50 degrees 1.00 degrees
rear cross camber blank just the degree sign
rear total toe 0.20 degrees 0.30 degrees
rear thrust angle blank 0.40 degrees

Maybe I should have provided this info. in my previous posting! If so, I apologize for not doing so!
Thank you again SO MUCH!!!
yahoo1

Several things can cause camber and/or caster to be out of spec on a non-adjustable front suspension. The most common causes are bent control arms and worn control arm bushings. The fact that they didn't even check caster would prompt me to look for another shop and get a second opinion.

There are angles other than camber, caster, toe and thrust involved with an alignment, such as steering axis inclination, set back and included angle. Most alignment technicians don't pay attention to them because they don't understand what they are and how they relate to handling characteristics and tire wear issues. Provided the alignment computer is capable of measuring those angles, (most computers are) and set up to display them, a well trained technician can determine exactly where to look for a problem. Finding a well trained technician is almost impossible unless you understand wheel alignment angles and suspensions, and can spot a bull shit artist when you see one!

Alignment specs have a "tolerance" that the angles must fall within for the vehicle to handle correctly, in most cases. Ideally they should be at the center of the spec, (add the ranges together and divide by two). With non-adjustable suspensions such as yours, "what you see is what you get". On vehicles with fully adjustable suspensions, it takes time to get them "perfect". Time is money and most alignment technicians will get 'em "in spec" (if they can) and send 'em down the road.

Well "Old Master", the effort that you and the others have put into this thread I find really, really hard to believe!!! Wow!! There are so many people in life that just don't give a damn! What can I say to you guys to adequately express my appreciation??? I don't know.
Again, THANK YOU ONE AND ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
God bless you all!
yahoo1

The problem of it pulling to the left could be as simple as a radial tire pull. Switch the front tires and see if it pulls in the opposite direction. If so, It is a radial tire pull usually because the belts are separated. Go for the simplist fix first.

Davescort97, You might be pleased to hear the following re: the "pulling or drifting to the left". I had a mechanic install a "camber kit" (whatever that is), and also align the car again. Then, when the car still seemed to drift to the left, I had him SWITCH the front tires (wheels), at his suggestion, and the car seems to steer and drive beautifully now. I think that the tires were the main cause of the problem! Thank you much for your suggestion of switching the tires, (as well as thanks to everyone else who tried to be helpful!!!!)
sincerely,
yahoo1

It is good you came back and let us know what was wrong. Thank you for thanking us. Most of the time people on the forum don't thank us as much as they should.

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