heh 96 problem car

[Mustang0524]

Any one have any clue if warped rotors or uneven brake pads in the back could cause the steering wheel to pull hard L/R when i hit the brake pedal? or is this mainly a warped front rotor thing?

Also whenever i get into 5th gear on the highway going about 60+ i get alot of vibration, the tires on the rear do not match the tires on the front altough they are all around 1 month old, could this be my vibration?

[motorjock205]

Dood, it could be any number of things that are causing your problem. I had the same problem with my car when I first bought it. I wound up replacing a couple of worn out ball joints, driveshaft that was bent, transmission mount that was broken, an axle on one side that was just barely bent, and all four rotors. If you replace the rotors, be sure to replace all the pads at the same time even if they look good, just to be on the safe side. It could be an alignment problem too. My car had been hit in the front and the left side was not fixed to factory specs, so I always had a slight pull to the left. I finally replaced the stock caster/camber plates when I got my new wheels and tires, and now the car drives straight as an arrow and doesn't pull or anything any more. You can spend a fortune doing one thing at a time to try to fix the problem or take it to a competent mechanic who can diagnose the problem and suggest the proper fix...your choice...

If your car is anything like mine, you have to expect to do some work on it to get it back into good shape...Mine had 114,000 miles on it when I bought it, and the kid that owned it before was extremely rough on it...Motor is still in good shape though, and body was straight and had a nice paint job on it...a little work will go a long way toward making yourself a nice ride...just be patient, take your time and do the job(s) right.

[Mustang0524]

well i hear what your sayin, mine has about 125 miles on it, guy b4 me parked it under a school bus, so i have no clue if it was fixed to specs, gonna try and replace the front rotors/pads today. Thing is, it just passed inspection so i would think they would catch something. Back bushings pro=lly need replacing as well, they squeak like hell . i just wanna get it in good selling shape so i can get a cobra

Thanks for the reply

[Mustang0524]

Ohhhh one other question, my car supposedly has a jasper replacement engine in it, is there any way to track this down thru jasper with a VIN # or something? So i can have that documentation when i go to sell the car?

[motorjock205]

If you are saying the back bushings are squeaking meaning the rear bushings in the lower A frames in front, I'd bet you need lower ball joints...I thought the bushings were the problem in mine too until I replaced the lower ball joints and now the bushings don't squeak any more...One quick question here...when you turn a corner, does the steering wheel come back to center without any effort or are you having to turn it back to center yourself? I was having to turn mine back to center after turning a corner and after replacing the lower ball joints and having the front end aligned again, it comes back to center without any effort on my part.

As far as the Jasper engine swap, I wouldn't have a clue how to determine that. I did find this information on Jasper Engines web site:

Product summary: Roller Tappets, Without Balance Shaft, Single Port Head
Block casting: F6ZE-CD F7ZE-AA
Block casting location: RIGHT SIDE OF BLOCK AT #3 CYL
Crank casting: F68E-BA
Crank casting location: BETWEEN #4 MAIN & #6 ROD JOURNALS
Head casting: F6ZE-B22E
Head casting location: Under Valve Cover at #4 Cylinder

looks like the block casting number will be on the right side of the block and run vertically along the block, so you might be able to compare the number above to yours to see if it is really a Jasper engine in there or not.

Hope this helps

[Mustang0524]

Ahhh what you described is exactly what the car does, i have to turn the steering wheel back with effort, i always thought that was a power steering issue, so its a lower ball joint issue eh? Yea was just putting my new ceramic brakes on today and took a look at the balljoints and they look pretty ugly, i'd imagine i could remove the control arms and take them to a shop to have them press new ones in?

[Mustang0524]

Err wait, just re-read what you said about the bushings, i mean the rear bushings from mabye the rear upper/lower control arms, cause it sounds like its comming from the back of the vehicle, or it could be my shocks.

[motorjock205]

If you are having to force the steering wheel back to center after making a turn, I'd replace the lower ball joints first. Your choice whether you remove the A arms yourself or not...they can replace the ball joints without removing the A arms if you just take it to a shop. Unless you have all the tools to press the ball joints out and press them back in, I wouldn't attempt it myself. You can always check the rear control arm bushings to make sure they are not worn, but I'm betting that the lower ball joints are a BIG part of your problem. Especially when it pulls hard to one side or the other during braking. The vibration at around 60 MPH would lead me to believe that the drive shaft is possibly bent or out of balance. Easiest way to check that is to put the car on a lift, have someone start it up and put it in gear and look at it from underneath the car to see if you can see obvious movement in the driveshaft or U-Joints...

[Mustang0524]

Ahh, well that explains it, thanks man.