Alignment?

[gpdriver21]

Ok I was driving on a road that had snow and apparently there was some ice underneath it... :/ My car slid and the front right tire smashed into the curb and cracked the rim. I got a new rim for it and had it balanced and what not. The tire will scrape the fender wall when the car is turned all the way to the right. It never use to do this before. It also pulls heavily to the left now and in order to go strait you gotta turn the wheel to the right. Compared to the tire on the otherside, it seems like the side where it hit the curb the wheel sits back closer to the fender well near the door.

I am going to try and get a alignment done tommorrow. Do you guys thing this will fix my problem or did I mess up something royaly?? Nothing looks to be bent under there either.

Im just hoping an alignment will fix it, but with my luck it probably wont.

thanks guys!

[BNaylor]

Probably not. Sounds like the lower control arm was damaged.

[gpdriver21]

is this a DIY job or does it have to be taken to a shop?? I dont have a pair of spring compressors How much do you think it will cost for this job?

It's just odd tho because nothing looks bent...

[BNaylor]

Originally Posted by gpdriver21

is this a DIY job or does it have to be taken to a shop?? I dont have a pair of spring compressors How much do you think it will cost for this job?

It's just odd tho because nothing looks bent...

The only way to really tell is to perform your own inspection before attempting to get it aligned. It will require removing the wheel and running comparison checks against the good wheel. Check the strut for damage and check the leading edge of the lower control arm from where it mounts into the subframe to the ball joint. Also inspect the rack & pinion steering control hookup, ie. inner and outer tie rod ends.

I worked with another GP owner a while back that had a similar situation such as yours but do not want to be the bearer of bad news. If you'd like to reference the link let me know and I'll see if I can find it. Good luck!

[gpdriver21]

yeah if you could that would be great, its strange because nothing looks bent. My guess is its probably the strut. I am going to try the alignment first because it obviously needs that right now. Plus town fair tire will do another alignment if they find damage after you get it fixed.

thanks!

[BNaylor]

Originally Posted by gpdriver21

yeah if you could that would be great, its strange because nothing looks bent. My guess is its probably the strut. I am going to try the alignment first because it obviously needs that right now. Plus town fair tire will do another alignment if they find damage after you get it fixed.

thanks!

Here's that link. Be sure to read the whole message thread. This is a worse case scenario and hopefully you're OK. Go for the alignment. They should be able to tell you what is messed up from the curb impact. Good luck!


http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...ht=control+arm

[gpdriver21]

Thanks for the link, i will let you know how the alignment turns out, im hoping for the best right now iwth fingers crossed.......

If its the subframe, then i dont think it will be worth putting that much money into the car. Its a 95 pontiac grand prix with 107,000 miles on it 3.1 motor. I would hate to see the car go because the motor runs perfect.

[ericn1300]

sounds more like the tie rod to me. my wife did the same thing, only worse she hit the jersey barrier on one side of the freeway and bounced back sliding across 3 lanes and for good measure hit the barrier on the other side too. didn't bend them but drove both tie rods thru the adjusting sleeves on the outer shaft destroying the threads. get it fixed soon or you'll end up damaging your tire.

if you want to DIY here's the link on how to replace it. you can get the toe in close enough after replacement with a piece of string or a tape measure, but you will need to get it aligned right away.

http://www.autozone.com/servlet/UiBr...3d800edf04.jsp

Autozone lends you the special tools you'll need, if you buy the parts from them.

[gpdriver21]

Jeez, ouch, the tie rod doesnt look like to bad of a job. What kind of tools do you need for this job, i dont know much about the suspension and what not. thanks

[ericn1300]

Originally Posted by gpdriver21

Jeez, ouch, the tie rod doesnt look like to bad of a job. What kind of tools do you need for this job, i dont know much about the suspension and what not. thanks

the only special tool you'll need is listed in step 3 "Loosen the jam nut and remove the tie rod from the steering knuckle using a steering linkage removing tool J-35917 or equivalent." pretty straight forward stuff if you can turn a wrench.

if you can't spot the problem yourself, go and get an alignment. tell them what happened, but don't tell them what you discussed here, or any other details until after you get a diagnosis. and be prepared with a knowledge of part prices and labor. if their estimate seems high get a second opinion. again be prepared. if they show you a bunch of other problems they want to fix ask if this is an immediate saftey problem, if not then have them print you out a detailed estimate and post it here. good luck. i think this can be fixed for under $200 if you pay someone, less if you DIY.

[gpdriver21]

Well i took the car to town fair tire first thing this morning. They were able to align my car and said that there is no damage done. I asked if they checked the struts and they said they were good. The tire scrapeswhen it is turned to the right still. The person at townfair tire explained to me that they tried to adjust the camber. Now in order to move the wheel closer to towards the front of the car, they said i will need to enlongate the front camber adjustment. They said once i do this they will realign it again for free.

Now when i go to enlongate this hole, for the adjustment i should make it so the bolts will be closer to the front of the car right?? I hope that i can do this with a drill bit without removing the strut since i do not have spring compressors.

Does this sound about right to you guys on what i need to do? If so it doesnt seem that bad.

This is the instructions they gave me:
http://hydraservers.servegame.com:80...ums/camber.jpg

Here is the alignment report:
http://hydraservers.servegame.com:80...alighnment.jpg

[BNaylor]

Thats good news, you were very lucky. Here's the procedure to elongate the strut mounting holes for getting camber adjustment. You'll need a rat tail file. Also you could get a camber adjustment bolt kit which has an eccentric bolt to replace the stock one where adjustment will be easier. GM recommends the top strut hole but you may need to do both (bottom) too. The filing must be done with the lower part of the strut removed off the steering knuckle mount.

[gpdriver21]

Thanks man! The car is driveable as long as the wheel isnt turned all the way to the right you wont hear a noise! But i want it to be how it is suppose to be. The guy at townfair tire was talking about just enlongating the holes for the bolts underneath the hood in the engine compartment where there is a cover shown in that picture i linked.

Do i need to enlongate both or just the one you told me to at the strut assembly. Will i need to get some spring compressors for this job??

[BNaylor]

For your model GP checkout the following procedure camber adjustment:

http://www.autozone.com/servlet/UiBr...3d800edd64.jsp

Only if that isn't enough then you can consider the lower strut assembly hole modifcation. But I'd go with what the shop provided first and the easiest way to get the job done.

[gpdriver21]

Thanks alot man, it looks like its time for me to get out my drill!