Steering Question

[ice745]

I have '94 Camry 4 Cyl.

My problem first started when I took my car to the shop to get the front struts replaced. When I got it home it was as if the alignment was off. The car would go to one side. The only thing is, it wasn't always the same side, it changed every few miles. I brought it back and it took them a week to figure out that it was the rack and pinion. They replaced that, and the problem was fixed. But now I have a new problem, or at least I think I do, I'm not sure if it's normal and I'm just being paranoid, or if it's a warning sign.

It seems to me that everytime I hit a slight bump the steering wheel alignment changes slightly. It's barely noticeable going straight, I just see that sometimes I have to keep the wheel centered, and sometimes I have to keep it slightly to the left. I really notice it when I hit slight bumps (cracks in the road) during a turn, the car will start to take the turn too wide or narrow after that, and I have to adjust the wheel and hold it there for the rest of the turn. And once the turn is finished, I will notice that the wheel is realigned in a position it wasn't before the turn. The alignment doesn't change drastically, very slight, but it's enough to notice and have to make corrections.

After some loser hit my car, the auto-body guy said my tie-rod ends "don't look right" but didn't give any more info. I took it back to my mech and he said "The tie-rod ends should be fine from when we did the rack and pinion, I don't see any problems." From what I look up, worn tie-rod ends can cause erratic steering, but I don't want to just replace them if I'm not sure.

The other thing I see is "Strut Mount Bushings"? I saw something that in Volvos these make creaking and popping noises when they wear, and can cause erratic steering. I don't know if this is universal to all cars. Creaking and popping noises is why I had them replace the struts in the first place (plus they were really loose, a 5 year old probably could've rocked my car with his hands, and the suspension bottomed out going into the driveway a few times, the mech told me the struts were fine tho... :-\) Is the Strut Mount Bushings part of the body or part of the strut?

Thanks

Edit:
Actually, it seems as if the new rack and pinion didn't fix the problem of the car veering, only that it masked it because of the new part being stronger. It seems to me like the current problem, and the problem before rack and pinion are very similar, if not the same. If this is the case, can anyone confirm this?

[ice745]

I can't find me a steering/suspension specialist around me. Should I just take it to Toyota dealer? I imagine they have a steering/suspension specialist that also specializes in Toyota, ya? I can get their diagnosis and if they want to overcharge I can take it somewhere else to get work done, ya?

[Brian R.]

Ya!