04 SXT Pulling to Right

Red04SxtLuvr · Post by **Red04SxtLuvr** » Fri Jul 03, 2009 6:01 pm

I need some help guys. I've got an 04 SXT with 93000 miles on it. It is pulling to the right - passenger side. I thought it might need an alignment, so I took it in and got that done. The shop said the alignment was within specs, but they did do a slight adjustment. Well it is not as bad, but it is still pulling to the right. I'm not a mrchanic, so I am not sure where to even start looking for potentially bad/worn out parts. Or maybe it is the tires? They were balanced and rotated about 3000 miles ago. But it was pulling before and after the tire balance/rotation. The tread is getting kinda low on the tires, so I'll be replacing them in a few months probably. All the suspension is stock. Any suggestions in finding/resolving this problem is greatly appreciated guys.

sxmania · Post by **sxmania** » Fri Jul 03, 2009 8:00 pm

Silly question but you dont have a low or deflating tire on that side do you?
My neon pulled a bit when the front brake on that side was hanging up as well.

randomZERO · Post by **randomZERO** » Fri Jul 03, 2009 8:07 pm

Check your tierod ends.

OB · Post by OB » Fri Jul 03, 2009 8:21 pm

As stated above, a low tire could definitely cause a pull. Check for a brake drag also, since alignment is out of the question. I'd almost rule out worn parts, because any decent alignment tech would have done a thorough inspection before setting the car up on the rack. I do alignments for a living, and a prealignment inspection is mandatory for warranty purposes.

randomZERO · Post by **randomZERO** » Fri Jul 03, 2009 8:45 pm

At 93000 miles it could be bushings or tierods? Tire pressure too but with your theory about the tierods they would check tire pressure too. It could also be a bearing getting ready to go. I would check it all because they are vital parts.

OB · Post by OB » Fri Jul 03, 2009 8:51 pm

randomZERO wrote:At 93000 miles it could be bushings or tierods? Tire pressure too but with your theory about the tierods they would check tire pressure too. It could also be a bearing getting ready to go. I would check it all because they are vital parts.

Bushings and tierods are the two most critical parts of the alignment, and were surely (I hope) part of said inspection.

Red04SxtLuvr · Post by **Red04SxtLuvr** » Sat Jul 04, 2009 11:40 am

I'll look further into these parts. As for the tire being low or deflating, thanks for asking but I checked that first. And it's not a silly question. Sometimes the most obvious answer is the one we overlook. I'll have to check into the front brake too. Thanks for the advice guys. But while I'm thinking about it, would tire(s) being out of balance cause such a pull in the steering?

TheRandom1 · Post by **TheRandom1** » Sat Jul 04, 2009 12:42 pm

Dumb question and sorry to keep bringing the tires up, but did you check the pressure on the other side of the car too? if one side is over inflated and the other side is properly inflated, I believe it can also cause this issue.

hansken_yo · Post by **hansken_yo** » Sat Jul 04, 2009 1:11 pm

How much pulling are we talking about here? If it is just a slight pulling then your car is drifting off to the right because of the crowning built into roads (assuming that everything is within specs and mechanically sound).

Red04SxtLuvr · Post by **Red04SxtLuvr** » Sun Jul 05, 2009 10:56 pm

not just pulling b/c of road crowning. have to keep my hands on the wheel or it will pull off to the right pretty quickly, not just a slight drift to the right, more like I'm actually turning the steering wheel to the right.

sullygully · Post by **sullygully** » Sun Jul 05, 2009 11:11 pm

Drive on the left side of the road, problem solved

OB · Post by OB » Tue Jul 07, 2009 8:13 pm

Balance will not affect pulling. I'd say it's either a poorly done alignment, a bad suspension component, or brake drag. Might want to jack it up and check wheel bearings too, since a lot of alignment techs forget.

randomZERO · Post by **randomZERO** » Tue Jul 07, 2009 8:29 pm

Like I said that sounds like a bad bearing or tierod. Maybe brakes.

SOKADAO954 · Post by **SOKADAO954** » Tue Jul 07, 2009 8:34 pm

sullygully wrote:Drive on the left side of the road, problem solved

latief · Post by **latief** » Wed Jul 08, 2009 11:00 am

consider this,

Does the car pull/drift when you are hitting the gas? go to the flattest smoothest road you can find and take your hands off the steering and foot off the gas (safely of course), see if the car drifts/ pulls then - basically trying to eliminate any issues with the drive train such as a misaligned engine (bad mounts)...etc

does the car drive straight if you let go of the steering wheel while driving? if your steering wheel is slightly off, it does not mean that the alignment is off, but that the tech did not center the steering wheel correctly while doing the alignment .........

Has the car been in an accident?

does the car have wider tires? wider tires follow the road cracks/ changes easier than thinner tires which will be less influenced ....

what i would do is go back to the shop....it is there responsibility to find the issue for you since they should advice against the alignment if there was something visibly wrong ......

i am no expert in alignment, but i had to go back three times to the shop last month because the could not get it right.......they finally did......

OB · Post by OB » Wed Jul 08, 2009 7:54 pm

^All good advice.

Donkeypuncher · Post by **Donkeypuncher** » Thu Jul 09, 2009 12:57 am

Rear brake drag can also cause it as well. With those miles I would guess tie rods, inner or outer could cause that. I would think an alignment shop would catch that though.

2GN.ORG

04 SXT Pulling to Right

04 SXT Pulling to Right

Bushings and Bearings and TieRod Ends, Oh Crap