I have replaced everything in the front of my 84 Z and can't find what my problem is. My strut mounts are all the way in toward the engine after an alignment and it has noticeable bump steer. It was wearing tires really bad on the inside so I replaced every bearing, bushing, strut, mount, and link in the front. Had it aligned again. The strut mount moved in more toward the engine and still has the sloppy steering, and wander without pulling the wheel when there is an uneven spot of pavement. What in the heck do I have to do to fix this??

 

i would suggest you find another alignment shop . good luck .

 

Is there nothing that could be out of whack that would cause it to need the camber adjustment that far in?? All of the others I've seen are about in the middle of the adjustment, and mine is all the way in toward the engine to keep from wearing the tires. Is it really just poor alignment? I've taken it several different places and it's alway the same. They say nothing looks worn or loose, but why am I out of camber adjustment, and why does it still wander. Do alignment places check the caster? Is that why it wanders??

 

have it checked on a frame machine sounds like its off

 

also you can have your struts ground to give you more adjustment, this may be totally different but that's what we had to have done to our grand prix to let it adjust properly, it had similar symptoms to what you have and it's like new now.

(yes this is a front wheel drive car, but it's the only case i know of that was similar)

 

possibly your toe out of wack? just an idea. you could be looking in the wrong place.

 

a wandering issue is caused by insufficient caster. camber wont effect how your car tracks- its more for tire wear. bumps steer is due to incorrect toe. you can check it your self with a tape measure across your front tires. another common issue is sloppiness within your steering gear(steeringbox) check that. but i would also suggest a better alignment shop or the dealer. at least at the dealer you know that you will get a better chance at a technician knowing what they are talking about. it does seem that you frame might be out -a- whack. but a good alignment tech will be able to tell you that.

 

IMHO if the tires are wearing badly on the inside, this would mean the top of the tire is sitting to far in. This is reinforced by you sayint the strut towers are all the way in. I would strongly consider getting a second opinion.

 

Just a thought (because I was just surprised by this) Is your torque arm binding? I have a horrible time getting my current 91 Z28 to go staight because the previos owner bolted the torque arm directly to the tranny. Caused a wicked bad wander and bump steer.

 

I'm not sure. I had the stock torque arm bushing, but it was pretty ragged out. Pretty broken up, and it did it. When I replaced all the suspension parts I bought one from Energy Suspension, and still the same thing. I think the morons at the local alignment places are clueless about the Caster adjustments on my car. They all use those free floating things I've seen used, and I can't figure out how that would have any insight on caster. I'm taking it to the local Pontiac dealer as soon as I have the funds. I have a friend there that owes me a favor. I'm sure it still won't be cheap. Dealer service is expensive in my area.

 

Did you replace the Steering Coupling Disc (rag joint)? The slop could also be in the steering box itself. Post up your alignment specs.

 

I do have a new rag joint, and a new steering gear.

 

Did you figure this out?

 

I haven't figured it out yet. I had it on a rack to put a new starter on and I looked at everything. Nothing was bent that I could see. I did have a bent control arm, but when I was replacing bushings in the front I bought new control arms and the shop that put them on didn't mention anything bent. The bolts were straight on that side too, but I replaced them anyway. I would just give up and buy another body, but I have too much invested in bushings and labor to just scrap it now. I've pretty much rebuilt the entire car short of new sub frames and K member. I'm not quite sure where to go now. I think I just have idiots at the local alignment shops. The caster adjustment is all the way forward and the camber is all the way in toward the engine, and it handle terrible. I wish I had my own alignment equipment so I could check everything myself.

 

How far are you from Sevier County you could use Goforth Tire or Five Oaks Tire here in Sevier County if your not to far away they both do great jobs and I have used both .

 

Unfortunately I'm an hour west of Nashville. I've had it aligned in Dickson, but I don't like to drive it to Nashville. It's a little ill mannered, and it doesn't handle worth a flip. If I can get a day off to get another alignment I will aggrivate them until they do it right. If I just drop it off, and pick it up it's always the same. There are several shops that get suggested by mechanics, but they never get it to handle. I have a Grand Prix, a Jeep Cherokee, and an Escort, and they all handle better than my Z28 Something is bad wrong, but everyone says they can't see anything wrong.

 

You could do it yourself if you had the tool J-29724 which is just a turnbuckle . You may be able to make one by going to the hardware store and getting a turnbuckle with a hook on one end and a hoop on the other that will fit between your uppermount and fender . Take your dust cap off your upper mount and hook the hook in the mount and hook the loop under a fender bolt and adjust the mount towards the fenderafter loosening the bolts enough to do so and if you also need to adjust your caster you can tap the mount forward or rearward with a rubber mallet . If you only need to adjust your camber then just pull the mount towards the fender and tighten the bolts back to 20 ft. lbs. remove tool and replace the dust cap then take it for a drive and see if any further adjustment is needed . I hope you can get it right .

 

Post your specs. You should have gotten a print out that has before and after specs.

 

I wish we had your shop here. I have never recieved that info from any of the alignment shops here, but I think it's a great idea. At least I would know they did something for the money I spent.

 

If you do get a print out the caster range is 3 degrees positive to 4 degrees positive on your z-28 preferedsetting on all third gens is 3 degrees positive . Your camber range is 1/2 degree positive to 1 1/2 degree positive and prefered is 1 degree positive and toe in on your z-28 should be .15 degrees + or - .05 degrees. If none of these are within range you will have bad driveability problems .

 

I do not recommend taking this to the dealer. I thought the same thing that the dealership would be the best place to go for my Jeep. I slid into a curb last winter and did about $3,000 worth of damage. The damage was all mechanical. The Jeep dealership fixed several parts but could not figure out why the vehicle would not go straight. Long story short I took it back to the dealership no less than 10 times because their technicians couldn't figure it out. My insurance finally let me take it somewhere else and they found the problem immediately. They said that my steering wrack was all mangled inside. They said the only way this could happen would be from an impact like a crash which is what happened. If your vehicle has ever been wrecked this may be the problem. Find yourself a reputable independent shop in your area and take it their.