Quote:
Originally Posted by benhogan
I am just starting to sort out the issues on my new-to-me 87 190d 2.5td. It has a really bad alignment issue.
Looking at the wheels from the front of the car, i noticed that the driver's wheel was pointing more "outward" than the passenger side wheel.
I looked underneath and noticed that the connection between the wheel assembly and the actual sway bar had moved (part of the sway bar is shiny metal where the connection used to be). I suspect the previous owner hit a curb or a pothole in a bad way.
Question- what is the best way to correct this situation? If i raise the wheel, will I be able to push it back to the proper position by hand? Perhaps I could park the car against a curb and turn the wheel to the left using the curb as a lever. What do you guys think? Any other ideas? Thanks
maybe if i took it for an alignment, the shop will have the proper tools to force the wheel back in the proper position?
|
The sway bar that runs across in front of the suspension?
If so you need to first look at the other side of that bar and determine if there is an almost equal length displacement sticking out to far on that side. Is so the entire sway bar has been shifted to one side and you might be able to loosen everything and shift it back. The sway bar acts sort of like a spring attached to the LCA.
As far as the position of the wheels, there are two factors which determine their relative positions, the first is the position of the LCA to the frame and the second is the tie rods/drag link that links them together.
From the sound of it your vehicle may have gotten its front corner tweaked, you should give the LCA itself a close inspection and the frame mounts it attaches to, then assuming that appears normal you need to check the tie rods and the drag links as well as the short arms that they connect to the wheel carrier by.
Things might be just tweaked a little and minor adjustment can compensate for it or you might need a new/good used LCA if that is bent.
And it could be the opposite side that got "pulled" out rather than the side that you've noticed first, that would cause the wheel fronts to splay apart. Also damage to either tie rod or the drag link could cause this condition, if the car was ever towed and winched up, often times the tie rods are a "too" convenient attachment point.