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Abnormal Steering on the 3.7 Sport


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I have the (265/40/22) wheels. I came from the SEL (245/60/18)



There is a humming sound coming from the left front side. it sounds like there is a loose arm bar or something that vibrates but only when the road is a certain texture..



In general when I switch lanes the steering gets a little wobbly and pulls to the other side, I thought it was the size of the wheels at first but I doubt it. Also, when I accelerate more on the freeway, the steering wheel jerks a little to the right. The other day in the rain, I accelerated to pass someone, and the left wheel slipped for s sec...all this happens on the freeway at 50+mph.



The right front strut was busted when I got the car so they replaced only that one and I just had the alignmne checked and it passed.



I've had some suggestions on another thread and have these links.



http://www.aa1car.co...ry/steerpul.htm


http://www.agcoauto....2_articleid/307



I'm hoping it's not torque pull and I don't think it has anything to do with the tires...



I'm thinking it has something to do with either the steering column or some kind of steering arm bar or bearing or something.


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Guessing the left strut is original..

 

Well it was the dealer who did it and I hear they will never replace something that isn't broke. I already left the dealer's service dept a bad review, for selling me a car with a busted strut so I won't go back there and when I take my car to my regular dealer (where I get service) they will probably tell me tough luck. ( I have the premium warranty but I already got pushback from an advisor on the coverage for alignment/suspension issues.) My fear is they will point me back to the original dealer who I will not deal with again.....

Edited by mcali6301
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All the symptoms of a ball joint. Turns more one direction than the other or on the outside chance a really bad wheel bearing. You may want to check both. Strut will give you steering problems on bumps and pot holes as the energy will transfer to the steering wheel. The edge turnin more that you turned the steering wheel is the ball joint. If this is the case then you need to get it fixed soon as this ball joint is ready to pop.

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Raise it up a bit then get a pry bar in between the ball joint and the LCA. Tire should be touching the ground with a bit of weight on it but not a lot then pry the LCA up or down and look to see movement. Then raise it up and pull on the bottom and top of the tire. If you feel movement and see the ball joint move then you got it. Front to back movement will be your tie rods.

 

Personally I change out the tie rods, sway bar link and the LCA at the same time then have an alignment done immediately afterwards. Check out my video on the LCA removal and re installation in "what to expect at 200,000 miles in this section.

http://www.fordedgeforum.com/topic/14129-what-to-expect-at-200000-miles/

 

If you are patient I will be performing some strut work on my 2011 in the near future along with rear shocks.

Edited by macbwt
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Thanks! Again, the dealer did check the alignment and it was fine, but it was the computer. They placed these contraptions on the front wheel and push/rolled the car like 2 feet and done..Alignment was fine. Could that have been a false positive or will that test NOT find what we're talking about?

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My car aligned great with bad ball joints. You will have to phsically check them. Basically the alignment people do not check this and merely leave the weight on the car and adjust the bad ball joints into correct alignment. The issue is once you replace the bad ball joints your alignment will be completely out of whack.

Edited by macbwt
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It's not something that can be "fixed" although it can be greatly reduced with smart engineering. It only occurs with higher hp vehicles with transverse engines. You won't see it in low power econoboxes or 2.5L Fusions, etc.

 

Part of it comes from the engine itself wanting to rotate at high rpm. You can see this in old muscle cars where the engine visibly moves a few inches as you rev it.

 

The other part is because the engine is transverse the transmission is on one side. This makes one axle shaft long and the other one short. This creates an imbalance of torque going to the front wheels causing one side to pull harder.

 

Worn ball joints would just allow this to happen more easily. The fact that it's always to the right is because of the engine rotation and axle shaft orientation - it will always pull that way even with good ball joints.

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