Help with steering prob?!?

[stlgreensho]

OK, here are my symptoms,

1. When accelerating the wheel turns to the left, but the car itself will still drive stright.

2. When turning left the steering wheel will lock up ONLY when accelerating. I can feel it grab on the steering wheel with my foot on the gas. It wont do it when there is no acceleration. when locked up, If i take my foot off of the gas the wheel unlocks.

3. The when turning right, the wheel will want to pull left.


Someone told me that the motor mount is broken.
But there is no shine on the intake manafold, nor noise coming from engine bay.
Help??

 

[Phoenix]

Your subframe bushings are busted.

Plain and simple. Happens alot.

 

[93rev2sev]

As phoenix said, subframe bushings.

Either that or your transmission mount is toast (Is this an ATX?). This allows the engine, trans...everything...to twist in the subframe. I know it seems more likely that the culprit is subframe bushings...but get this...

I had the same symptoms on my 95ATX...even after swapping subframe bushings. A week later I was rear ended and I went to part the car out...when I pulled the engine, the transmission mount was completely broken. I loosened everything, hooked up the hoist and when I lifted the engine out, the bottom half of the trans mount stayed on the subframe. Upon inspection, it was obvious that it had been broken for a while.

To diagnose this properly, jack up the car and support it with jackstands using the frame rails just behind the subframe. Now you can put the jack on each corner of the subframe and pump it a couple of times...I think you will find that the subframe travels up and down (relative to the body of the car) an ALARMING amount.

 

[stlgreensho]

Ok, thanks. I'm going to test it today.

Also, I forgot that there is a poping noise when going over bumps or turns, I thought this would be a ball joint. But, I checked them and none seamed out of place.

 

[whiteman_01]

My 92 did this when the body rusted out and dropped the subframe.

 

[stlgreensho]

OK, I looked at my subframe today....

The rear driver bushing is almost completly gone and is is about an inch lower than it is supposed to be.

Is there a quick fix for this untill I can get the $100 to buy the alumi ones from sho source?
b/c i can't find them anywhere else.

I was thinking like 5 big washers or so... but I don't know if that is the right way to go about it.

I have been driving this way for a month. Can it handel 2 weeks?

 

[Phoenix]

When I had my red sho all beaten to death , I temp welded a square 1 inch tubing on the subframe and on the frame rail of the car. It lasted a month. Only tacks though , dont weld it all the way....

 

[jmpSHO]

You should be able to get just a bushing cheap at any parts store.

 

[stlgreensho]

You should be able to get just a bushing cheap at any parts store.

I've called many around here, NAPA included. None has.

Thanks Phoenix, but i don't know how to weld at all.

Does anyone know if the bushing from a higher year, GEN 3 maybe, will fit or how i can find out?

 

[jmpSHO]

I've called many around here, NAPA included. None has.

Thanks Phoenix, but i don't know how to weld at all.

Does anyone know if the bushing from a higher year, GEN 3 maybe, will fit or how i can find out?

I might have one at my garage, if you want I will check Monday and let you know. If not there is a parts store near me that says they have them and I think they are cheap too, like $10 or $15. Gen 3 rears will fit.

 

[rubydist]

Gen 3 rear bushings are a nice upgrade to the Gen 2 cars, used in all 4 positions.

 

[stlgreensho]

Ok. Thanks everyone. I found out that adanced auto parts does have one for a whoping 35 $.They had on for a 99 sho. Crazy but I guess I have no choice.

 

[stlgreensho]

OK, I feel like i'm back to square one.

Advanced auto parts doesn't havn't. Even though one day they say that they do and then the next they said that they don't.

Does anyone have one or know where I can get one.

Gen2 or Gen3.

Thanks.

EDIT::
Are the front ones the same as the rear ones? Thanks.

 

[frosho]

Have you tried a dealer? Pretty sure that's where my gen 3 bushings came from.

Or you can pull some at a junkyard. That'd be the most cost-effective approach...

 

[stlgreensho]

Thanks to all who replyed the was the exact prob. The prob. was fixed and I am going to order alumi bushings from shosource.