Steering Feels Odd.

[intimdatr]

Can i get some ideas of what bad front strut mounts would do to the car turning? Im trying to decide if my rack is going out on me or if my Strut mounts are just shot and need to be replaced. Also would bad Strut rod bushings lead to this I doubt it but i thought i would ask)? Almost everything is new in the front end so im a pretty sure its either the Mounts or the Rack but seeing as one is 20$ vs 200$ i thought i would ask.

The feeling im getting is sometimes its like the front end is stuck or bunged up and doesnt want to turn right, but if i sorta muscle through it then it snaps really hard to the right and everything is back to normal. If i jack the front end of the car up and just turn the wheel freely i feel a few tights spots almost but nothing crazy for a 20 year old car. I would also like to point there is quite a bit of play in the steering wheel, maybe 2-3 inches of play, fairly sloppy. Its an odd feeling to describe when it does it. It appears to be induced by hard turns like turning around where its a full lock situation. Hopefully someone else has had this happen to them and can explain it better.

I havent had much time to try and get the situation to occur as its been raining non stop today (first time in since June 16) I'll try and get a better description tomorrow.

New parts that have been replaced in the past Year to 6 months.

LCA's - Inner Tie Rods - Outer Tie Rods - Wheel Bearings - Moog Springs - NOS Shocks - 3rd Gen SubFrame Bushings

Thanks

 

[whiteman_01]

I had similar symptoms when the rear left of my subframe dropped. But, under throttle, it would pull really bad.

 

[rubydist]

your symptoms could be caused by either the rack or the strut mount, but since a problem with the strut mounts is 10x more common, and since the rack costs 10x more, I would suggest replacing the strut mounts first. if you don't know when they were last done, most likely they are needed.

 

[notbange]

My strut mounts were really frozen on my 92 when I got it, and it would bind up a bit like you're describing. When you jack up the car the weight isn't on the mounts any more so it will turn freely. Mine were stuck and you could hear the spring "boinging" noise as it would free up and catch again when you turned the wheel from lock to lock.

 

[intimdatr]

The mounts have never been replaced and neither has the rack.

Thanks for the info! I guess I'll be starting the mounts.

Anyone have complaints with the MEVOtech stuff? http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/moreinfo.php?pk=1971372

 

[notbange]

I've installed mevotech bushings on the front and rear strut rods. They're bushings, so there's not a whole lot to complain about but they were cheap and they work better then the worn out factory ones. As for the mounts, I've had issues with the bearings in the autozone mounts (they were no better than the factory bearings on the first set I got) so I'm a little leery of any cheap mount.

 

[intimdatr]

I cant remember for sure who said it or where it was posted but i think ive heard on here before that people have had good luck with these mounts working. But i may be 100% wrong on that.