New To Tn Neeeed Heelpp Im Fusterated!!!!!!!

[darican305]

hey camry fans im new to TN and i got to say i love this website i have done nothing but read threads for the last two weeks and love the pics. i need some serious advice!!!! let me give you a little history on my 94 camry v6. since ive had the car for a year its been great but also costly with repairs me and my boy have changed to transmission on it one and a whole lot of other things. to make things short i finally do not have a CEL after 7years (LOL) That is not my problem tho...... i recently (less than two weeks) got my suspension done. and am having major steering problems. I had all four struts replaced and that is it (i was a lil short after spending 1000 on the tranny work) my car has 213XXX miles on it should i have replaced anything else. my car keeps veering off the left and right. i had an alighnment done twice and am goin in for one more. i have swaped tires and even put on my factory rims back on( i have 17's on now) and the swerving continues. i DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO i ve read that maybe its the mounts or the tie rods. or maybe SEARS JUST IS DOING A SH!!Ty alignment. i never had this problem before the suspension. PLEASE HELP!!!! i got pics of everything.

[cruisn76]

Maybe try and check ur tires for uneven wear, or low tire pressure.

But I do suspect the tie rod

[new echo owner]

Do you have the alignment specs? The upper strut mount and spring seats are all marked which need to be installed facing towards the outside of the car.

N.E.O.

[darican305]

I do have an alignment specs sheet and from what the mechanic told me, it looks fine but my steering wheel is still a little crooked and if i straightn it the car swerves even more. alot of ppl have told me about the tie rods i have a picture of it. it looks worn im going to uplaod it tell me what you think

[darican305]

this is the tie rod on the right side
left side they look worn but would know
and this caught my attension when the car was jacked up on the right side. it goes to the sub frame i believe

[new echo owner]

You mean they actually aligned the car with all that stuff needing attention?

Unless the tie-rods are loose and have play in them or binding, the torn boots still is not going to affect the way it steers or handles. The control arm bushing will cause some handling problem and even vibration and noise. At the minimum the bushing need to be replaced, it they want to do a proper alignment, otherwise the adjustment would change if the bushing with a tear like that will shift and 'won't stay still' in a sense.

N.E.O.

[darican305]

would you recomend changing them so see if they make a difference. i know the tierod you can get at autozone is there any place that you know i can get like all the bushings. and is there anything else you would recomend for my problem

[new echo owner]

Check all the bushings for the front suspension, if one is like that, there maybe others too. Where you can get the bushing is hard to say, check on this site, there are some parts supplier links.

Did the repair shop tell you about the bushing and tie-rod? If not, go back and ask them why, maybe they will do an alignment for you for free after you have replace the parts.

N.E.O.

[darican305]

thanks i think im going to start there im looking on ebay now and there are a few kits that are complete control arm repair kits. thanks for your help im try and get these bushings and realighnment and see what happens. before i go would you recommend any other parts to look over that could affect my steering to veer

[new echo owner]

Lower ball joints, axle boots, wheel bearings all should be inspected in the front end.

N.E.O.

[darican305]

this is wierd tell me what you think. i was driving today and noticed something strange. my car only pulls after i make right turns and will not straightn till i make a left now when i make a left turn the car will ride fine baerly pull and ther car will stay straight.....

[new echo owner]

If you have loose suspension components or torn bushing or even binding tie-rods, it will affect the way the steering and suspension operates. So it may be a good idea to have it properly inspected instead of continue to drive it; it just might act up again when you least expect it.

N.E.O.

[karazy]

It definitely seems like a ball joint problem. That is usually the main culprit, if the wheel doesn't return to centre after cornering. I would change the tie rod ends as well.

As NEO said, they shouldn't have attempted the alignment without inspecting these items first.

[davemac2]

A lot of older camrys will have the rear control arm bushings broken like that. They will affect your steering and noise a little bit, but not like you are describing. The effect from those are much more subtle. I would be more concerned with the main bushings on the control arms causing excessive play. Don't buy your control arms on Ebay. There is a lot of chinese junk on there with inferior bushings and ball joints on them. Just buy the bushings and have them pressed in by a machine shop if you can't do it yourself. The ball joints are easily replaced separately also. Rockauto.com will carry the bushings and balljoints.

Your pictures hint at badly worn suspension components possibly. I agree with the others. Go back to Sears and yell at them as to why you were not told of the condition of the suspension. Talk to the service manager. They could be held liable if you had an accident. The steering wheel should always be re-centered when they do an alignment anyways.

dave mc

[darican305]

thank u all for your help, i will proceed with replacing bushings. i got the problem fixed today and the car no longer swerves. it has been a long day i went to firestone got an alighnment didnt work went to sears they refused to check my struts again and i got mad and they told me to go to toyota and have them look at it. and TOYOTA ROCKS!!! they found out that sears was not adjusting my toe and caster correct they were in specs but not good enough so i paid toyota and went to sears and they gave me back my money.!!! headach is over....thanks for all the imput and i will also look into changing the bushings for longer life.