1990 Celica Gt-s Suspension

[NYTEPSYCE]

I Recently Had The Coil Springs And Struts Replaced On My 1990 Celica Gt-s To Improve The Suspension (rear Would Feel Like It Was Bottoming Out Over Bumps). I Am Somewhat Disapponted With The Result As The Rear Still Feels Hard Over Bumps And Sometimes It Feels Like The Rear "sways" When Going Over Multiple Bumps. Is There Anything Else That I Could Do To Improve The Suspension. Also The Steering Feels A Little "loose", Sometimes It Pulls To The Left, Sometimes To The Right When I Hit A Hole In The Road. Any Sugestions?
David

[RobMilkshakes]

Yeah, when I replaced my struts I still noticed the bumps but it was now more controlled, if that makes sense? before it felt rather loose, a lot of bouncing, now you still feel it just now its just one quick hit and thats it.

I'm trying to figure out what you mean by "sways" so I dont know where to begin

The steering alignment is probaby a little off, it doesn't have to always pull in one way for alignment to be off, it could have a little toe out and that would make it want to wander just a bit (I think that toe out would be the cause, I've just started looking into alignments)

[NYTEPSYCE]

Yea, But The Car Still Seems To Transmit Every Bump, Not Like My My Larger Vehicle, A 2002 Tarsus Station Wagon. My Repair Manual Shows Front And Rear Sway Bars And Bushing Which I Have Not Replaced. Do You Think If I Did So It Would Make Any Difference?

[RobMilkshakes]

Well the celica will never really ride like the taurus. The taurus is a family car and is meant to glide over bumps. The celica was marketed as more of a sports car which entails a stiffer suspension to corner better than a soft family car. My celica has brand new KYBs that I replaced not even 5 months ago and I still feel every bump, its just more controlled now and less bouncy.

I'm still not clear on what you meant by "It Feels Like The Rear "sways" When Going Over Multiple Bumps"

As for the sway bar, as long as you are not hearing sounds coming from the endlinks or the bushings that hold the bar up to the frame, do not worry about replacing anything sway bar related.

[NYTEPSYCE]

I Guess I Will Just Concentrate On The Front Steering Then. My Mechanic Said That I Should Get New Tires, However I Still Have At Least A 1/4 Of Tread Left. Still The Steering Doesn't Feel As "tight" As It Should, When Going Over Bumps. I Still Have Body Work And Painting To Take Care Of And I Sill Have To Save Up For That.

[NYTEPSYCE]

Just An Update On My Steering And Suspension. Sometimes My Steering Wheel Pulls To The Left, At Other Times It Pulls To The Right. It Seems To Happen When Their Is A Slight Decline To The Road Surface Either Right Or Left. I Don't Have This Problem With My 2002 Ford Tarus. Also, Sometimes When Going Over A Speedbump I Can Hear The Back Of The Car Make A Creaking Sound. Any Clues?

Another Problem Has Cropped Up. My Hood Doesn't Fully Latch Now. I Have Play In The Hood Release, But The Cable Doesn't Appear Broken.

[RobMilkshakes]

Again, your alignment may be a bit out, mine had a similar effect. Also, sometimes tires that are going out can manifest the same symptoms

[93celicaconv]

Right, worn tires (1/4 of tread left) can cause the car to pull right or left if going over uneven pavement. Worn tie rods can do the same thing - might want to check if there is any looseness to them when the front end is elevated. Rear noise when going over slight bumps can be caused by something in the sway bar system (sway bar bushings worn or missing, the mounts for the bushings broke away - sway bar links are usually the problem, then aren't lubricatable, yet they move everytime one goes over a bump and they do wear out).

[RobMilkshakes]

yeah, I practically didn't even have sway bar bushings left when I bought my car. A squeak is usually just from a worn and dried out bushing.

[TBayToyotaBoy]

Another possible cause for front veering on eneven surfaces is a bad wheel bearing. I had that problem, fixed it...it got a lot better and then I had to replace the u-joint on the steering column (just outside the firewall, down on top off the steering rack).

Does your steering wheel have play if you try turning it gently with the car parked and the key set to "on"? That way the steering lock won't engage, but if you still have play then the u-joint is likely shot. Replacing it took me (by my lonesome) the better part of two afternoons...

--Tim

[NYTEPSYCE]

Well, I Replaced The Tires (cost $600.00) And There Was Some Improvement In The Way The Car Ride, But I Want To Look Into The Sway Bars And Front U Joint On The Steering Column. I'll Keep All Of You Posted, Thanks For All Of Your Advice. No I Just Have To Finish Paying The $2700 (yikes!) Bill That My Mechanic Sent To Me For The Coil Springs, Struts And Other Work He Did. Looks Like It Is Gonna Take A While To Save Up For The Body Work Repair And Painting.
Seesh!

[NYTEPSYCE]

I Do Get A Noise In The Back When Going Over Bumps, Almost Like A Creaking Sound And It Do Notice A Bit Of A Sway At Time So I Am Going To Have To Check Out The Sway Bars. Has Anyone Replace There's And Is It Hard To Do. I Noticed On One Board Someone Mentioned A Sway Bar That Wasn't Stock And Said It Would Inprove Suspension Performance.

[the mike]

How many miles? Toyota inner tie-rod ends are pretty sloppy by 100K miles and can lead to a wandering feeling as the front tires follow little ruts/uneven spots in the road. Also check your ball joints, as any play in them allows the knuckle and spindle to move independent of the control arm/chassis.

[jlspec]

Don't forget that over time you'll need to replace the bump stop bushings, swaybar bushings, and all the rest. In your case you might want to replace the two I mention before, but your car is old so it's time to replace all the bushings.

[Bitter]

could be worn inner tierods and worn outer tierods causing the steering play.