help. suspension trouble after replace suspension parts | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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help. suspension trouble after replace suspension parts

renn_j

New Member
Joined
March 7, 2005
Messages
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City, State
warrington, pa
Year, Model & Trim Level
99 xls
I don't understand what went wrong. 1999 Explorer, 4wd, replaced ball joints upper & lower, tie rods, shocks. Thought all was good, pulled out of the garage and the tires sway back and forth. I am confused, what went wrong?
 



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Sounds like a SERIOUS alignment issue. Have it checked ASAP, if you can make it to the shop safely.
 






thanks

Just wanted to see if I bent something in the process. I am going to have it aligned but am afraid to drive the vehicle. Last night went back to the explorer, it seems as if I bent something. I take off the tire and can hand turn the rotor, but when the tire is on it stops 3/4 turn. Again, I am confused. Had change the ball joints before and did not have this problem.
Thanks for your help.
 






If by swaying you mean the front end is pulling all over the place and steering is bad, then yes it is very likely an alignment issue since you replaced the tierods. On the other hand if you mean the tires themselves are wobbling, something else is wrong. As for only turning 3/4, suggest you block the rear, lift the front end so both sides are off the ground, and turn the wheels by hand and look for anywhere you may have contact. I have heard of some balljoints being a little bit longer than others and making contact with the rim, which obviously is not a good thing. Also make sure you tighten lug nuts while the tires are off the ground or you may not end up fully seated correctly, causing the rotor to be slightly off-centered and therefore rub on the pads like a severely warped one would.

Once these are checked and it all turns smoothly, it is not difficult to set a fairly close toe alignment that will let you safely drive to a shop. You can either use a tape measure or string method. Tape measure is not as precise, but is quick especially with a helper and if you plan to get it professionally aligned should be fine. Pick a groove in the tire and measure the distance from the left tire to the right tire in two locations (like 5 and 8 o'clock). Adjust the tierod ends until the measurements are either equal or slightly toe-in (front measure is 1/8" less than the rear). At this point don't worry about centering the steering wheel, just get the tires to track each other. The shop will fix the rest.
 






Just wanted to see if I bent something in the process. I am going to have it aligned but am afraid to drive the vehicle. Last night went back to the explorer, it seems as if I bent something. I take off the tire and can hand turn the rotor, but when the tire is on it stops 3/4 turn. Again, I am confused. Had change the ball joints before and did not have this problem.
Thanks for your help.

Where does it seem to be meeting interference? Pictures might help. It is very hard to solve a binding issue by description alone.

I would not drive the truck till this is problem is sorted.
 






You know I may be way off but the first thing that came to mind when i read this was the op probably got air in the rack, if you move the sreering with the motor off and wheels in the air it will get air in the steering rack and it will act stupid till it works its way out, just a thought like I said I may be way off,
 












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