Vehicle swaying and steering WIERD?

[Frankconstantfix]

Haven't posted in a while but love getting advice and hearing I'm not alone in my passion for Ford Explorers. Just need a little advice. I have replaced all four wheel bearings,outer tie rod ends front and upper ball joints on my stock 2005 Explorer with V6 flex and Advance trac . Every thing seems tight had it jacked up for two days checking suspension parts. Well, seemed to ride fine yesterday but this morning it started swaying even worse. Also replace drivers side upper control arm (bolt broke on removal to change ball joints) I have seen threads about (Rear tie rods?) . Could this be the problem ? 170,000 miles and still running strongs and looks great . Is it safe to drive to alignment shop? Tired of throwing money at it and coming back to same problem. Little frustrated

 

[Exproblems]

I have replaced all four wheel bearings,outer tie rod ends front and upper ball joints on my stock 2005 Explorer with V6 flex and Advance trac . Every thing seems tight had it jacked up for two days checking suspension parts. Well, seemed to ride fine yesterday but this morning it started swaying even worse. Also replace drivers side upper control arm (bolt broke on removal to change ball joints) I have seen threads about (Rear tie rods?) . Could this be the problem ? 170,000 miles and still running strongs and looks great . Is it safe to drive to alignment shop? Tired of throwing money at it and coming back to same problem. Little frustrated

I'd say from all those steering and suspension parts you changed, you need to get a "wheel alignment" done, but we can't tell you if your vehicle is safe to drive at this point. Only "you" can feel how the vehicle is handling at this point and whether it feels safe to drive it to an alignment shop.

 

[Number4]

You didn't mention anything about having done the front sway bar. Unless I'm blind, which I could be. Perhaps the front away bar has had a catastrophic failure? Or was disconnected during the mentioned repairs and not hooked back up?

 

[pet575]

Agree that it sounds like you've got something loose. Either not connected or not tight. I'd re-check everything before you drove it another foot.

 

[Limited02]

As mentioned, first check to see if anything you replaced is tightened as expected. What you describe is sometimes an issue of the rear tie rods being worn and could contribute to the swaying as well.

Lastly, what condition are your tires in? If you had a bad alignment and the inside or outside of a tire is very worn, it could cause the car to pull when hitting groves in the road that you would normally not feel.

If the tires are good and everything seems snug, I'd get it in for an alignment as a last resort. A decent shop should hopefully be able to tell you if a suspension piece needs replacing if you happen to miss it.

 

[hockeyfwd334]

Sway links...look at those for sure...I lost one on either side in the front at different times.. I really noticed this alot when hitting the brakes. Moog makes a link for around 15 I picked up at O'riellys parts.. I also just found out yesterday that the hole for my pin on my rear toe links was wallowed out causing my rear tires to move.. Causing me to sway and eat up tires.. Notices this most when I was letting off the gas. Plus I could grab the rear tires and move them side to side.. I put a shim in the hole and tightened it up for the short term.. I just relplaced both rear toe links so this was really frustrating..

 

[Frankconstantfix]

Found First problem But ...

Have replace both front sway bar links also. Part of problem was new ball joint on passenger side was either wrong size or just bad part because it failed. Have now replaced both front upper control arms. Alignment was way out after repairs and now it rides smooth and straight. Still seems a bit loose in turns . Oh and tires are less than one year old and had them checked and balanced. It seems to ride better with the advanc trac turned off .
1) Could I have a bad CV joint?
or
2) Could it be these rear toe links I've been reading about?

Any help would greatly appreciated
Frank :scratch:

 

[Exproblems]

. Alignment was way out after repairs and now it rides smooth and straight. Still seems a bit loose in turns .

1) Could I have a bad CV joint?
or
2) Could it be these rear toe links I've been reading about?

Any help would greatly appreciated
Frank :scratch:

The alignment shop you went to for the wheel alignment, should have done a check on your steering and suspension components prior to doing the wheel alignment. These Explorers need to have "all 4 wheels" aligned properly, so the rear toe links should have been checked during the initial inspection of your vehicle. Most shops I know of, won't do the wheel alignment if there are any steering or suspension problems due to damaged or worn out parts on the vehicle. A wheel alignment shop usually gives a few month warranty on the wheel alignment they did. Check your receipt front and back for the warranty period or call them to find out how long it is.

 

[hockeyfwd334]

To check the toe links, grab the rear tire and try to pivot it.. This can look like a wheel bearing.. But it only pivots in one axis..if the whole hub is moving then it's the rear toe link.. Could be a wallowed out hole.. Ultimately new hub...This will eventually cause the end of the toe link to break off.. That sucks.. Believe me..I think this happened to me mostly due to pulling heavy stuff with a crappy hitch.. It could also just be a bad toe link end.. I installed moog problem solvers they are beefier than oem..

http://www.moogproblemsolver.com/_pdf_en1/MOOG_PS_Bulletin_211002_ES800560_En.pdf

You would need the 17mm part (outer) and the inner part.. Check eBay..

If the wheel pivots in more than one axis ie up and down and side to side...and feels nasty.. Wheel bearing...

Wait there's more... If the whole tire/hub moves in and out.. Depending on top or bottom.. Top is a bad upper ball joint ... Bottom bad lower control arm end bushing..

I fought with figuring it out... For a while... I would go into a turn and it would feel like the back end would want to drop out or kick

Like I said mine was a wallowed out hole ... I temp fixed it and drove across southern Michigan .. Talking on potholes that could swallow a Prius... Was good to have stability back..

 

[Number4]

The upper ball joins weren't designed to be replaced. After market, they offer an oversized unit. The best method is the whole control arm. This is due to the arm being made of metal. Not much surface area holding the joint.
The backs are a little different, those I pressed out and new ones in without removing the arm from the vehicle.

 

[Frankconstantfix]

Had rear bearings replaced in October, Just had to have a tire repaired cause picked up a bolt on the highway. Rear drivers side trailing arm wiggles and so does wheel . Alignment shop told me on the phone that They only aligned the front end so I'm gonna have the whole rear checked and any bearing problems I'm going back to the shop that pressed in the rears in october for warranty service.Also checked sway bar links in rear and they appear to be in good shape. It think potholes and bad roads due to heavy winter this year are causing all the problems to come up at one time.

 

[Frankconstantfix]

Problem finally found? Need help still wiggles on road!

After having replaced all wheel bearings, front sway bar links ,rear stabilizers,and a new transmission (not related). I have just discovered that my steering rack is bad and front tires are tracking where ever they want. I just don't get how my mechanic, the alignment tech or trans shop didn't notice any of this. Seems to be only driver's side front tire and only goes out intermittently. Could I have the wrong Idea NEED HELP before I throw any more money at this truck. I had front end off ground and driver side wheel moves left or right with passenger side on ground and steering wheel doesn't move at all. Jacked up both and then they both moved and steering wheel engaged. With steering unlocked but vehicle off Passenger tire does not turn like driver side does HELP!