Walnut777
Active Member
- Joined
- February 25, 2008
- Messages
- 99
- Reaction score
- 1
- City, State
- South Carolina
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 96 XLT
What happens to your Explorer when you turn the steering wheel back and forth and the engine is not running?
A few months back I was having problems after I changed the fuel pump. I thought to myself, "How in the world did you mess up the steering/suspension from way back there at the fuel tank?"
I realized the only thing that I had done was steer the explorer off of the rollback and onto the car port.
The steering got better after I let it sit over night and prayed really hard that it would get better. I was at wits end!
Anyways, I had some issues lately with steering and suspension. I had put on a new set of Cooper Discovery HT's and the one on the drivers side feathered really bad on the outer edge. I hadn't even put a 1000 miles on these bad boys yet! Also anytime I got over 65 my front end would shake left to right .
I took my explorer to my usual alignment shop and they said that they couldn't find anything wrong with it. They said the only thing wrong was the cheap tires I had on it. I thought to myself, "Cheap?" I know alot of people who will have nothing but Cooper tires. People I know and trust. Anyways the guy said I had a bad tire.
I took the explorer to the place where I bought my tires and showed the salesman and told him what the alignment guys had said. He laughed and assured me that it was not a bad tire. He said that it is definetly a mechanical problem and he gladly gave me a new tire for free and put it on for free!
I really didn't think I'd get a new tire for free! Great guy that salesman is! He told me to get it looked at again and to keep an eye on that tire b/c it was going to do the same thing again if I didn't find out what the problem was.
I found a nice little shop that a trusted friend of mine referred me to and I took my explorer there for a checkup. The nice young man there showed me that both of my upper balljoints were bad (I had asked my ususal alignment guy to check all this). He showed me that my drivers side lower ball joint had a little wear in it (I had just put that lower ball joint on a year ago.) He also said that my rotors may needed to be turned.
Well, I took the ole' explorer home put on new upper balljoints left & right, a new drivers side lower balljoint and some new inner and outer bearings on both sides just for the heck of it!
I took my rotors and had them turned and he was right that had a few hot spots in them that I couldn't see or feel. I know b/c I watched them on the brake lathe.
I take the explorer to the aligment shop and they do a 4 wheel computerized alignment. Remember they are moving my steering back and forth while the engine is off! They take her for a spin and send me on my way. I get 50 yards out of the parking lot, hit a small bump and the whole front end shakes like crazy! I wasn't even going 20 mph! The shop was closing and I didn't have time to argue. I drove home and rechecked everything, to make sure nothing was loose. Everything was fine.
Now this was last week and the shaking hasn't happened since.
Although I was very disappointed that the ride was still rough and had this rough squeak when riding across the yard or rough road. It had done this as long as I have owned it, I knew it couldn't be the shocks b/c I replaced them a little under 2 years ago and even then it drove like that. I was wrong!
Well, I went to the parts store and bought 2 new front shocks. I went for the big boys this time not the middle of the road shocks. I bought the Monroe Reflex shock. The ones that both of my brothers swear by on their Ford trucks. Well I can honestly tell you that my explorer has never driven so smooth or so quiet since I put the Monroe Refelx shocks on it. Now if I can only afford 2 more for the rear!
I havent had any problems yet and I hope it's all fixed.
Anyways, back to my original question.
What happens to your Explorer when you turn the steering wheel back and forth and the engine is not running?
A few months back I was having problems after I changed the fuel pump. I thought to myself, "How in the world did you mess up the steering/suspension from way back there at the fuel tank?"
I realized the only thing that I had done was steer the explorer off of the rollback and onto the car port.
The steering got better after I let it sit over night and prayed really hard that it would get better. I was at wits end!
Anyways, I had some issues lately with steering and suspension. I had put on a new set of Cooper Discovery HT's and the one on the drivers side feathered really bad on the outer edge. I hadn't even put a 1000 miles on these bad boys yet! Also anytime I got over 65 my front end would shake left to right .
I took my explorer to my usual alignment shop and they said that they couldn't find anything wrong with it. They said the only thing wrong was the cheap tires I had on it. I thought to myself, "Cheap?" I know alot of people who will have nothing but Cooper tires. People I know and trust. Anyways the guy said I had a bad tire.
I took the explorer to the place where I bought my tires and showed the salesman and told him what the alignment guys had said. He laughed and assured me that it was not a bad tire. He said that it is definetly a mechanical problem and he gladly gave me a new tire for free and put it on for free!
I really didn't think I'd get a new tire for free! Great guy that salesman is! He told me to get it looked at again and to keep an eye on that tire b/c it was going to do the same thing again if I didn't find out what the problem was.
I found a nice little shop that a trusted friend of mine referred me to and I took my explorer there for a checkup. The nice young man there showed me that both of my upper balljoints were bad (I had asked my ususal alignment guy to check all this). He showed me that my drivers side lower ball joint had a little wear in it (I had just put that lower ball joint on a year ago.) He also said that my rotors may needed to be turned.
Well, I took the ole' explorer home put on new upper balljoints left & right, a new drivers side lower balljoint and some new inner and outer bearings on both sides just for the heck of it!
I took my rotors and had them turned and he was right that had a few hot spots in them that I couldn't see or feel. I know b/c I watched them on the brake lathe.
I take the explorer to the aligment shop and they do a 4 wheel computerized alignment. Remember they are moving my steering back and forth while the engine is off! They take her for a spin and send me on my way. I get 50 yards out of the parking lot, hit a small bump and the whole front end shakes like crazy! I wasn't even going 20 mph! The shop was closing and I didn't have time to argue. I drove home and rechecked everything, to make sure nothing was loose. Everything was fine.
Now this was last week and the shaking hasn't happened since.
Although I was very disappointed that the ride was still rough and had this rough squeak when riding across the yard or rough road. It had done this as long as I have owned it, I knew it couldn't be the shocks b/c I replaced them a little under 2 years ago and even then it drove like that. I was wrong!
Well, I went to the parts store and bought 2 new front shocks. I went for the big boys this time not the middle of the road shocks. I bought the Monroe Reflex shock. The ones that both of my brothers swear by on their Ford trucks. Well I can honestly tell you that my explorer has never driven so smooth or so quiet since I put the Monroe Refelx shocks on it. Now if I can only afford 2 more for the rear!
I havent had any problems yet and I hope it's all fixed.
Anyways, back to my original question.
What happens to your Explorer when you turn the steering wheel back and forth and the engine is not running?
