[cpie168]

Hi Guys,

I've been experiencing a problem with my steering and it's not just a simple alignment issue. I wonder if you guys have seen something similar before. Car is 2010 E90 with ZSP with Koni shocks installed less than 5k miles ago. Odometer has about 80k miles on it. All suspension mounts were changed when the Koni's were installed. Tie rods are original.

Basically, my steering would pull to one side or another while travelling down the road. I noticed the problem would change in severity and change from one side to another after I turn the steering wheel a lot; e.g., after getting into or out of a parking spot.

When travelling down the road, for a normal car, if one lets go of the steering wheel, it would pretty much stay put and the car would pretty much go straight for a good distance. But in my case, I can sense the steering wheel constantly trying to turn to one side on its own, so I have to counter it by applying minor but definite effort to the opposite direction just to keep it going straight. If I let go of the steering wheel, immediately the steering wheel would start to turn to one side or another and the car would drift into that direction accordingly.

What could be the cause of this? Worn tie rods? My mechanic checked the tie rods when he installed the Koni's and he said they're in good shape. The last thing I want would be some problem with the steering rack as that could be $$$$$$$$.

Any input would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[feuer]

Title says it't not a simple alignment issue but have you aligned the car?
If yes, can you post he numbers here? That would help.

[cpie168]

Yes I had the car aligned twice but that was before the Koni's were installed. I did not re-align after the Koni's since I kept the same stock springs. I can post the alignment numbers tomorrow but I don't think it's relevant. The key is that it could shift from one side to another after turning the steering wheel a lot. It could also change in severity. That tells me it has something to do with the steering itself rather than alignment, wouldn't you agree?

[feuer]

True, no alignment is required although is recommenced after strut and shock replacement if you kept the oem springs since there was no need to remove none of the adjustable components which are used to set alignment.
However, I still think it would help if you post the numbers from the alignment sheet here.
There is possibility that the alignment is off:not done correctly or defective components causing the car to ride rather dangerously.
Could be you steering rack or servo pump as you mention above but I find it suspiciously coincidental to had happen at the same time you had the suspension work done.

[cpie168]

Thanks feuer. I'll look into getting an alignment done and see if that resolves the issue.

But assuming the alignment is really off, could that in fact be the cause of the symptoms as I described? Drifting from one side one instance and then to another side next with varying severity after turning the steering wheel multiple turns during parking?

[feuer]

Yes, especially if toe is off. I was discussing alignment issue with another Canadian e90poster.
Due to salt the eccentric bolt get damaged and fiddling with them during alignment actually make it worse.
Take a look. they come loose:
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showpo...3&postcount=42
I suggest you to do the same. Go and get you current alignment reading. Do another alignment and mark all the adjustable parts with paint pen.
Post both PRE and POST alignment numbers here.

[cpie168]

Thanks feuer. I won't post my old alignment numbers now because the Koni install might have changed things since then. But I'll look into doing a new alignment and have the numbers posted. Thanks again for your help.

[chris82]

Originally Posted by cpie168

Yes I had the car aligned twice but that was before the Koni's were installed. I did not re-align after the Koni's since I kept the same stock springs. I can post the alignment numbers tomorrow but I don't think it's relevant. The key is that it could shift from one side to another after turning the steering wheel a lot. It could also change in severity. That tells me it has something to do with the steering itself rather than alignment, wouldn't you agree?

Ahh, you will need an alignment after new coilovers

[cpie168]

Thanks Chris. Per the advice of my mechanic, since I just swapped the shocks and kept the original springs, and that he didn't adjust any of the alignment-related parts, an alignment wasn't necessary. I drove like that for the past 3 months or so. But now I'm definitely going to look into getting one done just to rule that out as the cause of my steering issue.

[feuer]

Originally Posted by chris82

Ahh, you will need an alignment after new coilovers

OP didn't installed coilovers and no alignment is needed when you are replacing struts and shocks only. Is recommended but most definitively not a must because you don' t have to remove anything else other than the struts and shocks themselves.

[parksjm7]

Originally Posted by cpie168

Yes I had the car aligned twice but that was before the Koni's were installed. I did not re-align after the Koni's since I kept the same stock springs. I can post the alignment numbers tomorrow but I don't think it's relevant. The key is that it could shift from one side to another after turning the steering wheel a lot. It could also change in severity. That tells me it has something to do with the steering itself rather than alignment, wouldn't you agree?

I agree that the rear alignment specs will not change - except maybe camber due to the temporary raised height until the shock settles in.

The fronts however are a different story. You'll notice that the strut tower bolt holes have more than some wiggle room which will change your camber and toe everytime the strut tower is taken off. Hopefully a front alignment will straighten you out.

Edit: I had bilstein sport shocks installed on my car about a month ago and found similar symptoms you have and turns out my front toe was way off.

[LMB335IS]

Especially if the alignment pins have been removed.

[chris82]

Originally Posted by cpie168

Thanks Chris. Per the advice of my mechanic, since I just swapped the shocks and kept the original springs, and that he didn't adjust any of the alignment-related parts, an alignment wasn't necessary. I drove like that for the past 3 months or so. But now I'm definitely going to look into getting one done just to rule that out as the cause of my steering issue.

Originally Posted by feuer

OP didn't installed coilovers and no alignment is needed when you are replacing struts and shocks only. Is recommended but most definitively not a must because you don' t have to remove anything else other than the struts and shocks themselves.

Yea I've had my coilovers swapped out (nothing else was changed), and they didn't align it. The car drove fine down the highway and everything else. However, when they did align it the next day, it was slightly out of spec. So you can get away with it not getting it aligned, but if you're having any sort of steering problem, the first thing to check would be to align it no? That's seems like the easiest thing to cross of the list. Just in case

[cpie168]

Thanks a lot guys for the excellent input. I'll make it priority to get an alignment ASAP and report back.

Have a great weekend guys.

[pa2014]

Originally Posted by cpie168

Thanks a lot guys for the excellent input. I'll make it priority to get an alignment ASAP and report back.

Have a great weekend guys.

Same problem is happened to me. Car pulling to the right side. It turned out to be control arm and sway bar link problem. Alignment didnt di nethin for me.

[cpie168]

Thanks pa2014. My front arms are all M3 bits from about a year ago so I don't think they are the culprit. But my sway bar end links were replaced at the same time as the Koni install. Perhaps I'll have them checked out first before the alignment. Thanks for your input.

[cpie168]

By the way pa2014, did your problem resemble mine where it would change from one side to another after turning the steering wheel multiple times say in a parking lot?

[ajsalida]

Originally Posted by cpie168

By the way pa2014, did your problem resemble mine where it would change from one side to another after turning the steering wheel multiple times say in a parking lot?

If you have worn ball joints in the tie rods, this can happen. Some slop develops in the joint, and under load it then slightly shifts the angle that wheel is pointing, toeing in then out a tiny bit. Sometimes you can't tell by just looking at it as it takes a good bit of force to get them to shift.

A good alignment shop will check for this before aligning (mainly by tugging/twisting each wheel side to side while up on the rack and seeing if the joint moves). But you should tell them ahead of time what you're experiencing just in case. Of course something else could be loose too.

Car will probably not hold an alignment with this going on.

[cpie168]

Thanks ajsalida for your input. I'll keep your words in mind when I go to my mechanic or alignment shop.

Have a good one.

[davidwarren]

Originally Posted by ajsalida

If you have worn ball joints in the tie rods, this can happen. Some slop develops in the joint, and under load it then slightly shifts the angle that wheel is pointing, toeing in then out a tiny bit. Sometimes you can't tell by just looking at it as it takes a good bit of force to get them to shift.

A good alignment shop will check for this before aligning (mainly by tugging/twisting each wheel side to side while up on the rack and seeing if the joint moves). But you should tell them ahead of time what you're experiencing just in case. Of course something else could be loose too.

Car will probably not hold an alignment with this going on.

That's what I was thinking too. Could be a worn ball on the tie rod since it is not a consistent issue.

But really, it could be any number of things. Your toe could be off and cause you to wonder based on the road crown. Hard to say over the Internet.

[pa2014]

Originally Posted by cpie168

By the way pa2014, did your problem resemble mine where it would change from one side to another after turning the steering wheel multiple times say in a parking lot?

actually, it only likes to pull to the right. problem is that, they coudn't do alignment on my car bc the camber is bad that it wont move. other guy says, front strut/shock is bad and i need to replace them.

[cpie168]

Finally got an alignment done. However, as expected, the problem persists. I noticed I can change the direction or severity of the pull if I turn the steering at least a quarter to half of a turn while the car is not moving.

I now feel strongly that it has something to do with the installation of my Koni FSD shocks, as I can't recall noticing the problem before then. I doubt it has anything to do with the actual steering rack itself, but rather something to do with the suspension, or perhaps even the sway bar endlinks, which were also replaced at the time the Koni's were installed. That would explain how I am able to influence the problem by turning the steering wheel while the car is stationary.

What do you guys think? What could be the cause of this?

Thanks guys.