Yes, another "alignment" issue(?)

[PRINCE KEN]

So what did he do heat up and bend some stuff lol

No I found out that he had drilled hole extensions in the engine cradle/tension arm bracket where the big number 10 bolt and nut is located shifting the tension arm bushing inward and thus moving the camber forward nevertheless I still had some type of minor rough ride after alignment So I decided to go somewhere else for a second opinion with the intent to do another alignment from the second opinion giver since he was running a 39.99 so called alignment promotional special Second opinion giver didn't want to do the alignment to my vehicle citing that before performing the alignment I need to change the tension arm,tire rod and lateral arm@spindle ball joint all on the right side only ie passenger side This particular ball joint is located inside the spindle. I started having a headache so I shelfed that particular 13 R-Spec for a month and hoped back in my 14 R-Spec however today I changed both the tire rod and tension arm myself even though it was a little bit of a pain and I will take to get it realigned tomorrow at the original spot

 

[.xs1]

Ok guys sorry for the long wait. The initial company I purchased the shims from were jackasses and kept telling me the parts were on "nationwide backorder", kept asking if I wanted to " cancel the order" which I found really odd... but in any case i contacted SPC directly to find out the release date. The guy tells me " there is no back order, I have them in stock."

Anyway the shims brought the camber from -1.7 L & -1.9 R to +0.2 L and -0.5 R Toe is perfect. Caster is perfect. (7.0 & 7.0)

The pull right is not quite as drastic.. def. improved.. but on most road surfaces still there. The steering wheel walk, is still there.

At this point the only thing left is the steering rack. I'm realistically at my whits end. Honestly, I have gotten rid of cars for this very reason. Had a Lincoln town car that I put oodles of $$$ into rebuilding the front end, a/c, suspension, brakes, audio, tint, etc. Sold for $1200 because of a pull on the highway. 500+ HP Srt-4 neon; Sold for same reason. Built 89' SS... Same.

Long story short- I've owned.... (heh...) well alot of vehicles. Sometimes 5+ at a time... I cannot handle a "slight pull" let alone what this demonic piece of shit R-Spec is doing. Love the car, but I don't now what more to do guys. I could put a rack innit, but with this track record it'll just seal the fate of the car..

 

[princelybug]

Thank you for the update...sorry the issue persists. You've done just about everything possible to fix the pulling issue, it seems.

How about something more fundamental? Tires - Check the tread on the 2 front tires and make sure to check the cold tire pressures all the way around. Also, I've heard of people replacing apparently "good" tires for new ones and getting another alignment, which fixed the pulling issue.

 

[.xs1]

I had a set of continentals' on there before, same pull. Brand new set of Goodyear Eagle Rsa2s' now, same pull. Cross rotated. Same. front to back. same. 6* of rear toe in the opposite direction ( although the abs and trac. cntrl. went nuts) still pulls right. I can definitively say its not a tire issue.

 

[PRINCE KEN]

I had a set of continentals' on there before, same pull. Brand new set of Goodyear Eagle Rsa2s' now, same pull. Cross rotated. Same. front to back. same. 6* of rear toe in the opposite direction ( although the abs and trac. cntrl. went nuts) still pulls right. I can definitively say its not a tire issue.

We are in the same boat that bothers me too plenty Just out of curiosity:
Do you know if your vehicle has ever been in a front end collision or a history of such??
Are you the original ie first owner??
Just got my 13 R Spec Sedan back from realignment I noticed a great improvement after changing the tension arm and tire rods. The pull is extremely slight on my 13 R-Spec with Goodyear tires I think my next move will be to replace my lateral arm and spindle ball joint I think my lateral arm bushings and ball joint are worn out or just inefficient at the moment All that being said I don't have such issues on my 14 R Spec Sedan with the Michelin Tires No wandering on the road at all That's why I still have faith that such situations can be fixed because I even disassembled the front end removed frnders front bumper hood etc and then took actual body structural measurements ie fender apron frame etc as suggested by the manual and a concise visual visual inspection of the body hoping to find something structurally bent or deformed fortunately everything checked out good

 

[.xs1]

We are in the same boat that bothers me too plenty Just out of curiosity:
Do you know if your vehicle has ever been in a front end collision or a history of such??
Are you the original ie first owner??

The vehicle was a 1 owner. All maint. records done at various dealerships in Florida. If the vehicle was in an unreported accident I could see that in the alignment. SAI, setback, etc. The Hunter Hawk Eye Elite is an amazing alignment rack. The alignment, now after the camber shims, is 100%. The concerning thing is the steering wheel still turns right on its own when you start moving and its very, very road crown sensitive. Its also VERY bump steer sensitive. Small bumps in the road make alot of steering input changes; all leading me back to a possible rack & pinion issue. Not the end of the world, I can pick up a damn near new (38k miles) steering rack for $200 bucks out of California.

I have an appointment with a dealership Monday to see if they can adjust the steering rack "sensitivity" which I was told by a Hyundai service manager is a possibility to have done. I've never heard of such a thing but we will find out. My local Hyundai dealership is a joke, and wouldn't align it due to "rear tires being larger than factory" so im driving 70 miles north to another dealership.

 

[PRINCE KEN]

The vehicle was a 1 owner. All maint. records done at various dealerships in Florida. If the vehicle was in an unreported accident I could see that in the alignment. SAI, setback, etc. The Hunter Hawk Eye Elite is an amazing alignment rack. The alignment, now after the camber shims, is 100%. The concerning thing is the steering wheel still turns right on its own when you start moving and its very, very road crown sensitive. Its also VERY bump steer sensitive. Small bumps in the road make alot of steering input changes; all leading me back to a possible rack & pinion issue. Not the end of the world, I can pick up a damn near new (38k miles) steering rack for $200 bucks out of California.

I have an appointment with a dealership Monday to see if they can adjust the steering rack "sensitivity" which I was told by a Hyundai service manager is a possibility to have done. I've never heard of such a thing but we will find out. My local Hyundai dealership is a joke, and wouldn't align it due to "rear tires being larger than factory" so im driving 70 miles north to another dealership.

Steering?? Really?? Steering is a whole chapter with a combination of sub topics. Do you happen to have the 5.0 TAU repair manual for your vehicle??? It is more resourceful than the dealership I trust it more Dealers and Mechanics or Alignment Techs may sell you a dream however the manual goes in depth with it That simplified manual is better for your own personal use, interest and satisfaction Believe me or not I have personally done plenty and better things to rectify issues on my vehicles based on this manual which could have cost me thousands otherwise dealing with second parties

 

[.xs1]

Steering?? Really?? Steering is a whole chapter with a combination of sub topics. Do you happen to have the 5.0 TAU repair manual for your vehicle??? It is more resourceful than the dealership I trust it more Dealers and Mechanics or Alignment Techs may sell you a dream however the manual goes in depth with it That simplified manual is better for your own personal use, interest and satisfaction Believe me or not I have personally done plenty and better things to rectify issues on my vehicles based on this manual which could have cost me thousands otherwise dealing with second parties

uhh... k? A repair manual isn't going to tell you if your rack pressures between left and right from the proportioning valve or if the electric assist motor is an issue.. Secondly "TAU" repair manual wouldn't help with abnormal conditions. Their are multiple platforms that use this suspension and steering setup. Thirdly, there is no "second party". We do our own work. Our own rack. Our own diags; so im not specifically understanding your repair manual logic. Only reason im taking it to the dealer is because I dont have a Hyundai/Kia GDS VCI scanner. I appreciate your.... incite (?) but my suspension is all new or newer & the rack would be the last piece to the fiasco. After that you kill it with fire

 

[PRINCE KEN]

uhh... k? A repair manual isn't going to tell you if your rack pressures between left and right from the proportioning valve or if the electric assist motor is an issue.. Secondly "TAU" repair manual wouldn't help with abnormal conditions. Their are multiple platforms that use this suspension and steering setup. Thirdly, there is no "second party". We do our own work. Our own rack. Our own diags; so im not specifically understanding your repair manual logic. Only reason im taking it to the dealer is because I dont have a Hyundai/Kia GDS VCI scanner. I appreciate your.... incite (?) but my suspension is all new or newer & the rack would be the last piece to the fiasco. After that you kill it with fire

Lol You are something else . XS1:

 

[toxicavenger70]

You listed this as the final camber results: +0.2 L and -0.5 R. Could you not get them closer to each other? Seems like quite a bit of difference.

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[.xs1]

Well the dealer (shop foreman) agrees, its more than likely a rack issue. 3 hours of diag later lol. I'll let everyone know after I do it in a couple weeks. That'll literally be the last step.

 

[Gunkk]

Our cars have a reasonable amount of caster and I agree if the alignment is all in spec and nothing is bent/damaged, the steering wheel should never turn on its own and pull the car. No car should (obviously). And I agree that a faulty steering rack can very much cause the observed issue. I have seen it do so elsewhere.

 

[.xs1]

Well gents, with a saddened heart I regret to inform you that the replacement rack made no difference. The pull is not quite as pronounced, but if you're on a crown road it still pulls just as hard. Straighten the wheel go over a speed bump by the time you're over the speed bump the wheel will be 90° to the right.. still pulls on the highway, still heavy pulls in town.... I don't know. I'm all out of ideas, and unfortunately losing interest in this car... Can't say we didn't try, lol.

 

[PRINCE KEN]

Well gents, with a saddened heart I regret to inform you that the replacement rack made no difference. The pull is not quite as pronounced, but if you're on a crown road it still pulls just as hard. Straighten the wheel go over a speed bump by the time you're over the speed bump the wheel will be 90° to the right.. still pulls on the highway, still heavy pulls in town.... I don't know. I'm all out of ideas, and unfortunately losing interest in this car... Can't say we didn't try, lol.

If your vehicle constantly keeps pulling to one side after all that you went through I believe you may want to consider disassembling your front end and taking body measurements you may have a bent structure if all the other suspension parts are new or in good condition Check the TAU Genesis Repair Manual for body frame measurements specs They are all in there frame to frame I did the same and now I am satisfied with the results after replacements and alignment

 

[.xs1]

For those of you who may be (still) interested, tentatively Monday I will dropping the car off at my local body shop to do frame measurements.

- After the steering rack not changing anything, just for shits & gigs, I went ahead and replaced the remaining 6 of 8 control arms. The front end feels phenomenal when driving and bumps, dips, steering etc. , but the "pull" is exactly the same. Steering wheel still walks right. still heavy pull on right hand road crowns. No change really. Now, Literally. Everything. has. been. replaced. in. the. front. end.

Hopefully we find something within the measurements; tbh I've been looking @ other vehicles to trade the car off, worst case after this.

 

[.xs1]

Well.... She gone lol. Didn't feel like goin much further with it so..

 

[princelybug]

I had a feeling this is what would happen...keep us updated on your next purchase!

 

[PRINCE KEN]

Well.... She gone lol. Didn't feel like goin much further with it so..

I bet any money you had something in there bent

 

[.xs1]

I bet any money you had something in there bent

Than it would have to have been in the frame. Everything in the steering/suspension had been replaced. IDK, now it's the next owners job to find a priest to heal that thing, lol.

I had a feeling this is what would happen...keep us updated on your next purchase!

oh sorry, those pics were of the new one ( it was 9:45 at night when I took those photos; I'll get better ones later) this was the old one.

 

[princelybug]

Than it would have to have been in the frame. Everything in the steering/suspension had been replaced. IDK, now it's the next owners job to find a priest to heal that thing, lol.




oh sorry, those pics were of the new one ( it was 9:45 at night when I took those photos; I'll get better ones later) this was the old one.

Gotcha! Nice choice on the 5.0. Congrats on the upgrade!