S40 Still pulling after extensive work - what now?
 

1999 S40 2.0 T SE - 123k miles.

I have a problem that I just cannot get to the bottom of. The car pulls constantly to the left. By pulling, I mean as soon as I let go of the wheel the car heads for the kerb. Now the interesting thing is that the steering wheel also turns to the left slightly (ie. it does not centre as it should). The steering wheel when left alone sits at about 11:55.

Now, Initially when I realised something was wrong there were various things that might have been causing it. I have now eliminated those as follows:

Top Eng mount - Replaced as it was knocking
Gearbox mount - Replaced as it was knocking
Bottom arm (o/s/f) - Replaced as it was knocking

Tyres swapped with another S40 and still I get the same.

The tracking has been looked at and adjusted several times and I am reluctant to pay out for a full 4 wheel track / align and geometry check as it stands as I will need to do the same after the rear suspension bushes have been replaced. I have been told these could do with doing but it's not an urgent job and is unlikely to be causing the kind of behaviour I am seeing so I am not prepared to fork out another £300+ to have the back end sorted.

I am almost certain it's something to do with the front as the steering wheel fails to centralise is at low speed (as little as when rolling off the drive) as well as normal travelling speed. The front tyres are also being scrubbed (on the outer edges) and I need to sort this before I replace them.

I had the o/s/f spring changed about 7-8 months ago and was told the other side would not necessarily need replacing at the same time. Genuine parts were used and the n/s/f was checked and said to be ok. The distance between the wheel arch and the ground when on the flat is the same on both sides and the car does not appear to sit lower on one side.

Shockers seem to be ok on both sides as the distance travelled and time to settle after bouncing is the same on each side.

The drive is fine and much improved since the mounts and the bottom arm were done but the pulling is still there and I am running out of ideas.

Does anyone have any idea where to go from here given all of the symptoms?

Cheers.

Thanks also to Dave of Brown's Autocare and manoman48 for their help in getting this far!

I think your only option is for a 4 wheel allignment. I have read a few posts with people having exactly the same symptoms as you and the 4 wheel allignment sorted it out. I think the price was in the region of about £75.

What about a brake problem? If the left brakes are binding a bit then the car will pull to the left. Try spinning the wheels with the car jacked up to test for any resistance.

4 wheel tracking costs around 45 but then the full alignement could cost alot and tbh i think only the back end has any adjustment on it. Tyre pressures also... er quite alot of little things could do this engine mounts will have no effect really.

Also did you realise almost all of britain raods are cambered to let the water flow off them? Some unleared people think thier tracking is badly out when its just the car following the camber but i know what you mean though. Ive been told same things when i KNOW at a certain spot the car should be running straight as the part of the road is not cambered.

hi, have you jacked the car up so the front wheels are hanging, straighten up the wheels and then start the car up and watch for any movement on the steering wheel. this will see if you have any worn seals or valves in the steering gear.
this works on the buses and coaches i work on dont know if it works on cars as i havnt had the problem myself yet. but this is a free check and it will only cost your time,
good luck hope this helps
David

Really? With the steering wheel position also? See this makes me think it's something at the front end.

scrumper - Brakes all fine all round. I did have a sticking calliper on the n/s/r and I thought this was the cause but after that was replaced I still had the issue. Wheels all spin freely when off the ground and none of the wheels get particularly hot.

Dog_Book - Definitely not the camber of the road. I am constantly fighting to keep this car in a straight line. If I turn to the left it's fine but turning to the right is a little harder work. Only a little though, barely noticable but it's there.

greasy-lover - Good idea. I will try that and report back. I may need to pick your brain a little more on this one!

Cheers all ...

Spyda, I have always changed springs in pairs. If you have a new spring on the o/s and a weaker one on the n/s it would cause what you are experiencing to some degree. Also maybe shocker mounts at fault/not aligned properly. If you have one or two faults here it could cause an exaggeration in your steering.

Has it always done it? i.e. did you buy it with this fault?

are the wheels both in the same position in the wheel arch? measure between the sill and the wheel rim. If for example someone has ****ted the left had wheel against the kerb and bent something pushed the wheel back it will produce these effects - the distance its pushed out by doesn't need to be much either.

scottishvolvo - I thought the same but was informed at the time there should be no need and after a thorough inspection I have been told the same by another garage. Car sits the same on both sides and the position of the wheels in the arch are the same.

Chris1Roll - The problem is I cannot recall exactly when the problem began. Whether it was after the spring change or before but if it was after I am certain I would have noticed it when I picked the car up. In all honesty I think it's just somethign that was not too bad and has now got steadily worse.

Again, it's the steering wheel position and its reluctance to return to a central position that is confusing the hell out of me. I am sure that's key to all this!