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Bad bushings cause of steering problems?

K

Kats66Pny

Active Member
Would bad bushings on the LCA cause steering problems (pulls hard to the right if brakes pressed hard/quickly)?

I was talking to a guy Friday night and he said to check the strut rod bushings. I checked, they look fairly new. As for other bushings... not so pretty. I know I need a lot of new front suspension stuff. Everything is all rusted and nasty and the one bushing looks like a smooshed burnt marshmallow. I'd love to be able to afford some new suspension stuff from street or track and opentracker but right now I can't seem to find a stupid job in this town and so budget won't allow for it. So I'll probably go with more grab-a-track suspension stuff.

FYI I tried checking the brakes and taking apart the drum brake on the passenger side, but I gave up because I can't get the grease cap off and I don't think my neighbors need or want to hear anymore of my lovely language right now.
 
If you're referring to the 'marshmellows' in your pics of the spindle and UCA/LCA those are the dust boots for the ball joints, they're not bushings. You will have bushings on the ends of the strut rods and they may be dried out and mushy. I'd say it's your drum brakes pulling that is causing the L/R pull on application, drums are notorious for needing the correct tension on both sides to pull evenly.

You'll need a small flat blade screw driver to work the cap off, going 360* around the cap at least 90* apart each time you pry, work it off, don't try to pry it off at one spot you'll bend it or pucture it.
Jon
 
Ah ok. Well I knew they were something. :lol I'll try messing around again with the brakes see if I can get them apart or not. Thanks.
 
The lower arm won't make it pull like you describe. That sounds like a sticky brake to me. If the inside bushing was shot on the LCA, it would clunk going round corners or up driveways. Pulling while braking is not a good thing so get at it ASAP. If you haven't done brakes before, don't pull it apart without help. You need to pull the hub and brake drum off together to look at the brakes and it has to go back on the right way or you'll mess up the wheel bearings.
 
Ahh well definitely no clunking noises going on. As for the brakes.. the only experience I have with brakes is the one time I changed the shoes in my old dodge shadow 13 yrs ago. :lol So I guess I'll wait till later this week to mess with it so I don't mess anything up.
 
It isn't real bad at all. Just do one side at a time and you can then match things in question, just reversed. Wheel bearing settings and brake settings are critical to drum brakes stopping straight. The car I just sold had some sweet drum brakes as all was new.... I could do a hard stop from 60+ with no pull. Once they are good, it takes regular checks about every 6 months if you drive a lot. Don't forget to replace the entire self adjuster setup. That helps them stay properly adjusted when you back up and apply th brakes sharply. So many fail to do that and the brakes never get a [proper self adjusting set.
 
I agree that it's most likely the drum brakes being out of adjustment. If the strut rod bushings (on both sides of the strut rod bucket) are worn out, though, you can adjust the drum brakes all you want and they'll still pull and/or vibrate.
 
What baffles me is the brakes are suppose to be newish (redone sometime within the last year). The drums themselves don't look new at all, but since I can't see inside, I have no idea if any of those parts are things that were replaced. Maybe the PO didn't do something right when he did whatever he did with the brakes.

Oh here's a pic of one side of the strut rod bushings. They look newish to me, but I don't know crap. :lol
 
Concerning new.....the PO on the car I just sold had redone all the brakes....new drums and all. The outside of the drums will flash rust if not painted. Look old hast. On mine, the PO did not replace the self adjusting mechanisms at all. I also found a rear cylinder leaking....for a recent new replacement that was not good and it got replaced. I put in a complete self adjuster kit on each wheel....$25.00 total.....and all was well. And, as I said before, if you do not back up and apply the brakes briskly, they do not get the proper self adjusting action to keep them in proper adjustment. This is the design of the system.
 
if u get the front drums off and everything looks clean/new/rebuilt it could be the brake hose thats bad, an easier replacement than most so if your hoses that screw into back of front wheel cylinder look like ancient history try replacing them which also can be a real chore to get loose from brake line. wes
 
"Kats66Pny" said:
What baffles me is the brakes are suppose to be newish (redone sometime within the last year). The drums themselves don't look new at all, but since I can't see inside, I have no idea if any of those parts are things that were replaced. Maybe the PO didn't do something right when he did whatever he did with the brakes.

Oh here's a pic of one side of the strut rod bushings. They look newish to me, but I don't know crap. :lol
Click to expand...

Those bushings look fine. You should see the POS bushings we just pulled of my daughter's '67. They looked like crap, and very well may have been the original 40 year old bushings.

I would listen to the others and look at the adjusters and just re-adjusting again.
 
When it rains, it pours. Now I have 3 cars with brake problems. My mustang, my Sebring conv, and now hubbys Lexus. :rp I could care less about my sebring as its just a joy rider, and the mustang is a toy, but the lexus is the everday driver family car. Looks like the mustang is going to have to wait a little bit longer to get worked on. :cry
 
So I'm bored, husband at work, kids at the in-laws... so what else is there to do.. Take apart Gertrude!

I removed the tires and was looking at stuff. Checked the brake lines going to the drums, no kinks, bends etc. Lines look pretty newish. But something doesn't look right. The drums are crooked. If one is straight, the other is turned. And if you spin them, the passender side (the side it pulls too when braking) seems tighter and doesn't go around as fast or as much as the drivers side. I took a couple video's so hopefully the visual helps explain it. Sorry for the quality, free iphone video app.

Why are the drums not sitting the same? Is that an alignment issue?
Why does the one side spin more and faster than the other side? Is that a wheel bearing thing?
 
Alignment or control arms need work.

Bearings to tight cause drag or brake adjusted to tight,,,,,,,but it could be the opposite.....the other side is to loose, both bearing and brakes.
 
"AzPete" said:
Alignment or control arms need work.

Bearings to tight cause drag or brake adjusted to tight,,,,,,,but it could be the opposite.....the other side is to loose, both bearing and brakes.
Click to expand...
:wstup

I would start with what Pete said. Adjust both the wheel bearing and drum on both sides. That's easy and free. The idea being that both drums should spin the same. If one is spinning harder/slower, it WILL pull to that side (kind of how you steer a tank ... slow down the track on the direction you want to turn).

Normally both wheels will not point straight ahead. They should point slightly inwards, towards each other. That's the toe-in.
 
New question. What would cause a clunking noise if making a hard right turn? I'm gonna guess suspension something, but does anyone know of something specific that would cause it?

I just noticed it today, but hubby said he's heard it before. We had to take the mustang today to the auto parts store because our family car, the Lexus, has brake problems. Checked all the lines, no leaks, replaced master cylinder in it, was bleeding the brakes and got to the front right one and if you started pumping the brake, fluid spraying out of the hose. :po

I had to giggle and remind hubby it was MY Fix Or Repair Daily that still runs and can stop and his stupid Lexus is broken. :vic It felt good!
 
Ball joint, tie rod end, control arm bushings, wheel bearings, steering box play, really anything in the steering/suspension. Until you get under and look for problems, it is a guess. I would start with ball joints and control arm bushings.
 
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