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| 88 GT handling / suspension issue (Page 1/2) |
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Rsvl-Rider
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SEP 25, 01:35 PM
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Well, I just got back from Les Schwab where I had a suspension inspection and I am really frustrated. I've looked over the car as well as my experience allows but I can find no explanation for the progressively worsening handling so I decided to have a professional shop look at it before hopefully taking this car on the Coast Run. He found nothing!
The symptoms are generally poor handling. The car feels like it wanders and follows ruts and grooves much more than any of my other Fieros. The rear end feels loose especially when accelerating out of a turn. I was making a tight right hand turn recently when another car came up on me suddenly as I was merging into the lane. I accelerated quickly to gain some room and the whole rear end felt like it slid out from under me causing me to overcorrect to stay in the lane.
This car had been sitting unused for 2 or 3 years due to other unrelated issues (cracked header had to be removed and repaired) but I finally got it back on the road several weeks ago and have been driving it as a daily in-town commuter and the occasional freeway trip. The tires are beginning to show some slight checking but are still well within their service life.
I'm not sure how far he went with the inspection. It was a free inspection but he took about 40 minutes on it. He seemed knowledgeable when I spoke to him but I noted he never put the car on a lift. Maybe they were intimidated by the lifting points graphic I handed them? He raised the rear end with a floor jack and did the basic manual bearing check and then poked around under the car a bit on a creeper but never really got under it. He did mention the the rack and pinion had a slight leak but didn't think that was significant. He also mentioned that it could be something in the differential (???) and that maybe a driveline shop might be able to help. He did not drive the car except to bring it into the service bay.
I asked him about the struts ( I had already done a quick check and could find no leaks ) but he said they looked ok. I have no idea when they were installed. This car was my first Fiero and was modified by the previous owner with a 3.4L swap, and lowered with adjustable coils in the back. It's always had a stiff somewhat bumpy ride but I assume that is due to the lowering. When I asked if might still be something with struts / coils he said that they didn't do struts with coil overs there since the strut and coil are a single assembly and they didn't do that kind of work. Is that true??? I always assumed the adjustable coil over replaced the original stock coil.
All questions, comments and suggestions are welcome at this point. I just want my car back!
Car is shown in the signature below.
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John Wayne as John Bernard Books in The Shootist...
" I won't be wronged. I won't be insulted. I won't be laid a-hand on. I don't do these things to other people, and I require the same from them."
My rides...
1988 GT with a 3.4L V6 automatic
1987 GT stock (with added stripes)
2006 Harley Sportster
'cause I love the twisties on two wheels or four.
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IMSA GT
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SEP 25, 03:40 PM
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Since this is an 88, I'd look at the lateral links in the rear and make sure nothing has come loose especially on the rear knuckles. It sounds like the rear end is "walking". Hopefully Fieroguru chimes in since he is the expert in the 88 suspension.
Also I remember you had posted another thread regarding push-pull feelings with the AC on. I don't know if this could be related.[This message has been edited by IMSA GT (edited 09-25-2021).]
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cam-a-lot
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SEP 25, 04:19 PM
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Did you check the torque on the long bolt inside the rear knuckles?
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Patrick
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SEP 25, 05:19 PM
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| quote | Originally posted by cam-a-lot:
Did you check the torque on the long bolt inside the rear knuckles?
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That would be my guess. I almost put my Formula through a fence at autocross one year when that bolt wasn't tightened up on one side of the car (after working on the suspension earlier in the week). I totally lost control of the car when the rear end took off after a quick left/right (or right/left) maneuver through the cones at speed.[This message has been edited by Patrick (edited 09-25-2021).]
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fieroguru
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SEP 25, 06:56 PM
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Yes, if the car tries to self steer with the application of the throttle, then the most common cause is a loose lateral link bolt (normally the long one through the knuckle) or a bad lateral link bushing.
If the rear has poly bushings in the lateral links, it normally takes a few times of tightening them as the inner sleeve is thinner than stock and compresses (and loosened up). This is part of the reason I went with rod end lateral links.
The front looks to be lowered, it the bump stops were not trimmed, you are riding around on them all the time, which would make the front end very hard and bouncy.
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Rsvl-Rider
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SEP 25, 08:08 PM
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Thank you all for the replies. I will be checking all of these items asap.
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skywurz
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SEP 25, 08:24 PM
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I took my Fiero to a les Schwab for an alignment once. They couldn't get it right.... I had just replaced everything on the front end. I had to fix the camber myself... The steering wheel still isn't straight.
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batboy
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SEP 25, 09:14 PM
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Sounds like the shop just looked at the obvious things like ball joints and tie rods. What about control arm bushings? I've seen tires with a bad belt cause problems like that, even though they look good. You think it has adjustable rear coil overs? The spring will be a uniform diameter (not tapered). Maybe that will give you more to check.
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Notorio
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SEP 25, 10:52 PM
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| quote | Originally posted by Rsvl-Rider:
Thank you all for the replies. I will be checking all of these items asap. |
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When you do can you please post a picture of the problem child?
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Rsvl-Rider
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SEP 26, 07:08 PM
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