East Tennessee Region SCCA

After the last event, i'm getting a pop in the front of the car making low speed turns and when i back out of a parking spot. Also, the car seems to want to pull to the right. I'm not sure if it's the front bar, something in the coilovers, or if a caliper is sticking (the pulling)?

I'm going to get under the front today and see if the front bar mounts are loose. I checked the endlinks and they look fine. So how do i go about diagnosing what's going on? Suggestions on what it could be? Also, before the last event i had the car aligned and corner balanaced.

Thanks for the help!

if its pulling, you likely have a top cap/bearing/spring perch in a bind of sorts.
not wanting to return to true center.

John Brown wrote: ↑Tue Jul 12, 2022 6:02 am if its pulling, you likely have a top cap/bearing/spring perch in a bind of sorts.
not wanting to return to true center.

How do i fix that? Is it something i'd need to contact the manufacturer over?

most of the time I'v experienced it... something was contacting the upper bearing cap. Like a body tab or something in close proximity to the cap.
Raise the front up.. disconnect the tie rod ends and make sure the strut turns freely on both sides.

Be sure to check the endlinks with the car loaded. With that said, that is going to make a clunk and not a pop. And won't make the car pull.

Car pulling could be a separate issue.

Are you springs "free"? They could be seating and unseating in the perch. Again, not an issue that causes pulling.

steverife wrote: ↑Tue Jul 12, 2022 6:28 am Be sure to check the endlinks with the car loaded. With that said, that is going to make a clunk and not a pop. And won't make the car pull.

Car pulling could be a separate issue.

Are you springs "free"? They could be seating and unseating in the perch. Again, not an issue that causes pulling.

How do i tell if theyre free? Raise the car and try to move them?

How do i tell if theyre free? Raise the car and try to move them?

Yes. Free means the springs aren't compressed at full droop. So they could potentially get cocked in the perches

A pop can mean a bushing is binding and is moving in fits and starts as it's loaded and unloaded. I had rod ends sticking in my Watts link and was getting a pop when cornering when they released. It was quite a loud noise and I didn't find what was causing it right away. Your sway bar bushings, for example, might need lubrication. You need the sticky silicone grease for that.

Also take a look at the swaybar and be sure it isn't binding. That's unlikely to cause a consistent pull but it isn't that unusual with aftermarket suspension stuff. Disconnect the end links on the swaybar and be sure you can move the ends of the bar up and down freely. Dielectric grease or KY jelly works well to help loosen them up a bit if you have a binding issue since they won't degrade rubber and polyurethane.

MARKP wrote: ↑Tue Jul 12, 2022 8:18 am Also take a look at the swaybar and be sure it isn't binding. That's unlikely to cause a consistent pull but it isn't that unusual with aftermarket suspension stuff. Disconnect the end links on the swaybar and be sure you can move the ends of the bar up and down freely. Dielectric grease or KY jelly works well to help loosen them up a bit if you have a binding issue since they won't degrade rubber and polyurethane.

I'll do that next. The bushings up front are such that they dont take lube. They have this felt like material in the middle. I got the car up on ramps on my break and everything looked fine and felt tight, but i'll disconnect the endlinks on lunch and see what's up there.

Little update, this morning the pull seems to have resolved itself. Car still makes a little pop turning. Also i stopped at the store a few miles from the shop after work. With the wheel straight and backing out of the spot i got the pop. I'm going to get the car on ramps, disconnect the front endlinks and see if the bar is binding.

Question on a possible cause if it is binding. Can binding be caused by the endlinks not being as vertical as possible?

It could if the geometry is way off but that seems like it would be an extreme example. I think you want the swaybar as level as possible. Binding is typically caused by a swaybar that won't move freely in the bushings.

Try jacking up one corner of the car to see if you can replicate the pop. Besides the sway bar, there are suspension arm bushings and ball joints that could have dried out.

dewittpayne wrote: ↑Wed Jul 13, 2022 6:38 pm Try jacking up one corner of the car to see if you can replicate the pop. Besides the sway bar, there are suspension arm bushings and ball joints that could have dried out.

I didnt think about bad bushings, but its a definite possibility since the car is pushing 200k. I know my original sway bar bushings up front were a little wallered out.