Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting Front End Alignment?

The car wants to drift right I then have to constantly turn left to correct for it. Is the alignment messed up? It?s not too bad right now but I just want to get it corrected now before it gets to bad. Should my friendly Ford Dealer do it as well, sounds like something best suited for them instead of a local garage.

Thanks.

It most probably is an alignment issue, however, it could also be the result of incorrect tire pressure or uneven tire wear, as well. At least start by checking tire pressure. If all is well, get the alignment done.

Only take it to a reputable shop for an alignment(preferably NOT the shop you had your brakes done at!! ), so my advice to you is go to where a friend would recommend having service done.

I had the same problem with my 2000 SVT, took it to the dealer (under warranty, they replaced both front hubs and bearing and the right lower control arm which they said was bent. The car is better now but it still is a handful on asphalt roads that are deeply wear rutted. It wants to climb out of the rut either right or left. I would replace the right control arm myself if needed, the left one seems to require more work than I'm willing to do.

Thanks Jeff. I just had someone else drive and they said they did not feel anything weird. I am going to check the tire pressure this afternoon and if I still feel something see if P'Burgh Ford can get it in on tomorrow.

Have them check your A-arm bushings - very common failure on our cars. Will throw your alignment way out of wack and the car won't hold an alignment until it gets fixed. Are not servicable without replacing the entire arm. Tery Haines is coming out with upgraded poly bushings for early style horizontal bushings (switched sometime in 98, my E0 has horiz bushes). Gonna be cheaper than a new arm, too (with the core).

I wonder if I get a discount on mine for advertising for HMS?

This may sound stupid, but from personal experience... any chance a crew has complete road work in your area? Recently thought my car was pulling to the right. Had everything checked, nothing found. Test drove by a mechanic, nothing. Another customer as the dealership asked me about the problem, and he told me to look at the road I drive daily. Sure enough, they had just paved it, and there was a slight draw to the right, which made the car seem like it was pulling. Changed my route to the highway and problem is now gone. Strange but true

There was a link to the svtoa website posted a while back concerning this issue.My car has been doing it since it was new also.I had it aligned three timesbut never corrected the problem.What you need to do is drop the subframe and move it to the pass. side and then shift it forward some.This was done on my car about two weeks ago and has fixed the problem under warranty of course.

If you have confirmed that there is a pull on level ground with the tires properly inflated, the next step is to swap the two front tires. If you have a pull that is generated by a tire problem, the pull will change, usually going to the opposite side.

If you have a tire pull, sometimes the tire will correct itself from running on the back for a few thousand miles (until the next rotation cycle). If it does not, the tire will need to be replaced to keep it from causing a pull.

If it is not a tire pull, the alignment must be checked. The caster and camber are not adjustable on Contiques. There are not as of yet any aftermarket companies that make a kit to provide for caster and camber adjustment. If the caster and camber is in spec, but the split (difference between right and left sides) is not optimal, you can sometimes overcome a pull by shifting the subframe. Basically you are re aiming the front wheels. There is not a lot of room there for adjustment, but often there is enough.

Generally speaking the toe adjustment will not cause a pull, but if the toe is not even from side to side, the steering wheel will not be straight and an off center steering wheel may cause the perception of a steering pull.

Don't forget that problems with the rear wheels can also contribute to a pull. If the rear toe is set so that the thrust angle (relationship to the front wheels) is off, it can cause a pull, at least in extreme cases. Sometimes a really bad tire will cause a pull even when it is on the rear. Rear camber that is way off can also contribute to a pull, but it is not adjustable so if it is found to be off, you will need to visit a frame shop.

My guess is that: 1. You don't really have a problem, it is just certain streches of road; 2. You have a slight tire pull.

Good luck with getting it resolved.

I brought the car to a carwash the other day and sprayed all the ICE and snow from the car (ALOT CAME OFF). I dont really seem to notice it anymore. I was amazed the spots snow came out off, the day I started to see it we had just had a snow storm of about 1 foot.