tiptopEBPcivc

alright first off, im looking only for TECH answers. meaning i dont care if you dont like my set up or im using BS parts that you wouldnt roll on your civic, i really just dont care about that.

Bump steer problem
car: 1999 honda civic si EM1 b16a2 200hp N/A
Skunk2 camber kit in the front
no name camber kit in the rear
KYB GR2 struts all around
no name coil-overs all around
17 in rims, not bent or warped
toyo tires. mid lift left on tread, no camber wear at all belts are good etc.

Car was complety maxed out on coil-overs. 2 inchs from the ground... now it is prolly about 2 inchs lowwered from stock height.
on the way back up from moving to indiana from florida i started having major problems of my car grabbing every rutt in the road, when it rains its like driving on ice, the car is all over the place....

thing is........ my wife also has a 1999 honda civic si, and her's is slammed to the ground on the same set up though she is on nexen tires like 195/65/15's and using steelies........................... her car does not have any problems what so ever...

so when i drive on good roads here in indiana, it drives straight and just fine, but the bad roads im all over like a drunk driver.

my questions........ what should i look for.... does this have nothing to do with bump steer and it could be a steering problem..... anyone else know of people having the same thing and what ended up wrong with thier car?

just need some ideas and answers.

i am finding the time to get it looked at by a Mech and get an align. and look at all of my parts.... but if someone thinks it could be more then please say so

T3KNiQe

1) potentially front lower ball joints, not likely upper
2) Outter tie rod ends worn
3) potentially worn/need replacing front dampers (highly not likely)

-You have power steering right?

4) possible bad steering rack

-This happens when your not braking right?

How many miles?

tiptopEBPcivc

im at just around 105,000 miles.............
it happens all the time, when im braking it sometimes pulls but its just grabbing diff. rutts in the road.

im scared of number 4 you listed because i have no idea how much that will cost, i hope its just some **** is warn out lol.

I do have powersteering still i checked for leaks and all that but its fine too and fluid is full

i might look at my ball joints all around i had a chance to a few weeks ago and the skunk2 ball joints are good, but havnt looked all around i was mostly looking to see if i had snapped something and it was just hanging. but didnt find anything other then a pass. side CV boot is torn and needs to be replaced.

what would it mean if it happens when im braking?

tiptopEBPcivc

and just so its known my camber plate is full locked down i made sure it wasnt loose and moving on my while i was driving it was the first thing i checked. all tq. down to skunk2 specs

schwazel

whats the condition of your tires? and i would check ball joints, inner/outer tie rod ends for excessive play. if good, may be out of alignment. hard to find places to align lowered cars though.

tiptopEBPcivc

again tires are good, though i dont have enough money to buy stock si rims, but i am going to put the 17's away and put on 15's with reg tires on them.

here in fort wayne you have about 5 choices of shops that can do any car. alot of them have pits in them without rails and they can do alot from down below, and some just have a garage flat surfuce drive in with computerized things... thing is we are 20 minutes out of auburn indiana which is a major place for old hot rods and stuff like every fall there is a huge car show with every make and model and year of cars you can think of its the Kruse International park this year they est. 5000 cars+

but im thinking really towards getting someone to look at it asap, just incase its something serious in my steering rack.

now im a straight forward person i have no idea how to check inner/outer tie rods ends for excessive play.


thanks for some ideas schwazel and T3KNiQe anyone else? or any other ideas im trying to dig deep into this because its such an important thing... steering/suspension

T3KNiQe

Check your front lower ball joints, I'm assuming you'll know when they need to be replaced based on condition? Check your front upper ball joints but they really should be fine.

Go ahead and replace that axle, I wouldn't mess around with replacing just the cv boot. Even if the other axle is ok I would replace it at the same time anyways. If those are original axles the other one will probably go within 10,000 miles of the one need replacing now. Your lowered civic has certainly shaved off 20k-30k of life off your axles, its the price we pay.

Check you outter tie rod ends, this is really the culprit I think. Again the lower your civic the shorter of a life span your tie rods have, same concept as the drivaxles. Do an alignment if you really need to.

I highly doubt its your steering rack though, you have to low of miles for that to happen.

tiptopEBPcivc

thank you. i was going to go ahead and replace both the axles....... real question on that, is advance auto parts axles that are brand new worth anything? are they good are they bad any problems? i dont need comp. axles or anything. i dont really care that they are cheap i just need to know if its just a whatever thing.

how do i check the outter tie rod ends? what am i looking for? any links for pictures of good vs. bad? i'll google a little bit on that. i know how to look at ball joints and what not but not the tie rods

T3KNiQe

Well I use advanced auto remanufactured axles, so I'm sure the new ones would be fine.

When looking at lower ball joints/outter tie rods, you want to look for any cracks or tears in the rubber. See if any grease is leaking out, its pretty self explaintory. Kinda like your leaking cv axle boot, just on your balljoints/outter tie rods your looking for cracks/leaks.

tiptopEBPcivc

welll hot damn tomorrow i will have to get it back in the air. and check everything out again

T3KNiQe

mmhhmm, even if you have a shop do the repairs for you its always good to have an idea of whats wrong/broken so you don't get taken to the cleaners for needless bullshit.

tiptopEBPcivc

yeah true, i just didnt know how to check those tie rods, i got some pictures of bad and good ones off google. and i know about the shops trying to do ****, but i let someone know real good last time they tryed pulling it. im the kinda person of show me it. explain. and give me the old part.

tiptopEBPcivc

thanks for helping me with all of this, and explaining a few things. i would have just been like hell get an align. op that didnt work im getting some new steering rack but hell i seriously have no idea even where to start on that project ha. but thanks again

T3KNiQe

You should be able to take it to a shop and have them right up what needs to be fixed with an estimate at no charge.

Fo real their not supposed to charge you for estimates, if they do then *** that shop.

schwazel

to check tie rods, you will need to jack the car up. once in the air, put your hands in the 3 and 9 o'clock position on the tire, and try and move the wheel. this will show any play in the inner and outer tie rods. then you have to look at the joints for movement. 12 and 6 position to check wheel bearing play.

tiptopEBPcivc

alright, now if i do this, say i have play? how much play is too much, or should there be barly any you know just a tiny tiny barly any to notice? thanks schwazel for the reply. and yeah i will have to have a shop take a look at it. and yeah i dont pay for est. anywhere thats just stupid. they seem not to charge or change there mind when you say i think i will go else where lol. but i will def remember the post about the positions

joelmatt89

i was just wondering i know that alot of people have problems with the skunk2 camber kits wearing out could this have something to do with his problem. Have you inspected the kit especially the boots to make sure they are good?

tiptopEBPcivc

yeah it was the first thing i checked, i heard about that too, that the allen nuts come loose and that makes the ball joint on top able to slide . but all of the skunk2 kit all around is in good order. thanks for posting a helpful hint though

schwazel

if there is any play at all, whereever it may,(ie outer tie rod, inner tie rod, wheel bearing<-probably not likely), the joint is bad. thats interesting about the skunk2 camber thing. i happen to have those. never had a problem, but still good to know. do you have aftermarket shocks? if so are they good? like when you hit bumps does the car bouncea lot? or are they leaking?

low430

Its your wheels
When you raised the car did you get it aligned?

Try on some stock wheels and tires and the pulling will lessen