I had my 95 Prelude aligned today because it was pulling right, see attached alignment info before and after. The mechanic indicated camber is not adjustable on my car. The car is still pulling right a bit even after the alignment. Any suggestions on what could be going on? No accidents or harsh impacts and the UCAs are fairly new, ~20k miles on them.

 

i dont see a problem with your camber, despite the red.

i think the technician could have done a better job aligning the toe and adjusting for the caster difference upfront.

also, your tires are probably really worn in from the last alignment. are you still using them? that would affect how it pulls too.

 

I noticed this morning that the pull was worse than ever. It is the first cold morning of the year, about 25f where I live. Does this exaggerated pull at cold temperatures suggest the steering rack might need replacing?

 

i've never heard of alignment being temperature dependent. and certainly not about the condition of the rack. you assess the rack specifically, does it have play? is it leaking?

how are your shocks? is there any trace of liquid near the seals, indicates they are blown?

 

Shocks are not leaking and have about 30k miles on them. The rack does have a very slow leak, maybe a tablespoon a year, that is evident by PS fluid on the bellows. I'm wondering if the colder temperatures is causing higher pressures in the PS system due to higher viscosity of the fluid which may be exasperating the pull problem? I read this from the following link, "Wandering steering

For this one, you'll feel like the vehicle needs an alignment—almost as if it's doing you a favor to drive straight, when it really doesn't want to. The sensation is as if you are fighting the wind constantly at highway speeds, making constant trajectory corrections, even if it's a windless day. Fighting a car with excess slop in the steering is an exhausting and dangerous way to drive. Schedule an alignment at your favorite tire center to rule that one out. If the alignment is solid and there's no excessive wear in the tie rod ends, pitman arm, or other components, it's likely the rack."

https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/r/...-steering-rack

 

Swap the front tires left to right and see if that changes the pull.

 

This will be hard to do since they are directional tires. I do have another set of tires and rims around that I'll put on and see if the car pulls the same with those.

 

if youre convinced that your steering rack needs to be replaced, whats stopping you?

why didnt you replace it before you got the alignment, if it was leaking? youll need another alignment after replacing the rack...

 

It is fine for the purposes of diagnosing a possible tire pull. You can put them right back where they came from.

 

Update: I swapped the front tires and the pull moved to the opposite direction....pulling left now. Guess it is time for some new tires which I have been looking to buy anyway.

 

Glad you gave it a shot