BluDestiny Posted December 27, 2013 Share Posted December 27, 2013 So it got worse between that time and now, I have no idea how that happened. And most of these mods being mentioned honestly should only be done to a car that is seeing a lot of track time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Connor280ZX Posted December 27, 2013 Author Share Posted December 27, 2013 So it got worse between that time and now, I have no idea how that happened. And most of these mods being mentioned honestly should only be done to a car that is seeing a lot of track time. Between then and now the only things that were changed were the sway bar bushings and the tires... I'm stumped on this one. The toe doubled by itself. My car has never been tracked as far as i know. I'm going to place a call to a Datsun repair shop tomorrow. The Owner has worked on my car multiple times, so i guess i'll ask for his opinion on this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeeboost Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 (edited) Your cross camber is probably mostly responsible for the pull. If you don't want to slot the strut towers, the proper way to make camber adjustable would be to install camber plates. You'll want your right front camber to be -.4 as well to match the left side. Depending on how bad the crown is on the roads in your area, sometimes it helps to bump the caster up .5* higher on the pass side to help compensate for it, but typically with sports cars the caster should be even on both sides. You probably have worn suspension components contributing to the poor rear toe angles, though they're not really that bad. Even if you have more luggage / weight in the back, that can change your readings. If you're worried about the pull, my money is on the front camber split. Get that addressed then retest. You can also have a radial pull from the tires, yes I've seen plenty of (cheap) new tires cause a pull, so I wouldnt rule that out. You can swap the two front tires and drive it again to see if it still pulls right or now pulls left. That should tell you if it's a tire pull or not. If youre worried about tire wear, then check the integrity of everything involved with the rear suspension and replace if necessary. And yes you can slot the rear subframe to be able to adjust toe. Edited January 2, 2014 by zeeboost Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Connor280ZX Posted January 3, 2014 Author Share Posted January 3, 2014 Alright, heres the update: I got it back from the shop and what a surprize, they found nothing wrong! I filled them in completely on my issue, but they say there is no problem with my suspension... I dont even think they took it for a test drive because the car was stone cold after they "Finished checking it" and they didnt note down that the car pulls strong to the right, or that the steering wheel wobbles. This annoyed me, but luckily a friend here on HZ, knowing that i replaced the rear shocks myself reminded me of torque specs on the nuts. I didn't have a torque wrench at the time, so i just tightened them untill i felt they were snug using an 8 inch socket wrench. I am going to tighten them up to spec tomorrow, but could this be a contributing factor? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeeboost Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 I can't see how it would be. If it pulls hard to the right, you may very well have a radial tire pull. Looking at your specs it should just be a slight-to-moderate drift to the right, nothing dramatic. Just swap the front two tires and retest. And while you have the front end off the ground, grab the tires and shake them side to side and up and down (checking for any type of play in the front end) with your steering wheel unlocked. You shouldn't feel any slop. and when I say up and down, I mean grab the top of the tire and pull it towards you, while pushing the bottom of the tire with your other hand. Then vice versa, rapidly. Again, I know your specs for the rear are in the red but the last one you posted wasn't really that bad at all. Do the things I listed above and report back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Connor280ZX Posted January 3, 2014 Author Share Posted January 3, 2014 (edited) Just checked the torquing on the nuts. Both the rear strut hub mount bolts were not to spec, so I re torqued them. Same with a few shock tower nuts.Zee, I tried my best to check what you said to, but my jack isn't large enough to completely raise the front end, so I can't swap the wheels. However, I was able to remove enough weight to steer them somewhat freely. I checked for play like you instructed, and everything seems tight though I won't know for sure since the wheels never left the ground. I guess id better Invest in a larger jack. EDIT: Just took it for a test drive up to 65MPH and oddly enough, the wobble in the steering wheel has subsided. The pulling, not so much. Edited January 3, 2014 by Connor280ZX Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Connor280ZX Posted January 4, 2014 Author Share Posted January 4, 2014 Drove it again: I havent mentioned it before, but when i bought the car, a very loud, rapid, clunking/knocking noise could be heard from the rear left of the car when going up a hill, or even a slight grade above 40MPH. I initially thought this was caused by a combination of blown shocks, and a warped brake rotor. I replaced the shocks, and the sound went away for a while. It came back, so i replaced the rear rotors, and once again the sound went away for a while. Now, its back again. Last night, i was going up a slope on the freeway and this sound returns. It comes on slow, then gets louder and it repeats faster. The car also vibrates when this happens. Something has to be broken. Maybe whatever is causing this noise, is related to my alignment issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeeboost Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 CV axles (or most likely in your case, u-joints in the half shafts) can have a tendency to do that under load. Other than that, just go run to harbor freight for a hydraulic jack and swap the two tires. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Connor280ZX Posted January 5, 2014 Author Share Posted January 5, 2014 A bad CV Joint? I had a speculation about it. That wouldn't affect the wheel alignment though, would it? And yes, i'm going to have to invest in a larger jack soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeeboost Posted January 5, 2014 Share Posted January 5, 2014 I should've said bad or worn axle joints can do that, they shouldn't make any noise in normal working order. And no they won't affect your alignment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Connor280ZX Posted January 5, 2014 Author Share Posted January 5, 2014 Wow, i'm in for a new half shaft... I'll try to take the car in this week for that repair, don't want to bust a joint on the freeway. I'll fill the guy in on my alignment issue while he's working in that area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluDestiny Posted January 5, 2014 Share Posted January 5, 2014 (edited) You don't have cv joints, unless you swapped them into your car. You should have regular U joint axles, which do go bad. Does this sound only happen on slope when there is more weight on the car? That would be indicative of angle since there is more weight on the rear causing change in the angles for the axles. You should therefore be able to recreate it with say an extra 200-300lbs in the trunk on level ground. Are you sure this doesn't happen when you are turning left or right either? Only when uphill? Or does it go away when your turning in a direction? Edited January 5, 2014 by BluDestiny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Connor280ZX Posted January 5, 2014 Author Share Posted January 5, 2014 You don't have cv joints, unless you swapped them into your car. You hold have regular U joint axles, which do go bad. Does this sound only happen on slope when there is more weight on the car? That would be indicative of angle since there is more weight on the rear causing change in the angles for the axles. You hold therefore be able to recreate it with say an extra 200-300lbs in the trunk on level ground. Are you sure this doesn't happen when you are turning left or right either? Only when uphill? My bad, they are the stock axles. It doesnt make the sound 100% of the time, but I'd only hear it at cruising speeds and above going up slopes, or hills. It will make the noise regardless of angle. When i get to the top of the grade, i let my foot off of the gas and begin to coast. The sound continues for a good 5 seconds or so, then dies down and goes away. I can hear it knock once or twice when i go over a bump as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeeboost Posted January 6, 2014 Share Posted January 6, 2014 Eh...may not be u-joints if you can hear the exact same noise going over bumps. When you hear the noise, does it sound like it's a rotational noise? Is there a rhythm that it knocks to and does it increase or decrease depending on speed of vehicle? Or does it knock at a random, unpredictable frequency only under the conditions you describe? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Connor280ZX Posted January 6, 2014 Author Share Posted January 6, 2014 When you hear the noise, does it sound like it's a rotational noise? Is there a rhythm that it knocks to and does it increase or decrease depending on speed of vehicle? Or does it knock at a random, unpredictable frequency only under the conditions you describe? It starts off with a few inconsistent knocks, then becomes consistent and to where it is rythimical. The speed of the car does not affect how fast or slow it knocks. Sometimes, a bump triggers it. Now that I think of it, sometimes on cold mornings there's a quiet rotational groaning noise that comes from the rear left, but when it's heard it's usually for a few moments only at low speeds (20 and below). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluDestiny Posted January 6, 2014 Share Posted January 6, 2014 Have you had your rear wheel bearings checked recently? Almost sounds like wheel bearings, or a loose caliper bolt or something. To check the bearings yourself, bust jack up the rear of the car so the rear wheels are completely off the ground, grab the top and bottom of the tires firmly, and try and wiggle it loose. If there is any play at the rim (not talking about tire flex) then id take it to a shop for a final opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Connor280ZX Posted January 7, 2014 Author Share Posted January 7, 2014 Have you had your rear wheel bearings checked recently? Almost sounds like wheel bearings, or a loose caliper bolt or something. To check the bearings yourself, bust jack up the rear of the car so the rear wheels are completely off the ground, grab the top and bottom of the tires firmly, and try and wiggle it loose. If there is any play at the rim (not talking about tire flex) then id take it to a shop for a final opinion Just double checked the rears, they are very tight. The rear left has some rotational play, but thats probably just the differential. My differential mount looks a bit worn, but i doublt that would be causing the problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Connor280ZX Posted January 8, 2014 Author Share Posted January 8, 2014 Taking the car in to the Datsun guy this week. For those of you who were curious, here's one the sounds that is heard. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfXOz3HoXAY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluDestiny Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 So your taking about that low grating sound right? the squeaking is normal. The low grumble almost sounds like a metal on metal, but honestly I've never heard anything that sounds like it. It could be from the exhaust rubbing on the axles, or something from the angles that the axles are at. Have you considered a diff swap? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Connor280ZX Posted January 8, 2014 Author Share Posted January 8, 2014 (edited) So your taking about that low grating sound right? the squeaking is normal. The low grumble almost sounds like a metal on metal, but honestly I've never heard anything that sounds like it. It could be from the exhaust rubbing on the axles, or something from the angles that the axles are at. Have you considered a diff swap? Yes, that grating/groaning sound. It definatlely sounds like a sticky sort of rubbing sound. Thats exactly what i thought, but i checked in all of those areas, and i cant find any fresh wear near that area. The exhaust, axle, huband caliper all look untouched. Of course, i only hear it over bumps now but i can't figure out where its coming from. What about a seizing wheel bearing? Could that be a posibility? Oh man, diff swaps, haha. It currently has a 3.90 R200, but the only reason why i would swap it would be due to a failure. If i were too, i'd try to get my hands on an R200 VLSD. Edited January 8, 2014 by Connor280ZX Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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