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Steering wheel wobble, tire wear, bent sway bar?


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Posted

2002 Legacy GT about 120k miles. Not sure how many of these symptoms are related but I'll just list them out.

 

I have a slight steering wheel wobble at all speeds. Does not get worse with braking. Also pulls to the left a bit. Tire pressure checks out. The shop said the alignment is fine.

 

Tire wearing on the inside of the front passenger side tire. Tried rotating front to back and it still wears on the same corner with a different wheel.

 

I replaced the lower ball joints on the front since I noticed the boots were torn. This reduced the pulling and the wobble a bit but it's still there. When I removed the sway bar link on the driver side I had trouble getting the bolt out. When I finally did the sway bar sprang up as shown below. Is that a bent sway bar or something else? I don't remember hitting anything.

 

One thing I haven't checked yet is the rear end but I admit I'm not sure what to look for other than anything obvious.

 

Thanks ahead of time!

1843947943_IMG_20190614_163712(1).thumb.jpg.26228f05d0d2488df6a27a8af1204e69.jpg

Posted
do you have the whole front up in the air or just on one jack stand?

Inspect the driveshaft, the carrier bearing/support bearing could be bad.

 

The whole front was up when I took that.

 

You're talking about the center driveshaft, right?

Posted

you need to pre-load those style endlinks when installing them.

Yes, the center there is only one. The other ones are cv joints/axles from the trans/diff to the wheels.

Posted

So the sway bar is designed that way? That's good to know. The other side disconnected no problem so I guess it's just the one side.

 

I'll check the driveshaft when I get a chance. Unfortunately, I'm in an apartment so I have to drive it to my parents' house.

 

Could it be a CV axle? The one on the front passenger side has a torn boot (the front driver side is only a few years old)

 

Thank you for the help so far!

Posted

Yes you need lower the car onto jack stands, on to the hat of the rotors. both links need to be disconnect from the control arm then you can preload it by lining it up and tightening it.

 

yes, debris from the road could contaminate the axle through the tear in the boot. Once all the grease flings out and water starts getting in it's done per se.

Posted

How are your struts? Was replacing brakes when I first bought Scubie, as I was tightening the wheel, it was moving and I found it to be a bad worn shock. It was still standing tall but it was done.

 

I would check the struts, try to rotate the tierods, you should but barely be able to move them. Tire balance? Sounds dumb but have you greased the parts you put on? Sway bar bushings are an option. Looking good and being good are two different things. Murphy's law...

 

If all that is good, check elsewhere, as in steering shaft. There is a u joint there along the shaft that goes to the gear box. I personally would like to rule out the actual sway bar itself up front, seen one snap before after an accident but never saw one bent. I'm also only 33 so......... Anywho, there's my mechanic advice so far.

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