Will bump-steer accelerate tie-rod wear?

Vernon C · Feb 5, 2003

I have an '83 with a QA1 k-member and stock type control arms, the springs are cut down V8 replacements. This is supporting a relatively lightwieght carburated 3.8 with 1" setback. I've been going through inner tie-rods as fast as I get around to replacing one for an alignment the other has gone bad. About every 6 months.

I have not noticed any bump steer through the steering wheel or driving the car at high speeds over uneven roads so I didn't think I had a bump-steer issue. I was reading a post yesterday where someone mentioned that you wanted the control arm and tie-rods parrallel to one another. This made sence to me and sunk in, so I got under the car today at ride height and noticed that my stuff is obviously off. My control arms sit level while the rack is too low. I will install off-set rack bushings soon and a bump steer kit if necessary to get it on or really close.

Will this also take care of my tie-rod problems, it would seem to be related and I'm thinking it will. If anyone has some experiance to share please do, otherwise I'm thinking of replacing the whole rack. My local roads are ruff in places.

Thanks,
Vernon

Vernon C · Feb 11, 2003

What's the deal? Is the question too stupid or common? Doesn't anybody here who would know even have an opinion? I need to know if the parts store I'm using blows or if it's the car. Did I say something wrong? If it's just been overlooked sorry, I'm just wondering why I can't get any comments. I know you guys are tired of the same question being asked every day but I did several searches and coudn't find any post that discussed this directly. If it matters my 3.8 will out run a stock 5.0, on motor, so I'm not some stupid kid wishing I bought a GT, I can do whatever I want.

Anyone run for a year or so with bad tie-rod to control arm geometry and not have a problem?

Any help would be really appreciated, hope I don't seem like an ***** now.
Vernon

MFE · Feb 11, 2003

Honestly I think you simply went beyond the experience of most of us who check this forum regularly. It's too UNcommon. Personally I don't answer questions when I don't have a clue (would that the rest of the internet worked that way, eh?) and lots of people here in this forum feel the same way. I certainly wouldn't be able to offer any advice with conviction because I don't know what the K-member does to the geometry but if you want me to ramble out some stream-of-consciousness....IMHO if you're not noticing any bump steer I'd start looking to the parts supplier. However, so many of the parts houses uses the same set of suppliers I wouldn't expect 3 sets in a row to go bad or we'd all be having problems. Which brings us back to geometry.

My first instinct was maybe the suspension at full compression is really putting stress on the inner tie rods, but to me that makes no sense because that would manifest itself as hellacious bumpsteer; it would simply draw that steering knuckle inward relative to the spindle. Maybe there's an articulation problem at the OUTER tie rod ends that's stressing the inners at full bump? I really don't know. Sorry.

Vernon C · Feb 11, 2003

OK, thanks. I'll give it some thought and see if I can find anything else. Maybe I shouldn't expect them to last long around these roads at the speeds I travel. Hopefully when I raise the rack and install some spring isolaters it will go away. I've taken so much wieght off my front end now that the cut down stockers are way too stiff for comfort also, so I'm thinking of getting something else.

Vernon

Texas89LX · Feb 12, 2003

id try a diffrent brand maybe

if you dont have bump steer symptoms id think that maybe those fixes wouldnt do anything. but maybe with the rack at an odd angle or diffrent level to the spindle, it may cause excess side loading or something on the tie rod ends and cause excess wear. the stuff youre talking about changing could fix that.

try it and let us know if that fixes it.... im intrested to know what will fix this

Norm Peterson · Feb 12, 2003

Vernon C said:
What's the deal? Is the question too stupid or common? Doesn't anybody here who would know even have an opinion?
(snip)
Any help would be really appreciated, hope I don't seem like an ***** now.
Vernon

Looked at this thread 2 or 3 times before with nothing coming immediately to mind. As MFE noted, it doesn't seem to be a common problem (I haven't heard of it either), and I'd expect after all the years that tierods have been in use that they'd have gotten most of the bugs out by now. But is it possible that the inners are getting over-angled in bump or in some unusually extreme combination of bump plus steer that could be unique to the roads you drive on?

I can't get too concerned with bumpsteer being involved as a cause of this problem since that effect will simply steer the wheels about their relatively friction-free pivots (LBJ & strut). If in fact b/s is contributing to the wear to any significant extent, you'd have to have some binding going on somewhere and you'd probably have noticed it elsewhere.

Norm

Vernon C · Feb 13, 2003

Thank for all the replies, just knowing that it's uncommon is help enough. Sorry for raising hell.

I got to thinking about it today and thought of something. Are you supposed to load the boot up with grease? I don't do that, but it might help prolong the life. Seems like they have some sort of lube on them to start the I would expect to not come off but....

Vernon

pj951 · Feb 14, 2003

During routine front end inspections at work, where rack and pinion tie rods are concerned, it's the inner thats loose, 10 to 1.

Maybe because the whole tie rod assb. pivots on that inner socket along with the lower arm, at every bump in the road.

Peter J.

Ayrton · Feb 16, 2003

You might want to shoot an e-mail to Stan Martin over at NLOC, as he is the best suspension guru I have used.

Find Stan here

Will bump-steer accelerate tie-rod wear?

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