mcali6301 Posted July 20, 2015 Report Share Posted July 20, 2015 I have the (265/40/22) wheels. I came from the SEL (245/60/18) There is a humming sound coming from the left front side. it sounds like there is a loose arm bar or something that vibrates but only when the road is a certain texture.. In general when I switch lanes the steering gets a little wobbly and pulls to the other side, I thought it was the size of the wheels at first but I doubt it. Also, when I accelerate more on the freeway, the steering wheel jerks a little to the right. The other day in the rain, I accelerated to pass someone, and the left wheel slipped for s sec...all this happens on the freeway at 50+mph. The right front strut was busted when I got the car so they replaced only that one and I just had the alignmne checked and it passed. I've had some suggestions on another thread and have these links. http://www.aa1car.co...ry/steerpul.htm http://www.agcoauto....2_articleid/307 I'm hoping it's not torque pull and I don't think it has anything to do with the tires... I'm thinking it has something to do with either the steering column or some kind of steering arm bar or bearing or something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted July 20, 2015 Report Share Posted July 20, 2015 Never replace only one shock unless the other one is also new. How old is the right one? That could be causing at least some of your problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcali6301 Posted July 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 20, 2015 (edited) Guessing the left strut is original.. Well it was the dealer who did it and I hear they will never replace something that isn't broke. I already left the dealer's service dept a bad review, for selling me a car with a busted strut so I won't go back there and when I take my car to my regular dealer (where I get service) they will probably tell me tough luck. ( I have the premium warranty but I already got pushback from an advisor on the coverage for alignment/suspension issues.) My fear is they will point me back to the original dealer who I will not deal with again..... Edited July 20, 2015 by mcali6301 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macbwt Posted July 20, 2015 Report Share Posted July 20, 2015 All the symptoms of a ball joint. Turns more one direction than the other or on the outside chance a really bad wheel bearing. You may want to check both. Strut will give you steering problems on bumps and pot holes as the energy will transfer to the steering wheel. The edge turnin more that you turned the steering wheel is the ball joint. If this is the case then you need to get it fixed soon as this ball joint is ready to pop. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted July 20, 2015 Report Share Posted July 20, 2015 I bet the warranty would have covered 2 new ones if the dealer had asked for it. But I agree on the ball joint diagnosis. Still need to get the struts at least checked to make sure they're both ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcali6301 Posted July 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 20, 2015 Thank you for the feedback! I will look into this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcali6301 Posted July 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 20, 2015 Yes will look into the struts but I'm planning to replace them all at 100K anyway with aftermarkets perhaps...im at 70K now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcali6301 Posted July 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 20, 2015 Is there anything I'd be able to visually inspect? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macbwt Posted July 20, 2015 Report Share Posted July 20, 2015 (edited) Raise it up a bit then get a pry bar in between the ball joint and the LCA. Tire should be touching the ground with a bit of weight on it but not a lot then pry the LCA up or down and look to see movement. Then raise it up and pull on the bottom and top of the tire. If you feel movement and see the ball joint move then you got it. Front to back movement will be your tie rods. Personally I change out the tie rods, sway bar link and the LCA at the same time then have an alignment done immediately afterwards. Check out my video on the LCA removal and re installation in "what to expect at 200,000 miles in this section. http://www.fordedgeforum.com/topic/14129-what-to-expect-at-200000-miles/ If you are patient I will be performing some strut work on my 2011 in the near future along with rear shocks. Edited July 21, 2015 by macbwt 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcali6301 Posted July 21, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 21, 2015 Thanks! Again, the dealer did check the alignment and it was fine, but it was the computer. They placed these contraptions on the front wheel and push/rolled the car like 2 feet and done..Alignment was fine. Could that have been a false positive or will that test NOT find what we're talking about? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macbwt Posted July 21, 2015 Report Share Posted July 21, 2015 (edited) My car aligned great with bad ball joints. You will have to phsically check them. Basically the alignment people do not check this and merely leave the weight on the car and adjust the bad ball joints into correct alignment. The issue is once you replace the bad ball joints your alignment will be completely out of whack. Edited July 21, 2015 by macbwt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcali6301 Posted July 21, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 21, 2015 My car aligned great with bad ball joints. You will have to phsically check them. Got it! thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcali6301 Posted July 22, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 22, 2015 Took it to Ford and Mechanic took it for test drive with me in the car. He did not notice anything and I'm sitting there looking like I'm crazy. They said they will check further. I really hope they find something..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted July 22, 2015 Report Share Posted July 22, 2015 Have them put it on the rack and check the ball joints. They don't need to drive it for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcali6301 Posted July 22, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 22, 2015 Have them put it on the rack and check the ball joints. They don't need to drive it for that. They are and I told them about the ball joints. Hopefully they see an issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcali6301 Posted July 22, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 22, 2015 Spoke to SA. Apparently there is a TSB for my issue but she did not have any information yet. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macbwt Posted July 22, 2015 Report Share Posted July 22, 2015 Please update once you find out the issue. Spoke to SA. Apparently there is a TSB for my issue but she did not have any information yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WWWPerfA_ZN0W Posted July 23, 2015 Report Share Posted July 23, 2015 There is a TSB that resets alignment through a subframe adjustment. Could be what the SA referred to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcali6301 Posted July 23, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2015 There is a TSB that resets alignment through a subframe adjustment. Could be what the SA referred to. Well that's good to hear and it doesn't make me look crazy anymore. I'll definitely keep everyone updated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WWWPerfA_ZN0W Posted July 23, 2015 Report Share Posted July 23, 2015 2011 Ford Edge MKX TSB 10-24-8_Drift Pull Right.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcali6301 Posted July 23, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2015 Thanks. The pulling I was experiencing was actually in either direction when switching lanes but the steering wheel did always pull to the right when accelerating. Hopefully my issue is somehow addressed through and they check the ball joints anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted July 23, 2015 Report Share Posted July 23, 2015 the steering wheel did always pull to the right when accelerating. That's due to the torque of the engine and unequal length axle shafts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcali6301 Posted July 23, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2015 That's due to the torque of the engine and unequal length axle shafts. I heard about this Torque steer for the first time recently. This never happened with any other FWD I've ever driven. Why this car and is there a fix? (I hear there isn't whcih boggles my mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted July 23, 2015 Report Share Posted July 23, 2015 It's not something that can be "fixed" although it can be greatly reduced with smart engineering. It only occurs with higher hp vehicles with transverse engines. You won't see it in low power econoboxes or 2.5L Fusions, etc. Part of it comes from the engine itself wanting to rotate at high rpm. You can see this in old muscle cars where the engine visibly moves a few inches as you rev it. The other part is because the engine is transverse the transmission is on one side. This makes one axle shaft long and the other one short. This creates an imbalance of torque going to the front wheels causing one side to pull harder. Worn ball joints would just allow this to happen more easily. The fact that it's always to the right is because of the engine rotation and axle shaft orientation - it will always pull that way even with good ball joints. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WWWPerfA_ZN0W Posted July 23, 2015 Report Share Posted July 23, 2015 And this is where the AWD advantage comes in as power can be distributed over 4 wheels instead of 2 in case of the FWD. Less torque steer + more straightahead power. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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