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car pulls right AND left... yes, you read that right

4

4fanintexas

New member
Hey guys, need a little help here.
My 2000 GTGP is doing something strange and I can't figure it out. On acceleration it pulls to the left. When I get off the gas (not necessarily braking) it pulls right. I had a 4 wheel alignment done a while back but the problem persisted. All 4 struts were changed at about 290,000 miles (originals... yes I got all the good out of them :-). Control arm bushings, end links, sway bar bushings, all were changed at about 300,000 miles (a little over a year ago). Didn't change ball joints because mechanic said they looked and felt really good. Something awkward about standing there while a mechanic feels my ball joints but we can discuss that on another thread. Anyway, car has about 340,000 miles on it and still runs good. Just having this handling issue. Tires are only a few months old and have very few miles on them. No wear problems. Could the ball joints be bad after all? Would they even cause this sort of issue? I know 16 years and 340,000 miles is a lot to ask of most parts. Y'all chime in. Thanks!
 


One other thing, car needs a new right front bearing but that's pretty normal for these cars, especially as much as I drive it. I think the problem pre-dated the current bearing anyway.
 
if the hub is loose it can make the car pull. make sure your tires are set at the same psi to.

and ive gotten my car back from the alignment shop in worse shape then it went in. some of these guys dont test drive em or nothing.
 
Typically you just replace the whole control arms, that gets you both new bushings and new ball joints. Often costs more to press in new bushings counting the labor. If ball joints are original then yes, I would change them. Are you hearing a clunking at the beginning acceleration/deceleration?
 
Thanks Scotty. I'm very meticulous when it comes to tire pressures. They are all equal at 38 psi cold. I know what you mean about the alignment shops. Come to think of it, I've gone to the same alignment shop the whole time I've had this issue. There's another one here in town that has a very good reputation. Think I'll give them a try after I replace the bearing.

Has anyone else had this particular issue? If so, was it worn/bad suspension parts or just a bad alignment?
 
i had internal slop in my rack, cause it to pull either way when floored, it was a surprise, left or right? flip a coin lol new rack, all better.
 


Burbman,
Yeah, I was going to get the complete control arms but money was extremely tight back then and I had to do the job as inexpensively as possible. I used moog parts from Rockauto and did the work at the Auto Hobby Shop on base. If I ever have to do the job again I will replace the entire control arm(s).

I'm not hearing a clunking noise per se, but there is a lot of "creaking" that comes from under the car (front end). I really thought replacing all the front suspension stuff would fix it but no joy. The only thing left to replace really are the two subframe bushings that support the cradle. I got a good look at them when I replaced the rack and pinion and they're pretty used up.
 
Also consider the rear end.. as long as your mechanic is fondling your ball joints, have the dude check out your rear. The back end suspension on these cars is one step above tinfoil from the factory. Worn out parts back there (often overlooked until they simply break in half from rust that you probably don't have.. jerk) can cause some odd behavior as well.
 
Wouldn't a pull while accelerating indicate Torque steer? If it definitely has an opposite pull when not accelerating isn't it usually alignment?

Anecdotal is anecdotal, but my 1999 Grand Prix GT Coupe had a nasty left pull above 30% throttle with torque steer, the 40-0 coast on a long flat road was arrow straight.

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BillBoost37 said:
Also consider the rear end.. as long as your mechanic is fondling your ball joints, have the dude check out your rear. The back end suspension on these cars is one step above tinfoil from the factory. Worn out parts back there (often overlooked until they simply break in half from rust that you probably don't have.. jerk) can cause some odd behavior as well.
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LMAO!! I agree. The rear end can also be the culprit. check the rear strut towers too. Next time you get an alignment get the before and after printouts! I know a lot of shops just front toe and go all day. They don't bother with the camber or rear adjustments even though they charge for a 4 wheel alignment. Get the hub changed out and make sure everything in the front end is still tight including the control arm bushings (lateral and horizontal). I had a similar issue with my Comp G and it turned out the rack was bad.
 


(often overlooked until they simply break in half from rust that you probably don't have.. jerk)

Yes Bill, no rust... just one of the many advantages of living in Texas! :-)
 
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