1986 3.2 handling problem?

dickster · 12-10-2001, 08:08 AM

as i newbie i thought i should get my monies worth and get loads of questions in - so apologies in advance!

i have a left hand drive coupe in the uk.

when i take left hand bends the handling is superb. the car has been lowered, etc. and there is almost no roll.

however when i take right hand bends the drivers side front corner seems to dive and the only way to describe it is that the wheel/tyre feels like it almost wants to "tuck" under.

i have not yet uprated to the turbo tie rods.

any ideas? i intitially thought of worn shock but now i am not so sure.

any advice much appreciated

richard

Britwrench · 12-10-2001, 08:25 AM

I've had this problem before. Get the car on a hoist and check the rear anti-roll-bar mounts. If replaced then it's possible they
are not aligned and the roll bar is binding and restricting rear suspension movement. There are a few othewr things it could be including incorrect wheel alignment.

dickster · 12-10-2001, 11:21 AM

but the symptoms are at the front, can the rear affect things like that?

richard

Don Wohlfarth · 12-10-2001, 11:21 AM

Does the car sit level from side to side when looking from the front?
In order, you may have a bad shock or broken torsion bar. If the car has adjustable sways one side could be preloaded.

dickster · 12-10-2001, 11:25 AM

don

yes it looks fine from the front. and i don't think it has adjustable sway bars - guess i'll have to eliminate the shock for starters.......

thanks

richard

Eric Coffey · 12-10-2001, 12:56 PM

It could just be excessive positive camber, not enough negative camber, or too much toe in on the front left. You may want to get the car aligned and weight-balanced if it hasn't been done. Other than that, I would check for the following: blown/worn out damper, broken/weak torsion bar, broken front/rear sway bar mounts, worn out front strut/tower bushing, bent front strut, etc.. Sometimes it's the little things that will get you, so start with the easiest solutions first. For example, check the tire pressures!

-Eric

dickster · 12-29-2001, 05:17 AM

tyre pressures were way off - rear 19 lbs! put air in and still no joy.

the shocks are boges and tired but not knackered.

however the rear wishbone (?) inner bushing looks shot - its crumbling - i cannot see the outer one - would that cause the symptoms?

anyone experienced any symptoms of knackered bushes? what are they?

much appreciated

richard

masraum · 12-29-2001, 11:03 AM

Just to answer a question, yes, problems at the rear of the car affect the way the front end handles. I'm not saying it would apply in this situation, but it's a well known fact that changing the handling characteristics of one end of the car will have the opposite affect at the other end.

dickster · 03-17-2002, 12:22 AM

the saga continues

i'm about to buy new shocks.

in the meantime i noticed yesterday that it does sit lower on the left front side. i measured it and found 7mm difference.

it must be part of the problem? (coincidence?)

what could this be - worn shock?

(BTW-no adjust sways)

dbanazek · 03-17-2002, 01:01 AM

Worn out shocks won't affect ride height. First jack your car up and pull on the wheels side to side and top to bottom. Make sure your tie rods, ball joints and wheels bearings are in order. Do the same for the rear (mainly looking for wheel bearings here). If everything seems tight push down on weach corner of your car and make sure it returns to normal ride height fairly quickly. If not you have bad shocks. If all of this checks out I would check and reset your ride height and then get an alignment. Email me if you need instructions for setting ride height. This can get tricky if you have to adjust the rear so you may want profesional help, but iot can be done with some patience.

dickster · 03-17-2002, 02:14 AM

thanks dave

i'm pretty sure the items you mentioned are ok - but the car is getting the uk mot test next week.......

how do i check for broken/worn torsion bar??

bell · bell's Garage

i had an alignment done on my 85' a few months ago, although the car handled well it had some of the characteristics you're describing. my front end camber/caster was really off on the front left. this also ate tires up pretty good.
after the front was cornerscaled and aligned it corners with completely different characteristics and is much more predictable (we put everything to factory specs).
also a posibility is abroken belt in a front tire, i've seen simalar things happen on our race cars with damaged tires where it was actually "folding" under the rim.
good luck, hope this info helps.

Bill Verburg · Bill Verburg's Garage

Worn out gas shocks will affect ride height. All of the other items previously mentioned can cause the symptoms you have described.

dickster · 03-17-2002, 09:42 AM

thanks as always, i'll see what i come up with

03-22-2002, 10:12 AM

If the car was lowered, make sure it has been 'corner balanced' you could have one corner with alot more weight than the others. This would cause the car to react differently between left and right turns....

stlrj · 03-23-2002, 08:04 AM

I had a similar handling issue on my 86. Left turns were fine but every time I approached my favorite right hand sweeper off the freeway to the overpass, my front felt like it would suddenly bite, tuck and plow along with the usual sound effects.

I lived with that scenario for years until I started playing with my tire pressures to see if I could make it more comfortable.

What a surprise to find that lowering my fronts to 24 psi not only increased ride comfort but also took the bite off my right hand sweeper along with eliminating that annoying plow and sound effects.

Tire pressures must have something to do with weight or the lack of it since the front of the 911 is unusually light compared to the average front engined car.

Joe Garcia
86 Carrera
92 Grand Caravan
90 Bonneville
86 Olds 98

dickster · 09-08-2004, 10:17 PM

well, here we are again.

thought i'd update this thread.

i have added a few items to the car:

22/31 t/bars
new rear trailing arm bushes.
new shocks all round.
turbo tie rods.
drop links.

and i STILL have the problem.

i haven't had an alignment done yet. one shop has suggested the rear alignment is out. well, i know its out now 'cause i took the car apart - but the car feels the same as before.

odd. maybe i have a bent chasis - hope not.

Wil Ferch · 09-09-2004, 05:36 AM

Why not do a VERY basic check...tape measure the right side wheel base ( wheel center-to-center)...and do the same for the left....

Some guys have found some (awful) surprises....like differences of 1/2"-1"...indicating a previous "hit" and car being no longer "square"....

Start with basics....move up from there...report back, we can go further..

Wil

dickster · 09-09-2004, 10:18 AM

Wil

Thanks, but I have found a reputible place to do it all nice and cheap. I'll see what they find. I hope its not as bad as some have found

ChrisBennet · ChrisBennet's Garage

Quote:

Originally posted by dickster
well, here we are again.

thought i'd update this thread.

i have added a few items to the car:

22/31 t/bars
new rear trailing arm bushes.
new shocks all round.
turbo tie rods.
drop links.

and i STILL have the problem.

i haven't had an alignment done yet. one shop has suggested the rear alignment is out. well, i know its out now 'cause i took the car apart - but the car feels the same as before.

odd. maybe i have a bent chasis - hope not.

Maybe I missed it, but did you get the car corner weighted yet?

911's are one of the few cars with fully adjustable suspensions and it is easy to get the corner weights way off.
Places that don't know this will poo poo this or tell you that "as long as the ride height is even the weights will be good" because they are ignorant.

Imagine a 4 legged chair that has 1" cut off the left front and right rear legs. The chair will balance on the remaining two legs and the "rideheight" will still be level.

-Chris