Air ride system causes crooked wheel at raised hieght

C

cobra98lsc

Registered
1st I will list recently (2wks)replaced parts
New Rack
New Rod ends/inner outer
Upper arms/joints
Lower arms joint
Front struts,solenoids from Motorcraft
Strut rod to frame and to lower arm bushings
End links for swaybars
Front hub assemblies
New tires
No check air ride messages and can leave system off for weeks without leaking down.
Compressor 129,000 miles and a little noisy but works fine
No signs of moisture in system
Car levels when fired up with door shut
All wheels read the same from fender lips to bottom of rim 23.5 fronts and 23 rear
Alinged car at sleep lowered,vented hieght drives fine and wheel is centered.
Turn air ride on and car airs up and wheel cocks 20 degrees to the left and wanders feeling crappy overall.
I have re-alinged 5 times and always does this.
Funny thing is sometimes it drives fine with system on and sometimes not, thinking i have a solenoid or something sticking while driving??
HELP I am ready to sell this car and i dont want too!!
Are the rear bag solenoids interchangeable with fronts? I have 2 spare good fronts laying around and rears are 130k old.
Car does vent down after you shut off and shut doors.
 
RE: Air ride system causes crooked wheel at raised hieght

Air ride shouldn't cause that. It's not the solenoids.

Who's doing the alignments? Some people do piss poor alignments.

The steering wheel is the one that's cocked?

A lower control arm bolt could be loose too. One of the hacks at sears didn't tighten my lower control arm bolt all the way when they did an alignment and it'd shift when i went around corners and cause the wheel to become cocked.
 
RE: Air ride system causes crooked wheel at raised hieght

Actually i didnt trust them so i made them let me do my own alignment last time all bolts are tight and i rebuilt the whole front end.

If you shut down the air ride after the car vents the wheel steering is straight and car drives great, or at lowered hieght

Also i might add that by adding a passenger with the system on makes it much worse.

Everything is tight and in spec..If one wheel is lowering more than the others that will cause toe out on one side more than the other which seems to be the issue.

Maybe the rack isnt centered in the chassis?

Never been wrecked or anything
 
RE: Air ride system causes crooked wheel at raised hieght

I might also add that every time i hit a small bump ie metal gate track leaving my town house the center of the car around the rack area sounds like the front end is falling off the car.

clclclclclunnnkk , dunk etc

you can feel it in the brake pedal and the wheel

Also i get this grrrrrnnnnttttt when i turn the steering wheel way down low in the same area..

What size and type socket are the cradle to chassis bolts?

some whacky torx looking crap... I am going hunting for socket in the morning... I wonder if all my 130k of racing etc has loosened up the k-member bolts and the whole damned front end is coming off the car? its getting worse this last year and driving me insane
I have replaced the whole damned front end 2 times, yes each part 2 times.
 
RE: Air ride system causes crooked wheel at raised hieght

it's an inverted torx, but a regular 6 point socket will work, i think.
 
RE: Air ride system causes crooked wheel at raised hieght

Check for a loose rack also. Mine was loose at one time.
 
RE: Air ride system causes crooked wheel at raised hieght

Welp the k-member to frame bolts all turned at least one time sort of easy with 2 foot bar. Some went even more.

I busted my TQ wrench so i just tightened them pretty good.

How far can you go... I bench over 325+ and have broken a few cheater bars so i dont want to strip or break stuff :eek:
 
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