Do you have to preload a car before tightening up suspension/steering parts?

[daddycool]

something somebody said...
i've got a steering issue on my car that goes away whenever you work on it (ie tighten strut bolts, fit new top mounts) but returns after about 10 miles or so.

before you tighten anything in this area should you preload the car first?

 

[mr.pink87]

Wishbone bolts and rear shocks should be tightened under preload.

 

[daddycool]

i never did any of that

how would you tighten one up? for example in the case of the wishbone would you drop it with bolts nipped up and then tighten, or use a trolley jack under the hub to take the weight?

 

[mr.pink87]

Theoretically you would nip them up, drop the car and tighten them.

 

[daddycool]

thanks, i wasn't sure about access but i might drop them onto some bricks or something so it keeps the car in the air.

 

[sideways danny]

if you're fitting poly bushes, there's no need as they move freely within their sleeves

 

[daddycool]

is there anything else that would need preload? can't seem to get to grips with the fact my steerings nice and tight after working on it, but then goes crap. happened when i did top mounts, shocks, and wishbones and three different times. fine, then pants.

 

[bmh.01]

Define crap.

 

[daddycool]

when i change a part and tighten it all back up, it feels nice and solid and i can go over small (or medium) bumps and the car soaks it up and i don't feel it through the steering wheel.

after a few miles, it gradually starts to get crap until i can feel every tiny bump through the steering wheel, if i let go of the steering wheel then even small bumps make the steering wheel move where it didn't ten miles previous.

sometimes it tracks left, sometimes right and sometimes straight on. it changes when i go over a small bump. everything has been changed and it has been hunter-aligned three times.

 

[daddycool]

oh and it's alot worse when braking to a stop on uneven road, steering wheel will pull 45 degrees to the left or 45 degrees to the right.

 

[Ex-User (19928)]

Get the tracking looked at.

 

[Tony Hunter]

He's had it checked loads of times.

 

[Stava]

That's a funny one.

I had the same issue when I changed my suspension, but the tracking sorted it straight away.

 

[montana]

when i change a part and tighten it all back up, it feels nice and solid and i can go over small (or medium) bumps and the car soaks it up and i don't feel it through the steering wheel.

after a few miles, it gradually starts to get crap until i can feel every tiny bump through the steering wheel, if i let go of the steering wheel then even small bumps make the steering wheel move where it didn't ten miles previous.

sometimes it tracks left, sometimes right and sometimes straight on. it changes when i go over a small bump. everything has been changed and it has been hunter-aligned three times.

is anything actually coming loose when you check after driving it?

 

[sbridgey]

oh and it's alot worse when braking to a stop on uneven road, steering wheel will pull 45 degrees to the left or 45 degrees to the right.

i think my car does this aswell, i would be interested in a solution