Questions and Answers

Buick Park Avenue Steering Wander Q. Dear Mr. Ciulla, Thank you for taking the time to think about my problem. 1985 Buick Electra Park Avenue 3.8 liter V-6 Automatic transmission 150,000 miles Fuel Injection NO ABS brakes P/S, A/C, cruise control Rack and pinion steering

My problem has been steadily getting worse and did not exist a year ago. The problem is the car has developed torque steer and a wandering problem. It also is very erratic when going through a long sweeping turn to the left. By that I mean that the track seems to change by itself and it's almost impossible to keep the line.

It doesn't seem to have a problem in a right turn. The steering is also effected and you can feel a quick pull to the right and left every time you go over a dip in the road that would make the suspension work. I've done to following to try to fix the problem but so far it hasn't helped.

• Replaced the right side transaxle assembly.
• Replaced the right side front hub assembly with wheel bearing.
• Replaced the motor and transmission mounts.
• Replaced the engine torque strut on the right rear of the engine.
• Replaced the right front suspension shock strut.
• Replaced a bunch of bad bushings on various suspension components.

I've had it looked at by the local Buick dealer and of course had to pay $70.00 per hour to do so. They put it on the rack and checked everything they could find. The only real thing they found wrong was a broken strut and bad motor mounts.

Interesting to me was the transaxle assembly. Another mechanic suggested that I replace it, so I did. However, afterwards the problem was much worse. I got the new one from AutoZone and it was different than the one I removed. The new one was missing some sort of buffer in the middle of the unit.

AutoZone said the buffer type was replaced by the straight axle and the buffer was no longer used. As long as the assembly length was the same, it would work. I called the Buick dealer to confirm and they said that their axle also did not have the buffer anymore.

I haven't done anything yet to the left side of the car but I cannot see anything obviously wrong on that side. However, I'm willing to try anything.

Thanks again for your time.
Barry

A. Have you had the alignment checked yet? This may need a 4-wheel alignment. Something in the rear end could also be causing this. My first suspicion is tie rods. Maybe inner or outer. The rack may even be worn inside and applying hydraulic pressure to one side when it's not supposed to. Make sure all alignment specs are good first if you find no other play in anything.