A few weeks back, my 98 Honda Civic- hatchback 1.4i started feeling wobbly and also started pulling to the left. It felt like driving continously on a bumpy road.
I took it to 3 different garages to get it checked. Have changed 2 x tyres that were running low on tread, got wheel tracking and balancing done for all 4 wheels, got the leaking shock absorbers replaced and finally got the worn out bushes replaced. Still there is no change in the driving comfort. It still feels wobbly...sometimes giving me motion sickness and still pulls to the left.
I took it back to one of the garages and they said that they have checked everything very carefully, but were unable to find anything wrong. Not sure what to do next. Any advice would me much appreciated. Thanks a lot.
98 Honda Civic pulling to left and car feels wobbly?
Did they change all 4 tires? back tires could be bad too. Drive axles could be bent or worn out , Cv joints could be bad, bearings could be bad, bent rims as well.
I would find a new shop or take it to some one who can check it all out
Broken belts in tires can cause this too back tires as I said.
98 Honda Civic pulling to left and car feels wobbly?
Don't know if you meant track rod ends when you said bushes but that is what it sounds like to me. Jack the front wheels one at a time and pull/push the sides of the tyre to see if the wheel %26quot;moves%26quot; which would show a dodgy track rod end.
you could check the brake discs to make sure they arnt warped get someone to do a runout test
that could cause a wobble also the wheel bearings get them checked too good luck....
The wobble could be the steering track rod end worn,or a tyre with a side wall bulge,either front or back,to eliminate this get the car jacked just off the ground and spin the wheel round and look at it from front or back so you can see both sidewalls,do this to all tyres and wheels,if you find one with a lump change it for the spare after checking that as well, drive shaft can bend if the cars been curbed also the steering rack maybe loose,another cause of pulling can be the brakes either warped as mention by others as was the drive shafts and track rods/ends,if the brakes are binding i.e. locking on ,or not working properly at all this will cause the car to veer and pull, does the pull happen in a straight line without braking,or only when braking, as if only when braking then this would seem to be the cause, if not when braking then shafts,track rods and ends,tyres,will need to be checked for security and bends,the Constant Velocity Joint on the drive shafts would make a knocking sound on full lock,wheel bearing normally sound like a grumbling sound, chassis alignment as a last resort,if had a knock or crash.hope this helps and good luck .
There are a number of possible causes for your problems and they should be diagnosed by a professional auto shop. I suggest that instead of taking the vehicle to a general repair shop, you take it to a shop that specializes in brakes, suspension, and alignment. And by the way, the pulling and the wobbling may or may not be related to one another.
It's true that either symptom could be caused by a tire problem. However, if the tires you replaced were in the front and the problems persist (and taking into consideration the other work done on the wheels and tires), the symptoms are most likely being caused by something else besides the tires or wheels.
In regards to the %26quot;wobble%26quot; it is hard to make much of an accurate guess without more information and/or test driving the vehicle. However, if by wobble you mean that it feels like the front tires are moving back and forth rapidly, there may be a problem with loose or damaged steering components (e.g. tie rods and/or steering rack), or possibly damaged wheel bearings.
If by wobble you mean that the car has continuous up and down motion after going over bumps or uneven road surfaces, then there may be a problem with the shocks or struts.
If wobble means the car sways in a back on forth motion as you drive, as if you were in a boat, it may more likely be related to the sway bar or sway bar links.
And the wobble could also be caused by improper alignment angles, so that should DEFINITELY be checked.
Some possibilities for the pulling problem include worn or damaged steering components (as listed above), or a problem with the brake system. The diagnostic process for brake pull is too long to post here and should be done by a professional. And again, improper alignment angles can be causing the pull, so you will want to get that checked.
A note about the alignment...while it is true that improper alignment angles can be causing these symptoms, it should be noted that the true problem may be elsewhere. Any monkey can operate alignment equipment and adjust the angles, but a good alignment shop/tech will analyze the numbers and ask *why* the car is out of alignment. If there is an underlying problem, adjusting the alignment angles will not solve it and the car will simply go out of alignment again. Keep that in mind when looking for a good shop to do the work on your vehicle.
Best of luck to you!
