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HELP Replaced entire FS and still veers right

5K views 81 replies 12 participants last post by  always-there 
#1 · (Edited)
Hello all I drive a 2002 330ci 180,000 mi. I have searched the forums and read until my eyes can't focus anymore on tram lining and issues of the car veering a certain direction. Recently I had this problem occur and it was not so bad at first, very minute. Then my work picked up and I got busy....about 5,000 miles were added to the car without being fixed.

When I recently drove the car it was pulling hard to the right. It starts at about 20 mph and goes on throughout all ranges of speed. Its not like the wheel is trying to turn completely around....it just wants to sit a little to the right of center. This causes the car to want to veer off the road when the steering wheel is released and is greater at higher speeds I assume just because of that alone.

So I put Bilstein sport struts, new rubber pads, and aftetmarket strut mounts on 10,000 miles ago. Rhen Meyle HD control arms, CABs, Lemforder complete tie rods, and sway bar end link and had the car aligned all last week. It still tracks to the right...The only part I skimped on was cheap aftermarket strut mounts:ben:. Could these be blown already?

I went under the car and noticed that my engine mounts look fatigued so those are going on tomorrow. I also noticed that the rear diff bushing is cracking, the large single bushing holding the rear of the diff. I have also never changed the RTABs on the car at 180,000 miles. If i replace these should I replace ALL the rear subframe bushings? I have read a lot about the rear of the car steering the front so thought these being out may cause the car to flex and want to go right??? I had a local mechanic tell me that he never changes RTABs on e46's unless they have been in a wreck....I don't know if this sounds right...everything fatigues.

The only other thing I can think about is that maybe when the front suspension was shot and still driven on for 5,000 miles that maybe my right side tires have been "cut" so they now have to ride in their preferred line instead of flat and centered. They are one directional Michelin Pilot Sports so they can only be rotated front to rear, cannot switch sides unless removing the tire from the rim.

I'm about to go crazy here:banghead:

So any help/advice is greatly appreciated:hi:

Thanks
 
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#4 ·
Could have to do with the alignment you got. I had my car aligned at one shop, it pulled pretty good to the right. They claimed they did not have the BMW specific tool to get the back end in correct alignment so it was going to pull a bit. There is an indy BMW shop in town with a stellar reputation, I asked them where to take it, they pointed me to an expert BMW alignment guy. Gave it to him and now it tracks straight as an arrow, drives awesome! Might be worth getting your alignment checked again by someone who knows BMWs. Maybe even take it to the dealer if you don't have another option in the area. My guy works for a Commercial Tire so the alignment was only $80, pretty sweet deal.

Also, yes the RTABS wear and if yours are original I can tell you they are shot. I replaced mine at 92k miles, they were toast and were contributing to the car eating rear tires. I replaced those before I gave it to the alignment guy, along with adjustable lower control arms and new front control arms.

If I were you I would replace the RTABs then find someone who knows what they are doing with aligning a BMW and have them work on it till it drives straight.
 
#5 ·
Its been doing it for a while now, not just after my last alignment. They could not even get my car within tolerances until I replaced the LCA and CABs. I am a pretty solid DIYer but have heard over and over that RTABs are a PITA...how hard is this for me to do? Special tool required? Can I make my own? I know some things that are "difficult" on diy forums have come with ease so I belilieve I can wrench it, I just don't know if it will be cost effective. Also I guess I should replace the RCA bushing on the end of the control arm? Thanks.
 
#6 ·
RTABs are not the worst thing I have ever done. As often happens there is far too much griping about it on the forums. The special tool would make it easier I imagine, I didn't want to shell out the $100 for it so I didn't use it. That said there is a thread around here where you can rent the tool from someone, think it is around $25-30 and the cost of shipping.

I did without. I used an electric drill and a hole saw from Home Depot. I forget what size the hole saw is at the moment, just take your replacement RTAB with you to the store and buy the size that works. I tried with a cordless drill, didn't have enough oomph so I used my super duper corded hammer drill, that did the trick. Just drill out the center section, then you can pry out the metal casing very easily. First side took a few minutes, second side was cake, really not bad at all. For reinstall I bought metal hose clamps that were big enough for the new RTABs. The new RTABs will have a two piece metal casing so it is easy to squeeze together. I put the clamp on, squeezed it down as much as it would go, then I greased the outside of the casing and hammered it in with a 2lb sledge. Honestly went pretty easy. Definitely worth saving the $100 for the new tool, if I had the time I might have considered the rental route but I was in a hurry.

If you are going to use poly Rtabs the installation will be cake, they just have to be greased and inserted. I chose to go rubber for a better ride, the car is my wife's DD so I valued comfort over "race car" handling.
 
#8 ·
I used limiters, got the plastic limiters, didn't want to spend the $100+ for the aluminum version. The plastic is pretty stout, I have no worries about them. As far as the DIY goes, you can definitely do it in a weekend. I like to start my DIY's on Friday night so I have Sat in case something goes wrong. Another person helps to hold the arm down while you are working on it if needed.

Only other thing is to do some reading on the proper way to pre-load the bushings when you put them back in and install the carriers. You have to position the carrier correctly before you torque it down, otherwise when the car is back on the ground it will put unnecessary pressure on the bushing and wear it out quicker. Again, unless you go with the poly bushings, those don't require preload. The preload is easy, couple threads and youtube vids on it.
 
#10 ·
Haha that is about all I have done to the rear. My car has 90k on it and needs other things more than it needs more bushings so I just did the RTABs. My main concern was stopping the car from eating rear tires. My car is lowered and between the increased camber and the bad RTABs, it ate the last set of tires extremely fast. So while I was in there I replaced the lower control arms with adjustable arms. This allowed my alignment guy to put the camber exactly where he wanted it, he said with the stock arms he is extremely limited on camber adjustment. It is now adjusted for good tire wear as the car is freeway driven 50 miles per day during the week. I am sure there are probably better handling alignment specs, but I was more worried about making tires last a bit longer.

Do you have the specs sheet from your last alignment? If so post it up, maybe someone can decipher it for you and help with the pulling issue. The first alignment I got they got the front within spec but the rear was slightly off, the rear being off made it pull pretty good.

Also while you have the car in the air to do the RTABs try moving your tires around. My DD is a 3/4 ton truck on 35's. It was driving perfectly straight, I had the tires rotated and it started pulling like crazy, moved the tires back around and it drives straight again. Could be your tires are worn unevenly, moving the rears to the front might help.
 
#16 ·
Start with making sure tire pressure is correct.

Sounds like your alignment is shot.

I have 260K miles on my car today...got an alignment a few weeks ago when I put the snows on...and I have my original rtabs on.

My mechanic loves me and wouldn't let me leave if there was a problem with them or anything else. He's a genius, cares, and doesn't miss stuff. I think it's just a messed up alignment...especially if the steering wheel isn't sitting straight across when you're on level(ish) ground.

Sorry to disagree with he who said his rtabs were shot at 90K miles. His may have been, and others replace bushings like they're candy here, but almost all the bushings, with the exception of CABs and Motor Mounts, are pretty seriously solid hunks of rubber...so again, I'm thinking it's an alignment issue.
 
#22 ·
Yes the RTABs are pretty stout. I had to drill mine apart so I can't say if they were "shot" or not. I can say there was more play in the old ones than the new ones, not really sure how much play is acceptable.

However the RTABs are cheap and at 180k miles I would assume they are not as fresh as they once were. I did mine as cheap insurance to reduce rear tire wear. I needed adjustable control arms and an alignment anyway so it was a no brainer to spend the $60 on RTABs and put them in before the alignment.

For what its worth the rear of the car did handle a bit better when I was done.
 
#23 ·
if you can borrow or rent the rtab tool I would. it makes the job so quick and easy.
I'd check the wear pattern on all four tires and compare.

does this pulling to right happen on the same stretch of highway or others?
pulling to right is common on some highways as the crown of the road is what makes it happen(for rain run-off). thousands of people make this mistake too often to find out its the road. just sayin'
 
#28 ·
I put my friend in the car with me and we went out on the highway and Interstate. I let go of the wheel from all 3 different lane positions within a lane plus the same routine for the other side of the road. It always tracked to the right. The tires show more wear on the insides of themselves, as in towards the center of the car.


Alex323ci I don't really know what you're talking about, I guess I need to get it in the air and check it out. Like I stated a minute ago the car is at the shop now that installed the front struts and does my alignments.

Mango--I'm trying to get these pictures up. Just pulled the old computer out and going to try and figure this out. Plus I will include pictures of the tires and the strut tower nuts.

Thanks guys!!:hi:
 
#25 ·
^eh not really. The final angle is what matters most.

In order for your car to steer and track relatively straight on a flat, even road, you need:

1) Good consistent tires at all four corners with adequate and consistent L/R air pressure.

2) Either new or good condition suspension components with emphasis on L/R consistency.

3) Consistent L/R toe AND camber settings

Your most likely scenario is you have a camber difference between your front left and front right wheel. Or same situation in the back. or both. Usually though it's the front camber. Post up your alignment sheet and i'll tell you whats wrong providing your tires and suspension arent shot (even though worn dampers wont directly cause this).
 
#70 ·
^eh not really. The final angle is what matters most.

In order for your car to steer and track relatively straight on a flat, even road, you need:

1) Good consistent tires at all four corners with adequate and consistent L/R air pressure.

2) Either new or good condition suspension components with emphasis on L/R consistency.

3) Consistent L/R toe AND camber settings

Your most likely scenario is you have a camber difference between your front left and front right wheel. Or same situation in the back. or both. Usually though it's the front camber. Post up your alignment sheet and i'll tell you whats wrong providing your tires and suspension arent shot (even though worn dampers wont directly cause this).
I recently got my car back and I believe it is complete! I haven't had the time to drive it at highway speeds yet because we have had snow recently and there is salt all over the place. I did however get to drive it to the alignment shop and I achieved a blistering 35 m.p.h. on this trip!! The car used to slowly veer to the right even at these speeds and it did NOT this time so that is great to me! All that is left to check is to bring her up to 85 m.p.h., let go of the wheel, and see what happens...

*

I did have deformation in both strut towers with the passenger's side (right) being the worst. You could see the difference in height compared to the left side, but it was still hard to be sure as to how much deformity had occurred because my car is black and this color can hide more than others. So I thought, "how can I tell if the left side is different from the right side?." I got lost in my thoughts and just started touching the strut tower while I was in la-la land thinking to myself when all of a sudden my finger told my brain, "That ain't right!"

*

I would put my index finger pad on the furthest position on the exterior of the strut tower's top dome as it appears under the hood. I then ran my finger straight up from that position in a vector towards the center opening in the tower. It felt like the strut mount had been trying to escape through the top into the engine compartment! Just move your finger all around the top of the strut tower doing this and you can feel any difference. I then checked the left side even though it visually appeared fine, but it was ought of line on the side closest to the engine.

*

So time for the wood and hammer method!!!!! It worked surprisingly well considering what was actually being accomplished as far as re-shaping metal. It also helps that my neighbor has been shaping metal for 20+ years so he was a natural volunteer to hammer when he asked what I was up to! I could have done the hammering as it appeared easy when he did it, but I just wanted him to do it since this has been his career. I used the strut reinforcement plate to see how flat we were getting in the strut tower body. When you insert the reinforcement plate into the strut tower from the wheel well you can see how flat it is supposed to be and how not flat your strut tower is. Once the flat plate went flat against the inside of the strut tower we were finished.

*

I installed the new strut mounts on my struts using "suicide sticks" and an impact gun. This is not recommended for anyone, but for me it was the perfect fit and took no time at all. After getting the new mounts on I had to reinstall the struts and it went easy as pie and mounted nicely due to the surfaces being even and flat. Then I installed an ECS carbon fiber strut brace just to help strengthen the front of my car and hopefully prolong the life of my strut towers. Also my strut tower had deformed so much that the studs that stick up from the strut mount were flayed out everywhere and their securing nuts would not even thread onto the new studs!

*

While I had the car up I decided to go ahead and do my engine mounts. I did this job alone and it took me about an hour and a half to complete. The only reason I am mentioning this is that I may be able to help all my friends out there who drive an automatic transmission. There are a lot of different DIY's on engine mounts out there, but none are exactly the same and require different parts to be removed for this job like the manual fan, radiator fan shroud, etc. The only thing I had to undo was the T-25 Torx on the fan shroud, the pop connector on the other side of the shroud by the expansion tank, and the electrical connectors on the side of the shroud. Once the shroud moves freely you should be done with the front of the engine. The only other part that I didn't have to remove but I did because it was flexing when I jacked up the motor was the interior cabin filter housing on the firewall. Take the whole things off, even the Torx that hold the whole unit to the firewall. Then just be careful and follow the other instructions and you should be fine.

*

Thank you everyone for all of your help!

Alex323Ci-For pointing out what my problem was! Many Thanks!!

Mango-For his usual expertise on the E46!

And all the others who have helped and I am failing to mention because I am at work, thank you!!

*

I will update with how the car drives whenever this weather lets up!!
I hope the camber is able to be set correctly and fix the pulling once and for all! cause it will contribute to the pulling (assuming all other parts/settings are correct)
 
#26 ·
OK. So I took it back to the alignment shop today after work. They offered to rotate the tires and see what happens as far as the cat pulling to the right. So I go driving home. Same thing, pulling to the right. When I got home I stepped out andand with the steering wheel centered the left(driver) tire looks normal, however the right side which is the way my car is pulling looks like it is toed out and showing negative camber.

I popped the hood and took some pictures but I do not know how to upload them. I checked the torque on the 3 strut tower nuts and the 1 large strut bolt under the hood. They all passed at 18lbs.

This is when it gets weird.

I do not known if this is incorrect, but it looks strange. The 3 right side strut tower nuts are all screwed in at a different length i.e. there are differences in the number of threads showing from the top out of the nut. The left side all look the same. I loosened all of them a few turns, then re-torqued them all. Still different thread lengths on the right.

They got my car on the rack right now so hopefully something can be done!! Thanks again all I will keep you posted.
 
#27 ·
^ does the strut tower look flat or "mushroomed"?
 
#29 · (Edited)
The strut tower photos are welcomed but are largely irrelevant unless they show major damage but then that would show in your alignment sheet anyway.

The bottom line is this, if your left and right camber aren't identical, you will get pulling. In this situation, your driver side camber is likely more negative if you are pulling to the right.
 
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