Pulls left, pulls right, alignment shop???

[9protege7]

Hey guys,
The is regarding my 1997 protege I recently picked up for $900. The car looks and drives great (only 110k).

I've noticed two things:

1) when I got the car (passed safety and etest). I noticed it VERY slightly pulled left if I let go of the wheel for 8-10 seconds. I didnt think much of it.

Today, I decided to rotate the tires (more worn fronts in back, better back to front) After doing so, I notice the car pulls to the RIGHT now. More so than it did when it went left. If I hold the wheel perfectly straight, the car steers very slightly to the right now.

I've checked tire pressure and they are all the same. Tires are also all worn evenly. There is no vibration at any speed and the ride is smooth and quiet. WHAT COULD CAUSE THIS? Alignment?

2) power steering feels, well, kind of stiff. It's not as soft as I think it should be, or maybe I'm just used to softer steering? Anyone know if 97's were like that? I'm not too worried about that though. Almost feels like the old non power steered civics.

Thanks!

[bluemazda3]

maybe get new tires and see what happens

[9protege7]

Would new tires affect how much steering wheel is aligned?

I mean. If I hold the wheel so that the steering wheel is perfectly straight, the car actually steers right.

If I hold the steering wheel very slightly turned to the left, the car goes straight.

[Jackal]

If you haven't done so, get an alignment done. I get one done once a year just in case. Check out our shop reviews section for some great alignment shops.

[aris]

It's most likely the road is uneven. My car pulls a bit depending on the road

[9protege7]

It pulls regardless of the road/road condition. And more importantly, it always pulls right now.

Thanks. I'll take it to KLS and get an alignment done today.

[Jackal]

It pulls regardless of the road/road condition. And more importantly, it always pulls right now.

Thanks. I'll take it to KLS and get an alignment done today.
:thumbsup
Yup, one of the recommended ones.

[9protege7]

:thumbsup
Yup, one of the recommended ones.

I meant KSL...not KLS.
Yup, found them right on here by searching :D

[sudz]

Silly question - but are all your tires the same size/brand?

[9protege7]

Silly question - but are all your tires the same size/brand?

Yes, all four tires are bridgestones and all are the same size. The car is also 100% stock, and from the looks of it, was completely maintained by the dealer. The timing belt was was right at 100,000km, plugs and wires are brand new, air filter is new, etc. etc.

I don't know anything more than that. Perhaps the previous owner hit a curb or something. I'm not sure, but for $900 I'm not complaining. It's at KSL right now, so I guess I'll know soon whats up.

If it cost too much to fix ($100+), I won't bother. I'll just drive it like that.

[sudz]

100+ is what tire wear will cost you in a year if its that bad...

[mypoorbrain]

If it had an alignment done, having absolutely 0 camber or 0 toe in might cause the car to wander like that... It needs a little toe and camber to track straight... Or the belts in the tire(s) may have shifted. Try rotating front to back instead of left to right and see what happens.

[TheMAN]

since you rotated the tires and the car pulls differently, it's indicative it is a tire pull... not to say there wasn't an alignment problem in the first place... get the alignment done and then change the tires, that should fix it