# Wheel Alignment Problem



## ks0385 (Mar 27, 2005)

I have a 2002 Sentra GXE. I think i got a problem with my alignment. I've had my wheels aligned twice in the last year, and LITERALLY 2-3 weeks later the alignment is off again. Like this is so gay, its basically a waste of money to get the car aligned every month. I just got 4 new tires in january.

What could be causing this? I dont go over and big potholes, and i dont beat my car up. Is it a common problem with the B15 model? My suspention is very bad also, could this be causing the problem? Should i get some new springs?

If anyone has had the same problems let me know if theres anything im doing wrong.


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## ReVerm (Jan 13, 2003)

ks0385 said:


> I have a 2002 Sentra GXE. I think i got a problem with my alignment. I've had my wheels aligned twice in the last year, and LITERALLY 2-3 weeks later the alignment is off again. Like this is so gay, its basically a waste of money to get the car aligned every month. I just got 4 new tires in january.
> 
> What could be causing this? I dont go over and big potholes, and i dont beat my car up. Is it a common problem with the B15 model? My suspention is very bad also, could this be causing the problem? Should i get some new springs?
> 
> If anyone has had the same problems let me know if theres anything im doing wrong.


A few questions for you:

1. Do you have any of the spec sheets from when they aligned it?
2. Was it just the toe, or was other stuff off too? 
3. Where did you get your alignments?
4. What do you mean by "your suspension is bad"? Is it rough, is it bouncy, or is it making noises?


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## ks0385 (Mar 27, 2005)

ReVerm said:


> A few questions for you:
> 
> 1. Do you have any of the spec sheets from when they aligned it?
> 2. Was it just the toe, or was other stuff off too?
> ...


hey,

1. yeah, i probably do have them somewhere.
2. I think once the steering wheel was also off or something.
3. Some shop like Meinekke but a no name.
4. All of the above, not too much noise tho. It bottoms out over almost every bump. And also, it feels like i have no power steering.

Thanks for replying.


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## ReVerm (Jan 13, 2003)

ks0385 said:


> hey,
> 
> 1. yeah, i probably do have them somewhere.
> 2. I think once the steering wheel was also off or something.
> ...


Wow. Have you done any modifications to your car? This one might be tough.


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## ks0385 (Mar 27, 2005)

ReVerm said:


> Wow. Have you done any modifications to your car? This one might be tough.


i put in a strut bar but ive taken it off and its all the same. its all pretty much stock.

and when i push on the front of the car, it only takes about 2 bounces and stops.


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## ReVerm (Jan 13, 2003)

ks0385 said:


> i put in a strut bar but ive taken it off and its all the same. its all pretty much stock.


Ok. I'm not too sure on this, but it sounds like some of your suspension bolts are backing off. I'd check out the strut-to-hub bolts first. Your car shouldn't bottom out all the time on the street if it's still stock. If it really is bottoming out, your front springs have probably broken in half (another thing you might want to check). 

The thing I'm really not sure about is the part where you say that it feels like you have no power steering. Your tie rod ball joints could be really worn out, your car could have massive amounts of castor for some odd reason, or your power steering pump just might have gone on you.

If you could post some numbers off of one of your spec sheets, I think it'll make it easier for us to figure out what's wrong. The solution might turn out to be something really simple, but we won't be able to tell unless we know exactly what's going on.


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## ks0385 (Mar 27, 2005)

ok, heres what it looked like when i got four new tires. Its off even more now.

And they said that they cant do anything with the rear.


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## ReVerm (Jan 13, 2003)

ks0385 said:


> ok, heres what it looked like when i got four new tires. Its off even more now.
> 
> And they said that they cant do anything with the rear.


Unfortunately, they really can't do anything about the rear. The rear suspension on our cars is a multi-link beam, so unless you bend the beam you can't change the rear alignment. I wonder if it came like that from the factory, because it's really difficult to bend that rear beam to any extent.

As for your front suspension, I'd check the tie rods. Something's definately going on there, and I'd say there's a pretty good chance that the something is the tie rod ends slipping under load.


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## ks0385 (Mar 27, 2005)

ReVerm said:


> Unfortunately, they really can't do anything about the rear. The rear suspension on our cars is a multi-link beam, so unless you bend the beam you can't change the rear alignment. I wonder if it came like that from the factory, because it's really difficult to bend that rear beam to any extent.
> 
> As for your front suspension, I'd check the tie rods. Something's definately going on there, and I'd say there's a pretty good chance that the something is the tie rod ends slipping under load.


would this be something they would have noticed at the dealershipr or at the shop? or do i have to ask them to look at it?


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## ReVerm (Jan 13, 2003)

ks0385 said:


> would this be something they would have noticed at the dealershipr or at the shop? or do i have to ask them to look at it?


It depends on how it was slipping. If the outer tie rod was slipping off or the lock nut was backing off, they might have noticed it (because the tie rod lock nuts, which they need to loosen to align the front toe, would have been loose already). If it was the inner tie rod or the ball joint, however, they may not have noticed it when they did the alignment.


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## ks0385 (Mar 27, 2005)

ReVerm said:


> It depends on how it was slipping. If the outer tie rod was slipping off or the lock nut was backing off, they might have noticed it (because the tie rod lock nuts, which they need to loosen to align the front toe, would have been loose already). If it was the inner tie rod or the ball joint, however, they may not have noticed it when they did the alignment.


alright, thanks for all your help, ill have em check out this stuff next time i take it there.

do you think if i get new springs it'll make the ride better? I was lookin at the progress springs because they arent that expensive.


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## ReVerm (Jan 13, 2003)

ks0385 said:


> alright, thanks for all your help, ill have em check out this stuff next time i take it there.
> 
> do you think if i get new springs it'll make the ride better? I was lookin at the progress springs because they arent that expensive.


I'd get this problem fixed before you consider any suspension modifications. The problem with Macpherson strut front suspension systems (like the kind on the B13/B14/B15 Sentras) is that any minor change to any suspension component affects the rest of the system in one way or another. Unless you're absolutely sure that there are no problems with any of the steering/suspension components in your car (besides those which you are replacing), doing any suspension modifications will usually compound the problem and confound you.


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