Re: [MBZ] Pulling to one side after tire rotation
Kaleb C. Striplin wrote: first start with swapping the 2 front tires from side to side, if the pull moves to the left, you have tire pull. I got off work early enough today that I could take the car back to the tire shop, about an hour before they closed. They did exactly that. Sure enough, it now pulls to the left instead of to the right. That rules out an alignment problem, and pretty much means I must have a bad tire. I'll take it back there at the first opportunity. I'm impressed with one thing about Les Schwab -- they're the only tire shop I've seen use an honest-to-goodness torque wrench on the lug bolts of my car.
Re: [MBZ] Pulling to one side after tire rotation
they're the only tire shop I've seen use an honest-to-goodness torque wrench on the lug bolts of my car. That's true. Whenever I've taken a car in there, they've always tightened them with an impact wrench, but once the tires were lowered to the ground, they torqued them by hand with a torque wrench. They're a good company. Kevin in Hillsboro Oregon, without an MB diesel
Re: [MBZ] Pulling to one side after tire rotation
I've always found Les Schwab stores to have *outstanding* customer service. (Which is why they get my business, even though their prices aren't The Lowest.) For instance, this summer my Toyota truck started to pull hard to one side when braking, and made clunking sounds. I couldn't see anything obviously wrong, so I took it in to Les Schwab. They spent about an hour looking over the suspension and brakes, and found that the right strut bar had lost both bolts attaching it to the steering knuckle (or whatever bit it attaches to on the wheel area); they didn't, of course, have the right Toyota bolt, but they did put in a general purpose one that fit. The Great service part is that they charged me exactly nothing for their hour's work. (And then after a week's waiting and so-on, I got the proper parts from the local Toyota dealer and fixed it all myself...) Stuart S. 1976 300D w115 Message: 2 Date: Tue, 08 Nov 2005 18:55:47 -0800 From: David Brodbeck [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [MBZ] Pulling to one side after tire rotation To: Mercedes mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] Message-ID: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Kaleb C. Striplin wrote: first start with swapping the 2 front tires from side to side, if the pull moves to the left, you have tire pull. I got off work early enough today that I could take the car back to the tire shop, about an hour before they closed. They did exactly that. Sure enough, it now pulls to the left instead of to the right. That rules out an alignment problem, and pretty much means I must have a bad tire. I'll take it back there at the first opportunity. I'm impressed with one thing about Les Schwab -- they're the only tire shop I've seen use an honest-to-goodness torque wrench on the lug bolts of my car.
Re: [MBZ] Pulling to one side after tire rotation
On Tue, 08 Nov 2005 18:55:47 -0800 David Brodbeck [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I'm impressed with one thing about Les Schwab -- they're the only tire shop I've seen use an honest-to-goodness torque wrench on the lug bolts of my car. Discount Tire in Santa Fe does, too. Craig
Re: [MBZ] Pulling to one side after tire rotation
Peter Frederick wrote: Almost certainly a bad tire, especially since changing the pressure makes a difference. Actually, changing the pressure made no discernable difference. Check the tires from excess wear on one side of one tire -- if you have differential tread wear on one tire, or worse, the tread snakes as you rotate the wheel, the belts are out of it. Will try to take a look if things dry out. The guy who did the rotation said that the tires all had even wear, though. It seems like if the tread was snaking he'd have seen it when he balanced the tires.
Re: [MBZ] Pulling to one side after tire rotation
first start with swapping the 2 front tires from side to side, if the pull moves to the left, you have tire pull. David Brodbeck wrote: As I mentioned before, yesterday I took my car to Les Schwab for a tire rotation and brake inspection. When I got it back, it was pulling to the right, and it was too late to take it back that day. Today it wasn't raining, so I decided to do a little troubleshooting on my own. Checked the tire pressures. They were all wrong, of course, so I corrected them. Took the car out for a drive, and it still pulled hard to the right. I've also got a new vibration in the steering wheel at speeds above 60 mph. I put my hands to the wheel vents after a freeway run, and none of the brakes were noticably hotter than the others, so it's not a dragging brake. At this point, I suspect I have a bad tire that wasn't as obvious when it was on the rear. For a while I'd had an odd vibration from the rear at certain speeds. It was a vibration at 45 mph, and at 25 mph it felt like the rear of the car was squirming side-to-side slightly. I never figured out what it was. I wonder if a slipped belt in one of the tires would cause those symptoms on the rear, and a pull on the front? At this point, the next logical step would be to swap each front tire out with the spare, to see if the problem goes away, but that's a lot of work and it looks like it's about to start raining again. I think I'll take the car to the tire shop on Tuesday and let them scratch their heads over it. ___ For new parts see official list sponsor: http://www.buymbparts.com/ For used parts email [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://striplin.net/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_striplin.net -- Kaleb C. Striplin/Claremore, OK 89 560SEL, 87 300SDL, 85 380SE, 85 300D, 84 250 LWB, 83 300TD, 81 300TD, 81 240D, 81 240D, 76 450SEL, 76 240D, 76 300D, 74 240D, 69 250 Okie Benz Auto parts-email for used parts
Re: [MBZ] Pulling to one side after tire rotation
David I think you are right about the bad tire. This was my experience, I drove the wife's SDL one day and had to fight a right pull for 80 miles. I swapped her right front with a new tire on my SDL's left rear. Her car is now great and I feel a slight vibration in the driver's seat of my car. Sounds like our problems were the same. Good luck with it. Harry Watkins Newton, MS 86 SDL Silver 85 300D Euro 86 SDL Gold 81 240D manual trans - Original Message - From: David Brodbeck [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, November 06, 2005 3:40 PM Subject: [MBZ] Pulling to one side after tire rotation As I mentioned before, yesterday I took my car to Les Schwab for a tire rotation and brake inspection. When I got it back, it was pulling to the right, and it was too late to take it back that day. Today it wasn't raining, so I decided to do a little troubleshooting on my own. Checked the tire pressures. They were all wrong, of course, so I corrected them. Took the car out for a drive, and it still pulled hard to the right. I've also got a new vibration in the steering wheel at speeds above 60 mph. I put my hands to the wheel vents after a freeway run, and none of the brakes were noticably hotter than the others, so it's not a dragging brake. At this point, I suspect I have a bad tire that wasn't as obvious when it was on the rear. For a while I'd had an odd vibration from the rear at certain speeds. It was a vibration at 45 mph, and at 25 mph it felt like the rear of the car was squirming side-to-side slightly. I never figured out what it was. I wonder if a slipped belt in one of the tires would cause those symptoms on the rear, and a pull on the front? At this point, the next logical step would be to swap each front tire out with the spare, to see if the problem goes away, but that's a lot of work and it looks like it's about to start raining again. I think I'll take the car to the tire shop on Tuesday and let them scratch their heads over it.
Re: [MBZ] Pulling to one side after tire rotation
I had one on my VW that did the same thing even though it looked to be wearing evenly there was some cupping on the inside tread. The shop never noticed this even after I pointed it out there was a bad tire. It looked as though the tread blocks had shifted on the tire and caused a loud drumming noise above 30 mph. Tread may be good, but you can bet down the road you'll be seeing your tire sheading rubber like a bad retread on a semi. 69 280 SEL 120,000 Miles 72 350SL 108,000 Miles 2004 VW Passat 4 Motion 1999 Mazda Miata -Original Message- From: David Brodbeck [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Mercedes mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sun, 06 Nov 2005 15:11:22 -0800 Subject: Re: [MBZ] Pulling to one side after tire rotation [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Dave, since you mentioned you had a vibration in the rear before the rotation it sounds like you had a tire that was has some cupping or a possible broken belt. Check the front tires by running your hand along the inside of the tread and you might be able to feel any slight distortion in the tread. I will take a look later, if it stops raining. The shop claimed that the tires were all wearing evenly, though. ___ For new parts see official list sponsor: http://www.buymbparts.com/ For used parts email [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://striplin.net/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_striplin.net ___ Try the New Netscape Mail Today! Virtually Spam-Free | More Storage | Import Your Contact List http://mail.netscape.com
Re: [MBZ] Pulling to one side after tire rotation
You do not say what car you have so I have no input other than what happened to my buddy and his 79 450SL 2 wk ago -- pulling to the right, I aired up the tires properly, drove it and was pulling much harder. Hmmm. Front tires were wearing and we were going to move them around until this problem became really noticeable. I did not see anything from a quick look. He takes it to his indy who puts it on the lift and discovers the left side LCA rear mount on the front subframe was nearly torn completely off. Part of it was sorta grimy whereas the rest of the tear was bright and shiny, which suggested a chronic problem turning acute quickly. Much more driving would have really ruined his day. Per the listers' suggestions he took it to the Benz dealer and they fixed it free, except for $300 he paid for an alignment and tire rotation and something else I forget. Y'all saved him the $2k his indy quoted him before I asked the guy if there was a recall on this part. hemhawclear throat uh ohyeah call MB about it I think he was pissed he did not get the job. --R David Brodbeck wrote: As I mentioned before, yesterday I took my car to Les Schwab for a tire rotation and brake inspection. When I got it back, it was pulling to the right, and it was too late to take it back that day. Today it wasn't raining, so I decided to do a little troubleshooting on my own. Checked the tire pressures. They were all wrong, of course, so I corrected them. Took the car out for a drive, and it still pulled hard to the right. I've also got a new vibration in the steering wheel at speeds above 60 mph. I put my hands to the wheel vents after a freeway run, and none of the brakes were noticably hotter than the others, so it's not a dragging brake. At this point, I suspect I have a bad tire that wasn't as obvious when it was on the rear. For a while I'd had an odd vibration from the rear at certain speeds. It was a vibration at 45 mph, and at 25 mph it felt like the rear of the car was squirming side-to-side slightly. I never figured out what it was. I wonder if a slipped belt in one of the tires would cause those symptoms on the rear, and a pull on the front? At this point, the next logical step would be to swap each front tire out with the spare, to see if the problem goes away, but that's a lot of work and it looks like it's about to start raining again. I think I'll take the car to the tire shop on Tuesday and let them scratch their heads over it. ___ For new parts see official list sponsor: http://www.buymbparts.com/ For used parts email [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://striplin.net/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_striplin.net
Re: [MBZ] Pulling to one side after tire rotation
rumor has it that David wrote: Checked the tire pressures. They were all wrong, of course, so I corrected them. Took the car out for a drive, and it still pulled hard to the right. I've also got a new vibration in the steering wheel at speeds above 60 mph. I put my hands to the wheel vents after a freeway run, and none of the brakes were noticably hotter than the others, so it's not a dragging brake. At this point, I suspect I have a bad tire that wasn't as obvious when it was on the rear. For a while I'd had an odd vibration from the rear at certain speeds. It was a vibration at 45 mph, and at 25 mph it felt like the rear of the car was squirming side-to-side slightly. I never figured out what it was. I wonder if a slipped belt in one of the tires would cause those symptoms on the rear, and a pull on the front? Sounds like a classic case of tire cord seperating. You can check for this by looking for a bulge on the tread area of the tire. Of the dozens of tires that I have experienced cord seperation, they have _all_ pulled to that side if the tire was on the steer axle. Of course, it could be something eles Philip, who prefers round tires.
Re: [MBZ] Pulling to one side after tire rotation
Dave, since you mentioned you had a vibration in the rear before the rotation it sounds like you had a tire that was has some cupping or a possible broken belt. Check the front tires by running your hand along the inside of the tread and you might be able to feel any slight distortion in the tread. 69 280 SEL 120,000 Miles 72 350SL 108,000 Miles 2004 VW Passat 4 Motion 1999 Mazda Miata -Original Message- From: David Brodbeck [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sun, 06 Nov 2005 13:40:24 -0800 Subject: [MBZ] Pulling to one side after tire rotation As I mentioned before, yesterday I took my car to Les Schwab for a tire rotation and brake inspection. When I got it back, it was pulling to the right, and it was too late to take it back that day. Today it wasn't raining, so I decided to do a little troubleshooting on my own. Checked the tire pressures. They were all wrong, of course, so I corrected them. Took the car out for a drive, and it still pulled hard to the right. I've also got a new vibration in the steering wheel at speeds above 60 mph. I put my hands to the wheel vents after a freeway run, and none of the brakes were noticably hotter than the others, so it's not a dragging brake. At this point, I suspect I have a bad tire that wasn't as obvious when it was on the rear. For a while I'd had an odd vibration from the rear at certain speeds. It was a vibration at 45 mph, and at 25 mph it felt like the rear of the car was squirming side-to-side slightly. I never figured out what it was. I wonder if a slipped belt in one of the tires would cause those symptoms on the rear, and a pull on the front? At this point, the next logical step would be to swap each front tire out with the spare, to see if the problem goes away, but that's a lot of work and it looks like it's about to start raining again. I think I'll take the car to the tire shop on Tuesday and let them scratch their heads over it. ___ For new parts see official list sponsor: http://www.buymbparts.com/ For used parts email [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://striplin.net/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_striplin.net ___ Try the New Netscape Mail Today! Virtually Spam-Free | More Storage | Import Your Contact List http://mail.netscape.com
Re: [MBZ] Pulling to one side after tire rotation
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Dave, since you mentioned you had a vibration in the rear before the rotation it sounds like you had a tire that was has some cupping or a possible broken belt. Check the front tires by running your hand along the inside of the tread and you might be able to feel any slight distortion in the tread. I will take a look later, if it stops raining. The shop claimed that the tires were all wearing evenly, though.
Re: [MBZ] Pulling to one side after tire rotation
Almost certainly a bad tire, especially since changing the pressure makes a difference. Check the tires from excess wear on one side of one tire -- if you have differential tread wear on one tire, or worse, the tread snakes as you rotate the wheel, the belts are out of it. Don't drive it except to get the tire(s) replaced -- the belt can separate completely and toss the entire tread off! Peter
