Steering valve and trailing arm bushing ?

BangkokDean

BangkokDean

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Recently the vette has felt funny driving and two days ago it really went crazy. The car feels like it is wondering all over the place, like something is really loose. So I brought it to a near by front end shop and found the control valve is sloppy and leaking fluid. Now when I steer the car it responds OK but I am thinking the valve is loose and maybe causing the front wheels to dart slightly enough to feel like they want to go where they want to. I also found my left rear swing arm is loose on the bushing and using a pry bar you can slide it back and forth on the bushing housing.

As there are no parts available over here I just ordered a complete new set up from Corvette Central including the hoses and ram cylinder.

Does anyone know if this will fix my wandering feeling? Plus how can i tighten my swing arm to hold the bushing in place?
 
BangkokDean said:
Recently the vette has felt funny driving and two days ago it really went crazy. The car feels like it is wondering all over the place, like something is really loose. So I brought it to a near by front end shop and found the control valve is sloppy and leaking fluid. Now when I steer the car it responds OK but I am thinking the valve is loose and maybe causing the front wheels to dart slightly enough to feel like they want to go where they want to. I also found my left rear swing arm is loose on the bushing and using a pry bar you can slide it back and forth on the bushing housing.

As there are no parts available over here I just ordered a complete new set up from Corvette Central including the hoses and ram cylinder.

Does anyone know if this will fix my wandering feeling? Plus how can i tighten my swing arm to hold the bushing in place?
Click to expand...

By swing arm, I presume you mean the Trailing arm going into the frame up forward, and not the lower strut, either one will match your complaint/symptoms....need check the bearings too, many discussions over all that suspension...do a search...I would get the control valve from Trackdogg....did you check that idler arm for vertical play on the pass side of your main cross link??

:gurney:
 
Yes the trailing arm. The bushing is fairly new and tight but the trailing arm slides back and forth using a pry bar. Can the hole in the arm be tightened?

Also the idler arm is a little loose as is one tie rod end but not too loose. All the suspension was rebuilt 5,000 miles ago but the control valve was only rebuilt not replaced. I have ordered a new control valve that is included in the rebuild kit ordered fro Corvette Central. I also ordered a complete front suspension rebuild kit from CC.
I wonder why the front end parts only lasted 5,000 miles?
IMG_0023.jpg
 
BangkokDean said:
Yes the trailing arm. The bushing is fairly new and tight but the trailing arm slides back and forth using a pry bar. Can the hole in the arm be tightened?

Also the idler arm is a little loose as is one tie rod end but not too loose. All the suspension was rebuilt 5,000 miles ago but the control valve was only rebuilt not replaced. I have ordered a new control valve that is included in the rebuild kit ordered fro Corvette Central. I also ordered a complete front suspension rebuild kit from CC.
I wonder why the front end parts only lasted 5,000 miles?
IMG_0023.jpg
Click to expand...

I too have not had very good luck with front lower ball joints, this is the 4th set been in the car, while the old urethane lower bushings are still in great shape 15 years later, the uppers do need changing though, the upper joints are fine, just the lowers keep going....I spent some money at NAPA here for this last lower BJ set....
that idler arm will hopefully have a nut on the pivot mount end, and not just a grease fitting, that nut can be snugged up a tad to take out any vertical play.....as for durability, methinks some crooks are importing China steel parts and packing in American boxes....I have nothing else better to say, but parts these daze sure are getting shitty, no question, as with everything else Quality is hurting....gotta be a fucking metallurgist to buy car parts these daze....

is that T arm moving laterally from side to side and not up and down?? if so, you are missing some shims in there, get a kit of stainless shims, and the accompanying ~6" long cotter pin to retain them if the bolt comes loose, sounds as if some fell out....better check for rust while there too...famous rust/failure point for the frame....maybe the bushing on the t arm ???
shine a really good focused beam flashlight up in there see what's home for sure....

:cussing:
 
mrvette said:
BangkokDean said:
Yes the trailing arm. The bushing is fairly new and tight but the trailing arm slides back and forth using a pry bar. Can the hole in the arm be tightened?

Also the idler arm is a little loose as is one tie rod end but not too loose. All the suspension was rebuilt 5,000 miles ago but the control valve was only rebuilt not replaced. I have ordered a new control valve that is included in the rebuild kit ordered fro Corvette Central. I also ordered a complete front suspension rebuild kit from CC.
I wonder why the front end parts only lasted 5,000 miles?
IMG_0023.jpg
Click to expand...

I too have not had very good luck with front lower ball joints, this is the 4th set been in the car, while the old urethane lower bushings are still in great shape 15 years later, the uppers do need changing though, the upper joints are fine, just the lowers keep going....I spent some money at NAPA here for this last lower BJ set....
that idler arm will hopefully have a nut on the pivot mount end, and not just a grease fitting, that nut can be snugged up a tad to take out any vertical play.....as for durability, methinks some crooks are importing China steel parts and packing in American boxes....I have nothing else better to say, but parts these daze sure are getting shitty, no question, as with everything else Quality is hurting....gotta be a fucking metallurgist to buy car parts these daze....

is that T arm moving laterally from side to side and not up and down?? if so, you are missing some shims in there, get a kit of stainless shims, and the accompanying ~6" long cotter pin to retain them if the bolt comes loose, sounds as if some fell out....better check for rust while there too...famous rust/failure point for the frame....maybe the bushing on the t arm ???
shine a really good focused beam flashlight up in there see what's home for sure....

:cussing:
Click to expand...

The trailing arm and frame has no rust and look new the shims are still in place and the bushing looks like new, but using a pry bar you can slide the trailing arm from side to side on the bushing housing. it is not sloppy just with the pry bar on the drivers side only.I still think my problem is the steering control valve is loose causing the front wheels to wander while driving, also when there is a break in the pavement it throws the wheels to one side like the car is on tracks. As you can see in the pictures the car looks like new under side.
IMG_0037.jpg


IMG_0032.jpg
 
From looking at your sanitary 'dirty' side there, I have to comment that your tires look rather lo profile, and when I switched from stock 15" garbage to even my 17x9.5" vette rims, keeping same wheel/tire centerline, I noticed the steering got rather tricky on rutted roads...greatly noted at anything above 40 mph here in Florida, not really so badly up north, Florida being worse shape due to being a sandbar the concrete bridges/roads the car was fine....All noted in 1995......

I attributed it to the inherent looseness in that control valve, and obviously if that valve is not right/worn/whatever that will be a huge issue on control....it was the main reason I went to rack steering winter 01-02.....before any kits were out...that an the tighter turn ratios...2.7 turns lock to lock now instead of 3.7, feels more like a sports car than a bus now....especially with wider/lower profile tires....

I HEAR the Jeep box conversion, and they are commercially available now from Borgeson, is a good alternate solution, not that I ever drove one....

:drink:
 
Dean,
the loose trailing arm is definitely a contributor to your problem, the rear wheel toe setting is pretty much changing with every little movement that the loose bushing allows.
Since labor is cheap over there (compared to shipping and taxes) I'd just order JohnnyJoints and fix the loose arm once and for all - see my thread about the JJ install. Add a grease nipple, that's the one thing I "forgot" to do....

If you bought the front end rebuild kit from one of the "Corvette experts" with their colorful and shiny catalogs you most likely got some made in China joints. Buy Moog joints from f.e. Rockauto or Gary or Mike. They cost a little more but it's money well spent, better than doing the job all over again.
 
FWIW - if your wandering changes with throttle changes your rear end is working against you and your t-arm is most likely the culprit.
 
Thanks guys, I have already ordered the complete front end rebuild kit along with the power steering parts from Corvette Central, They have always been a reliable shipper for me and stand by what they sell.

Also they are a good customer of my Steel Shields.

Now today I really felt the rear shifting all over the place so it will go up on jack stands and the left trailing arm will be removed. I am hoping that the bushing can be tightened with a weld to close up the hole and repress the bushing back in. Lets see what it looks like after removal.

Boy the car sure felt weird..............:suicide:
 
Last edited:
BangkokDean said:
Thanks guys, I have already ordered the complete front end rebuild kit along with the power steering parts from Corvette Central, They have always been a reliable shipper for me and stand by what they sell.

Also they are a good customer of my Steel Shields.
1_p01.jpg

Now today I really felt the rear shifting all over the place so it will go up on jack stands and the left trailing arm will be removed. I am hoping that the bushing can be tightened with a weld to close up the hole and repress the bushing back in. Lets see what it looks like after removal.

Boy the car sure felt weird..............:suicide:
Click to expand...

Long as you sure it's the CAR now, not something else, like aftereffects....:drink::ill::rolleyes:
 
BangkokDean said:
Now today I really felt the rear shifting all over the place so it will go up on jack stands and the left trailing arm will be removed. I am hoping that the bushing can be tightened with a weld to close up the hole and repress the bushing back in. Lets see what it looks like after removal.

Boy the car sure felt weird..............:suicide:
Click to expand...

Maybe I've not read and understood all the posts but it sounds as if the trailing arm shims have just fallen out and need to be reinstalled with an alignment.
On the front end ,5000 miles shouldn't wear out everything. I can see 1 or 2 components needing replaced but not everything. Some of the big bar prying tests ,with the suspension hanging in the air ,that some garages do are meant to sell parts.

( If I misunderstood your posts I apologize. )
 
DWncchs said:
BangkokDean said:
Now today I really felt the rear shifting all over the place so it will go up on jack stands and the left trailing arm will be removed. I am hoping that the bushing can be tightened with a weld to close up the hole and repress the bushing back in. Lets see what it looks like after removal.

Boy the car sure felt weird..............:suicide:
Click to expand...

Maybe I've not read and understood all the posts but it sounds as if the trailing arm shims have just fallen out and need to be reinstalled with an alignment.
On the front end ,5000 miles shouldn't wear out everything. I can see 1 or 2 components needing replaced but not everything. Some of the big bar prying tests ,with the suspension hanging in the air ,that some garages do are meant to sell parts.

( If I misunderstood your posts I apologize. )
Click to expand...

As soon as I get time i will remove the trailing arm to see what is going on with it. BTW the shims are all there and tight along with the bolt and bushing.

Cheers
 
It is possible that the trailing arm itself has rusted and broke by the bushing, that area is very flimsy... maybe the bolt is only holding the bushing tight to the frame, the arm itself might be liberated from the bushing and its shell.... might be time to weld it
 
I bought a suspension set up from a well known Florida vendor. The ball joint dust boots disintigrated after three years (?) and the car had never been on the road. (Took me 5 years to do the car.) The bearings they supplied were made in Romania. On the various forums, there's been posts from people whose new ball joints (from same vendor) had to be replaced after only a very few miles. Also when I bought a rebuilt control valve from Volunteer Vettes, they were honest enough to warn me the rebuilt ones were sometimes unreliable. The new control valves are not made by AC Delco, but rather by a Brazilian company that bought the tooling (so I've been told). They changed the design slightly there's some dialog that these new ones can be defective also. The original OEM valves are expensive if you can find one. I now think a quility rebuild by a known person is the best course of action. (I think a previous post had a referral). Yes...go for Moog ball joints.

Good suspension parts can be gotten from Guldstrand in Burbank, Ca. He'll ship internationally but...Big $$$$. Tom's Differential sells good suspension parts. Also J & D in Bellflower, Ca. sells new and salvage parts and they will ship internationally.

.....The underneath of your car looks immaculate. How do you keep it looking like that in Thailand. If your driving it, the chances of a sudden rainshower are pretty likely. Also water puddles on the roads. Maybe the answer is cheap labor there.
 
So after removing the swing arm the rubber in the bushing fell out in small pieces. Less than 5,000 miles??? So there are on place to get new rubber bushings I will have a set machined out of Teflon for both sides.I hope they last more than the rubber ones.
 
The rubber deteriorated after only 5000 miles?? Are you sure it's rubber and not polyurethane ?? I used poly myself and after I installed the arms I learned that it's not the best for the trailing arms... Teflon won't last very long either, the material has to be able to take the rotation of the arm during the suspension travel as well as the deflection from the toe in/out changes during the suspension travel.... JohnnyJoints seem to be the best for this application....
 
OK I am back on the road. Replaced the control arm bushing plus the lower ball joints and lower A arm bushings. Also the power steering cylinder,hoses and a new power steering control valve. So far everything is good but the steering is a little harder turning the steering wheel. Before it steered really easy and now it takes a little effort. Maybe it will loosen up over time.
 
Borgeson steering box

Dean,
Do yourself a favour and throw out all of that 1950's technology at the lower end of your steering column and fit a new Borgeson integral power steering box. Either buy a Borgeson Drag Link Adapter to fit to your (power) relay rod or replace it with a manual steer relay rod. Add a new rag joint and a set of hoses ( both from www.borgeson.com ) and you won't believe the difference you will feel in your steering.

These boxes are new Delphi 600 units resplined in-house by Borgeson to suit the Corvette Pitman arm and come with a three year factory warranty. Did you get that with your control valve?

Check around by all means, but if you want a car that doesn't wander all over the road and has good feedback through the steering wheel, as well as maximum boost when parking, the Borgeson unit is the only way to go. Move ahead and feel the road.

Regards from Down Under:drink:

aussiejohn
 
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