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The trusty ol' Cavalier has a problem(2005 LS Sport/105k miles). Just recently, I've had some really severe issues with memory steer(make a sharp left or right and the wheel doesn't want to properly return to center and drifts) which gives an overall sloppy and loose feel. I've also noticed a large "clunk" when turning at low speeds, such as in the driveway or a parking lot. No issues with funny noises or the car doing anything strange when braking.
I'm scheduling an appointment with my mechanic, but what do you think this could be? I'm thinking a control arm or steering rack bushing might have worn and maybe the alignment is also out due to the car torturing road conditions of the historically bad winter that we just had...but could this be something more severe? Dose this sound like a bad bushing/alignment or could this be an early sign of rack problems? No leaking fluids, power steering issues, vibrations, etc to report. Just severe memory steer followed by wandering and the occasional sharp radius steering clunk at low speeds. Thanks!
Last edited by TelecasterBlues; 04-06-2010 at 07:41 AM..
Sorry, I think you'd best wait for your mechanic. There are 100 things it could be.
Excessively worn or badly adjusted wheel bearings, broken coil spring, weak shock absorbers, excessively worn balljoints, bush deterioration, strut top mount failure, tie rod ends, excessive play in steering rack, pump problems to name but some.
Did you ever figure out what it was? I am having a memory steer problem on my 04 cavalier with 72k. I had work done on it fairly recently and i assume ball joints and tie rods are good(trusted mechanic). I just got alignment and it still does it. I am leaning towards struts and my next purchase anyways was going to be the loaded struts that come with the strut mounts. The alignment place told me to get new bolts so that the camber can be adjusted. They said the struts now can't be. Anyone know anything about that as well?
Thanks,
Lee
My 01 silverado does this too but only if its near or full steer. It will return back to center if i give it a lil bump in the right direction but if I don't, ill be doing 360's for days
The trusty ol' Cavalier has a problem(2005 LS Sport/105k miles). Just recently, I've had some really severe issues with memory steer(make a sharp left or right and the wheel doesn't want to properly return to center and drifts) which gives an overall sloppy and loose feel. I've also noticed a large "clunk" when turning at low speeds, such as in the driveway or a parking lot. No issues with funny noises or the car doing anything strange when braking.
I'm scheduling an appointment with my mechanic, but what do you think this could be? I'm thinking a control arm or steering rack bushing might have worn and maybe the alignment is also out due to the car torturing road conditions of the historically bad winter that we just had...but could this be something more severe? Dose this sound like a bad bushing/alignment or could this be an early sign of rack problems? No leaking fluids, power steering issues, vibrations, etc to report. Just severe memory steer followed by wandering and the occasional sharp radius steering clunk at low speeds. Thanks!
It's likely that your rack & pinion assembly needs to be replaced. However, without actually physically inspecting it, just about anything is possible. I've seen weird stuff like a sway-bar link broken & rubbing on tie rods - so who knows...
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