Hi there.New to Fiat Forum.I had a broken spring about 2 months ago.I replace al 4 springs with shocks and the bearings from the top.All the parts are KYB.Since then i've tried all kind of different things to try and sort out the problem.No luck thought.My car goes either to left,either to right.The tyres are 2 months old,and i've done 4 time tracking since then.I keep the steering wheel straight but the car wont stay straight.In the curves i feel like the back of the car is sliding,and the front tyres feel like are going underneat the car.Sometime in roundabouts the left front wheel is not griping and the ASR start flashing in dash,and make the car block the wheel and make a really bad sound.Sometimes the steering is light,sometime gets harder,and that's on the same speed.I went to 4 different garages and the tracking has been done,and re-checked and everything seems to be fine.No play at all.I am new here,and sorry if i had a bad english.Please,can anyone near Stevenage,or Hertfordshire area can help trough this?I am runing out of options and the car is even worst.I would really appreciate if someone with much experience than me could have a look.
.Thanks in advance

Get a four wheel alignment done, not just tracking. Don't use the usual muppets in Quickfit etc. go to a specialist.

Thanks for the reply.Do you know a good specialist?

I know one in Aylesbury that I trust but thats a fair few miles from Stevenage. Do you have a Tyre-pro/Stapletons near you? Although Its the operator of the kit that matters.

Yes,there is a Tyre Pro garage in Stevenage.I just went last week there.But they just checked if the tracking in properly done.So you advise me to go for a 4 wheel alignment?

Its where I would start to look for your fault. You have changed things when you changed the struts so you need to be sure that everything is set up correctly.

Ok.Thanks a lot.I will give a try the next days and see if will solve the problem.I will reply as soon as i know something

Thanks for the info.I read this topic before removing the strut.I did check if everything its on the same line.I even took the strut down 2 times to make sure everything in fitted ok.The strange part is that my car is very high on the front,and very low on the back.I dont know.I am thinking now that probably they gave me the wrong springs.

Thanks for your kindness.I still have the old shocks and springs as well.It never really crossed my mind do check if are the same.I will atach a picture to see how my car stand.Thanks again.

Looks like wrong front springs. Bear in mind they will be different for different engines, especially diesel.
Presumably you did not disturb any suspension pivot bushes, but if you did, the final tightening should be done with the car sat on its wheels, so that the bushes are naturally at rest when the car is. If bushes are tightened with the wheels/suspension hanging then they are tensioned when the car sits down and can cause all sorts of handling issues, as well as a short bush life.

I will explain exactly what i did.Took down everything like in the link from above.Put all the things from old shock to the new one,compresed the spring,put it in place on the shock,i put the rubber protector,then the lower part of the mounting,then the bearing,then the upper part of rubber.Tighten the nut.Everything was on the same line.I put the strut back into position,tighten the hub screws then the drop links,then i put the wheel back and removed the jack.Then i put the top washer and tighten the nut.I just went now to check.I have my old springs,and another pair of sachs which are brand new but it didnt fit.The old ones are 476 mm.The sachs are 479 mm.And the one which are on the car are 481 mm.I also noticed,that if one person sits on the back seat,the car goes lower.Its like the old springs.Aren't KYB good springs and shocks?
Thanks

I checked the bushes.But i cant feel anything moving.The guys fron 2 garages checked and the same.No movement.I am thinking that the spring its to long and its and thats why its pushing the rubber mount to hard on the other one.I dont know.

Peat said:

I replaced all four of my shocks with KYB Excel-G and have no complaint.

Have you checked that the rear bushes on the front wishbone are solid?

If they have degraded and gone soft this will allow the car to wander, especially over an uneven road surface. Easily checked by trying to turn the front wheel with the H/brake on and out of gear.

If either wheel moves a significant amount , the wishbone bush is kaput!

BTW looking at the photo it does appear that the front of the car is higher than the rear but the sill is level with the ground.

Click to expand...

Can you please measure the lenght of your old springs and let me know whats the lenght?And does your car stay on the road as it should?Lower on the front and higher on the back.Thanks

No problem.I've done some research and this should be the following lenght of the springs.
Front:478 mm
Rear:351 mm.
So i am thinking this must be a clue which make the car unstable.
One more thing.
In the morning the car drives pretty nice,not as it should but pretty good.
On the afternoon,when its a bit warmer,i have all sort of knoking.And the steering is a bit lighter.What do i have to change?Rear bushes?Thanks

Hi again.Seems that my problem doesn't have a end.Is there someone nearby me,with the same car and willing to help me out with this problem?I am willing to pay.I just want to see my car as it once was.I have flexible program so I can adapt to requests.Every little help will be very welcomed.Thanks
In the last 3 months I spent more then 1000 pounds and the car is nowhere as it should be.I don't mind spending that kind of money,but at least is should run fine.

kiraly said:

I will explain exactly what I did.Took down everything like in the link from above. Put all the things from old shock to the new one, compresed the spring, put it in place on the shock, I put the rubber protector, then the lower part of the mounting, then the bearing, then the upper part of rubber.

Click to expand...

Are you sure you assembled the top mounting parts correctly?

The bearing should clip into a groove on the lower part of the mounting (as in the first picture below). If you didn't clip it fully into the groove, the steering could be tight and may not self centre. It must also be the correct way up. The grey metal part should be to the top (as shown in the top half of the diagram below).

The two rubber parts of the mounting must be aligned as in the lower half of the diagram below.

If you look through the hole adjacent to the suspension turret, (as shown in the second picture) you should be able to see the small round hole in the top part of the rubber mounting when the front wheels are at any angle, i.e. straight ahead or turned.

With the front wheels straight ahead, a 4mm diameter rod should pass vertically through the hole in the turret, and the hole in the top part of the mounting, and the cut out in the lower part of the mounting with very little resistance (as shown in the third picture).
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