rajncajn Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 Last week my wife's front right tire on her van went completely flat in the driveway. That night I set it up on a jack & took the tire in to the local tire place to get it patched. Unfortunately while I was away my wife decided she wanted to get a CD out of the van and when she shut the door it rocked off the jack. It landed on both the rotor and on the "A" shaped piece that goes down to the wheel, but more so on the A piece and whatever that hub thing is at the end of it (yeah, I know I'm not a car guy but at least I can change a tire). Anyway, when I got the tire fixed & brought back I attempted to jack it back up again & quickly realized the jack was bent in the fall when the van toppled over again. I ended up having to jack it up a short ways with the van jack until I could fit another under it. Anyway, now that the van is all back together there is a slight wobble in the steering wheel, especially at lower speeds. I'm thinking it could be one of a few things. Best case scenario the tire could be out of balance from going flat, but it really doesn't feel like that because with that you usually just feel a bounce & it gets worse with higher speeds. Another possibility is the fall knocked it out of balance. I'm really hoping this is it. I'm guessing worst case scenario is the "A" frame piece and/or what it attaches to got bent in the fall. SO, I have a couple of questions. Based on how I described everything does my inexperienced assessment sound about right, are there other possible problems I may be looking at and where should I take it for the best analysis? Should I bring it to a place that does alignments, should I take it to the dealer or do I need to bring it to a body shop? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbimm Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 Last week my wife's front right tire on her van went completely flat in the driveway. That night I set it up on a jack & took the tire in to the local tire place to get it patched. Unfortunately while I was away my wife decided she wanted to get a CD out of the van and when she shut the door it rocked off the jack. It landed on both the rotor and on the "A" shaped piece that goes down to the wheel, but more so on the A piece and whatever that hub thing is at the end of it (yeah, I know I'm not a car guy but at least I can change a tire). Anyway, when I got the tire fixed & brought back I attempted to jack it back up again & quickly realized the jack was bent in the fall when the van toppled over again. I ended up having to jack it up a short ways with the van jack until I could fit another under it. Anyway, now that the van is all back together there is a slight wobble in the steering wheel, especially at lower speeds. I'm thinking it could be one of a few things. Best case scenario the tire could be out of balance from going flat, but it really doesn't feel like that because with that you usually just feel a bounce & it gets worse with higher speeds. Another possibility is the fall knocked it out of balance. I'm really hoping this is it. I'm guessing worst case scenario is the "A" frame piece and/or what it attaches to got bent in the fall. SO, I have a couple of questions. Based on how I described everything does my inexperienced assessment sound about right, are there other possible problems I may be looking at and where should I take it for the best analysis? Should I bring it to a place that does alignments, should I take it to the dealer or do I need to bring it to a body shop? First things first! Check to make sure the rim is seated to the hub completely. With the car resting on the brake rotor it may have jammed the rotor against the studs. Take the wheel back off and tap the rotor against the hub to make sure it is seated correctly and then reinstall the tire. Just falling off the jack would not bend anything structurally. Also while you have the tire off make sure that the tin backing plate is not rubbing on the brake rotor. It is easily bent and will cause a scraping noise when rolling if it is against the rotor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rajncajn Posted March 14, 2009 Author Share Posted March 14, 2009 First things first! Check to make sure the rim is seated to the hub completely. With the car resting on the brake rotor it may have jammed the rotor against the studs. Take the wheel back off and tap the rotor against the hub to make sure it is seated correctly and then reinstall the tire. Just falling off the jack would not bend anything structurally. Also while you have the tire off make sure that the tin backing plate is not rubbing on the brake rotor. It is easily bent and will cause a scraping noise when rolling if it is against the rotor. Thanks tbimm, but it looks like I'm going to have to put it off til Sunday now. Had too much to do today & never could get to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Dick Posted March 14, 2009 Share Posted March 14, 2009 my wife decided she wanted to get a CD out of the van She should have never come back for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bier Meister Posted March 14, 2009 Share Posted March 14, 2009 She should have never come back for me. how do you get a CD out of a van? throw some ribs in the driveway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Dick Posted March 14, 2009 Share Posted March 14, 2009 how do you get a CD out of a van? throw some ribs in the driveway. This would work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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