OldsmoBeast Posted May 20, 2003 Report Share Posted May 20, 2003 Uh oh guys, i think i did it this time.....i was pulling a J-Turn in reverse in a parking lot (you know, the turn that requires u to break traction and whip the front end of the car around...) when i overestimated my stunt driving skill and SMASHED my front passenger side wheel into the curb HARD AS HELL......did i mention that it was a hard fucking hit? I felt like a MAD dork (it was by my school). My steering felt kinda messed up on the way home but when i got home i whipped out the flashlight and turned the wheels while i looked at all the stuff in there.......and nothing appeared broken. My friend broke a control arm on his van the same way once and so that's the first thing i checked.......now after seeing mine, i think it's highly improbable that anyone could ever break one of those things.....but i dunno what's wrong with my car!!! Any ideas? Good ones? thanks fellas YK Cliff Notes: Did a DUMB ASS J-Turn in reverse and slammed it into curb.....not sure as to what i might have damaged Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ismellrealbad Posted May 20, 2003 Report Share Posted May 20, 2003 i smashed into a curb at about 30mph on a turn with the my old car. the front right was visibly bent in and under. i tried to drive home like that but the car wouldnt drive anymore after about 1/2 mile. nothing was *broken* - $1400 repair Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slade901 Posted May 20, 2003 Report Share Posted May 20, 2003 Was that a donut spin were you doing? You could have a bent rod. Put the car on a jackstand and try to check the wheels play and any looseness in the steering/suspension. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robby1870 Posted May 20, 2003 Report Share Posted May 20, 2003 My guess, is you bent the subrame and control arm. Prolly not the strut, which is good. I bet your wheel is dished, and your sway bar is prolly bent a little Robby Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldsmoBeast Posted May 21, 2003 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2003 ok well i just got home from work and on the drive there/back i noticed that: 1) my alignment is a little more messed than usual 2) at certain speeds my wheels make like a humming noise and u can feel it vibrate slightly in the steering..... but i have no clue what it means.....and i'm too lazy to check it out..so maybe friday or saturday i'll have it aligned and have em chack it out? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robby1870 Posted May 21, 2003 Report Share Posted May 21, 2003 That vibrating might be b/c you dished your wheel out. If that is the case, you will need a new wheel. How fast were you going when you hit? That would help in diagnosing Robby Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldsmoBeast Posted May 21, 2003 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2003 well that's the thing i wasn't moving i was going sideways...with the wheels spinning...so its hard to tell how fast i was going...maybe like 50 KM/h? i have no clue.....but what does that mean "my wheel is dished"....i haven't heard that one before...call me dumb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robby1870 Posted May 21, 2003 Report Share Posted May 21, 2003 okay your dumb...........only joking Now, a dished wheel is one where it is bent and will not roll in a straight line. Like you bent it so much its not a perfect cylinder. It happens a lot, I have done it twice. When you dish a wheel, you cant fix it, you have to get a new one. Just got to a junk yard, I got one ( a factory steel one) for $30 US. Hope that helps Robby Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldsmoBeast Posted May 21, 2003 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2003 oh ok i get it now......hmmm......if i had any money i'd probably buy a set of I-Series wheels for my car because i like how they look so much more than the crosslaces i have now......but that's another story.....thanks for the help with that term tho i didn't get it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian P Posted May 21, 2003 Report Share Posted May 21, 2003 check your inner and outer tie rods, and the humming could be the wheel bearing, but could be the wheel too. My vote is for wheel bearing since I think a damaged wheel would shake more than hum>? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ismellrealbad Posted May 21, 2003 Report Share Posted May 21, 2003 check your inner and outer tie rods, and the humming could be the wheel bearing, but could be the wheel too. My vote is for wheel bearing since I think a damaged wheel would shake more than hum>? agreed. boy have i ever been thru this before Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gimp19 Posted May 21, 2003 Report Share Posted May 21, 2003 I'm betting your alinment is also way out of wack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GnatGoSplat Posted May 21, 2003 Report Share Posted May 21, 2003 Screwed up toe alignment can also cause a hub to hum. Mine used to hum till I changed the inner tierod. Take it to an alignment shop and have them check and correct the alignment. If something's bent out of spec, they should come back and tell you that they can't align it. Also check for play in your tierod and balljoint. If after alignment your car still hums, have the wheel checked for straightness and have it rebalanced. This shouldn't cost much. If it still hums after that, you need a new hub. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
89BuickRegalGS Posted May 21, 2003 Report Share Posted May 21, 2003 i hit a curb about a year ago (side swiped then teh wheel popped over it) at 45 mph. Teh alignment on my car went way wrong and teh car would really not track straight. Turns out, I crushed teh ball joint on the side i hit the curb with. Check that out too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patgizz Posted May 21, 2003 Report Share Posted May 21, 2003 when i bought my car, the stupid previous owner's kid rammed it sideways into a curb(turning too fast in the rain). wheel was broken(aluminum), control arm broke(welds cracked between the halves), and the front cradle(aka subframe) was bent in at the control arm mount. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heza Posted May 21, 2003 Report Share Posted May 21, 2003 i nailed a curb really hard with my old civic that i had on wet pavement. i knew instantly i messed something up. my car pulled heavy to the left and just felt like crap driving straight. put my car up when i got home and checked it out...didn't bend the frame, but i bent the lower control arm forward 1.5". replaced it, and it was all better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldsmoBeast Posted May 21, 2003 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2003 are any/all of these things really expensive? I know alignment is pretty cheap most places around here, but what about all that other stuff? Because if it is, i'd prolly want to tell Mommy and Daddy before i take it to the shop. My other question was should i take it to the dealer to do that kinda stuff or would Midas do it or what? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GnatGoSplat Posted May 21, 2003 Report Share Posted May 21, 2003 If you're not fixing it yourself, then yeah, it'll be expensive. A few hundred bucks maybe? Not too sure, I've never paid a mechanic in my life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldsmoBeast Posted May 21, 2003 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2003 well i don't know if i have all the right tools.....how big of a job is it and what would i need? i doubt i could do an alignment myself, but if they find something broken that i can fix i might opt to do it on a saturday or something.....as long as i can get transportation to school and work every day... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gimp19 Posted May 21, 2003 Report Share Posted May 21, 2003 It will cost 2x or 3x as much for parts and labor if you have a mechcanic do the work. I try doing all the work on my car or having my dad help but some stuff I cant even attempt to do because I dont have a garage or enough equipment and tools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldsmoBeast Posted May 21, 2003 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2003 same sorta thing for me.....i have the garage space and some free time and a little experience but i'm not a big guy and i don't own a lot of tools Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heza Posted May 21, 2003 Report Share Posted May 21, 2003 well i don't know if i have all the right tools.....how big of a job is it and what would i need? i doubt i could do an alignment myself, but if they find something broken that i can fix i might opt to do it on a saturday or something.....as long as i can get transportation to school and work every day... i replaced an upper control arm on that same civic i referred to before. alignments, i'd recommend having someone else do...it's only $60 or so anyway. the control arm wasn't bad at all. you can rent pretty much any tool you may need at any local parts store...atleast you should be able to. my upper control arm required a ball joint fork and that cost $13. took 6 hours, 6 beers, and some BSing time. i'd say go for it if it's a control arm! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GnatGoSplat Posted May 21, 2003 Report Share Posted May 21, 2003 If it's just a hub, that's not a huge deal, but I think you'd need a hub puller ($20?), hub socket ($10-15?) and a T-60 TORX ($10?) to remove the caliper. Also a socket set with at least 3/8" and 1/2" drive ratchets and a handful of extensions. A breaker bar or cheap impact wrench ($20-50) will come in handy if anything is stuck too tight. You could easily swap a hub in an afternoon. A balljoint would require more tools - you'd need something to grind/drill/chisel away at the old balljoint rivets and either a picklefork or balljoint puller. You could still do it in an afternoon. I think a control arm could be done in an afternoon, but I'm not sure what all is needed... probably just a larger 1/2" drive wrench set as the bolts were pretty big, and a balljoint puller. If your subframe is bent, you could probably replace it yourself, but I'd consider it a bit more of an advanced project that will require assistance from a couple buddies as well. Subframes are HEAVY. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldsmoBeast Posted May 21, 2003 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2003 yeah that's what i mean.....i don't have any of that stuff.....cept for a 3/8" drive ratchet set and some other stuff......i know my dad and my brother have a bunch of car tools but my brother lives far and my dad is always working when i'm home and home when i'm working lol. so that's why i would most likely have Midas or someone do it. I'm pretty close with the boys at the local midas because I bought some aluminum off them for a school project and they did me a couple of free favors (mandrel bending and cutting stuff for the same project)......i was in there like every day for a few weeks.....so i could return the favor by taking the car there......i dunno Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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