Dodge Shadow Pulls When Decelerating.

[tubbco15]

Hi folks. I have a 1994 Dodge Shadow with the 3.0L V-6 engine in it. A couple months ago, I had the two front axles replaced. After I picked it up the car started pulling when I let off the accelerator. I mean a quick pull like it was trying to cross into the other lane. I took it back tothe mechanic. He replaced the ball joints and had the car aligned. No good. Finally I took it to another repair shop that has 5 certified mechanics on duty. The mechanic replaced the front struts, strut bushings, transmission mount and motor mounts. He replaced the axles and realigned it. Same thing.

It's hard to explain what it's doing but I'll try. If you are going down the road 55mph on flat road and take your foot off the gas, the car jumps the the left really quick and only for a second. It's like there is absolutely no feel in the steering. It reminds me of hydroplaning. One of the mechanics says that the frame is flexing too much, and the car is junk. His boss and I don't believe it, BUT, we are stumped as to what is causing this. It never did it before I had the axles replaced. Any suggestions (guesses)you might have would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Ted Mittelstaedt]

Hi folks. I have a 1994 Dodge Shadow with the 3.0L V-6 engine in it. A couple months ago, I had the two front axles replaced. After I picked it up the car started pulling when I let off the accelerator. I mean a quick pull like it was trying to cross into the other lane. I took it back tothe mechanic. He replaced the ball joints and had the car aligned. No good. Finally I took it to another repair shop that has 5 certified mechanics on duty. The mechanic replaced the front struts, strut bushings, transmission mount and motor mounts. He replaced the axles and realigned it. Same thing.

It's hard to explain what it's doing but I'll try. If you are going down the road 55mph on flat road and take your foot off the gas, the car jumps the the left really quick and only for a second. It's like there is absolutely no feel in the steering. It reminds me of hydroplaning. One of the mechanics says that the frame is flexing too much, and the car is junk. His boss and I don't believe it, BUT, we are stumped as to what is causing this. It never did it before I had the axles replaced. Any suggestions (guesses)you might have would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

They need to check the axles. It may be that the engine needs to be realigned in the engine bay. What is possibly happening is that the engine is twisted in the engine bay The engine/transmission mounts have slotted holes for this. This should show up on a 4 wheel alignment bench or if they measure the distance from the front wheels to the back wheels. Both wheels need to be the same distance from each other.

Sounds like the alignment place they used didn't know what they were doing.

Ted

 

[kmatheson]

They need to check the axles. It may be that the engine needs to be realigned in the engine bay. What is possibly happening is that the engine is twisted in the engine bay The engine/transmission mounts have slotted holes for this. This should show up on a 4 wheel alignment bench or if they measure the distance from the front wheels to the back wheels. Both wheels need to be the same distance from each other.

Sounds like the alignment place they used didn't know what they were doing.

Ted

This is true. It is always a good idea to perform a four-wheel alignment on a regular basis. If just the front is aligned, it will miss these other types of problems.

-Kirk Matheson

 

[Daniel J. Stern]

Hi folks. I have a 1994 Dodge Shadow with the 3.0L V-6 engine in it. A couple months ago, I had the two front axles replaced. After I picked it up the car started pulling when I let off the accelerator. I mean a quick pull like it was trying to cross into the other lane. I took it back to the mechanic.

That was a good first step. If the car wasn't dancing this particular jig before the axles were replaced, it's a fairly safe bet that either the axles themselves or something related, disturbed during the axle swap, are causing the problem.

He replaced the ball joints and had the car aligned.

Erm...why did he do that instead of checking his work and the parts he installed?

No good.

Right...that makes sense. If the car had needed ball joints and suchlike, shouldn't he have noticed and said so before beginning the axle job?

Finally I took it to another repair shop that has 5 certified mechanics on duty.

H'm. "Certified"?

The mechanic replaced the front struts, strut bushings, transmission mount and motor mounts.

Ye gods. Sounds more like a repair shop with 5 certified shotgun parts-changers and 0 diagnosticians, certified or otherwise. It's
*possible* all those parts needed changing, if the car has been used hard and neglected for the last 12 years, but here again, if the front end was such a decrepit mess, why didn't the first tech bring it to your attention?

He replaced the axles

Again...? OK, well, it can be difficult to find _good_ "remanufactured" CV axle assemblies, but for that reason, this is a step I might have expected to see out of your first tech when you brought the car back.

It's hard to explain what it's doing but I'll try. If you are going down the road 55mph on flat road and take your foot off the gas, the car jumps the the left really quick and only for a second. It's like there is absolutely no feel in the steering. It reminds me of hydroplaning.

It sounds to me as if the engine might not have been centred on its mounts properly after the axles (and then the mounts themselves) were replaced. This is a critical setting on these cars. Adjustment involves loosening the engine mounts and moving the engine-transaxle assembly leftward or rightward until a particular measurement is obtained down at the left and right axles. Guessing isn't good enough. If the engine is all the way over to the right or to the left, the backlash when you lift off the gas can bind up the axle and give a push in one direction or the other. Doesn't help if your steering rack is loose on its mountings, but generally that kind of looseness is accompanied by a great deal of noise over rough roads.

One of the mechanics says that the frame is flexing too much, and the car is junk.

That one's almost as good as "It's the *computer*!".

DS

 

[Shep]

Great advise, Dan, just to add it could be related to the subframe shifting under torque from decel, the mounts to the unibody could be rusted or the frame nuts came loose in the body, I would think these guys would have seen that though.

 

[Daniel J. Stern]

I have been a Mech. 4 a number of years, and yet to this date i have never needed to mess with the motor mnts. while replacing axles on this particular auto.

So you've been doing a halfassed job of this particular repair "4" a number of years, then.

 

[Joe Pfeiffer]

So you've been doing a halfassed job of this particular repair "4" a number of years, then.

But it isn't necessary to loosen the motor mounts to replace the half-shofts... so it isn't clear how replacing the half-shafts could result in the motor not being centered.

 

[Daniel J. Stern]

But it isn't necessary to loosen the motor mounts to replace the half-shofts... so it isn't clear how replacing the half-shafts could result in the motor not being centered.

It's a nonissue with _new_ genuine halfshafts. Those, however, are no longer available. With reman units, measuring the engine position (via the halfshaft dimension per FSM procedure) before and after the swap very, very often shows significantly different results. Hence the need to re-centre.

 

[tubbco15]

Well folks. As a last resort, the mechanic finally replaced the engine mounts again and realigned the motor. Voila! No more pulling. Total cost since I originally took it to the first repair shop: $983! Not bad just have have the axles replaced, don't you think? Are there ANY descent repair shops left out there??? Thanks for all your help guys. I appreciate it.

Tubbsy

 

[Daniel J. Stern]

Well folks. As a last resort, the mechanic finally replaced the engine mounts again and realigned the motor.

OK, wait a sec. This is now, counting the originals, the *third* set of engine mounts. What was wrong with the first replacements?

Voila! No more pulling.

I suspect all that was needed was the re-centering ("realignment") of the engine on its mounts.

Total
cost since I originally took it to the first repair shop: $983!

Ye gods. Ya got soaked, spun and hung out to dry.

Are there ANY
descent repair shops left out there?

There are, but you sure didn't find 'em on this adventure!

 

[Joe Pfeiffer]

It's a nonissue with _new_ genuine halfshafts. Those, however, are no longer available. With reman units, measuring the engine position (via the halfshaft dimension per FSM procedure) before and after the swap very, very often shows significantly different results. Hence the need to re-centre.

Ah. Guess I haven't come across any that have been out of spec yet.
Keyword yet....

 

[Ted Mittelstaedt]

Well folks. As a last resort, the mechanic finally replaced the engine mounts again and realigned the motor. Voila! No more pulling.

So, did you have to tell this so-called mechanic that a bunch of non-mechanics recommended aligning the engine, or did he figure that out for himself?

If you had to tell him, what did he say when it worked?

Ted