On 11 Aug 2002 at 13:00, Lenny Seidman wrote:
> The left rear wheel is at a noticeable worse (slanted out at the bottom more)
> angle than the rght rear wheel.
That angle is called camber; negative means it tilts in at the top.
The camber on each rear wheel is controlled entirely by the vertical
position of the suspension on that side. If the left side has more
negative camber than the right while you are in the car, maybe that's
just a sign that the car is loaded more on the left. (Uh, it's a LHD
car, right? :-) However if the amount is "excessive" or stays the
same when you get out, you have a problem with the spring. Can't say
that I've ever actually seen such a problem but two possibilities
come to mind. Maybe the spring is not symmetric, having been bent on
the left more than on the right over the years. Or maybe the bolts
which hold the spring to the diff are coming loose. I've never
checked the bolts on a Mk3 but on a MkIV/1500 you can check them
through a removeable plate under the carpet behind the seats.
I *think* you may be able to swap it for a MkIV/1500 swing spring if
you replace the front sway bar too. If you're in the Boston area I
have an extra spring that you can have. I swapped it out of my 1500
but has plenty of life left.
> Any ideas what could be causing this difference in angle and
> would the pulsating/vibration (vibration at speeds above 45
Severe camber angles make the u-joints operate at sharper angles.
Since a standard u-joint is not constant-veloicty, you may be feeling
the resulting windup and release of the drivetrain twice though each
wheel revolution. Exact behavior would depend on the phasing between
the u-joints, but that changes as you corner. Seems to be it would
have to be pretty severe to be felt, but then again, you are
complaining about severe (and asyemmetric) camber.--
Jim Muller
jimmuller@pop.rcn.com
'80 Spitfire, '70 GT6+
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