shark13

Earlier this year my timing belt began to unravel and seized up my engine. I replaced my timing belt, water pump, cam seals, and crank seal. Since then the engine has been running smoothly. I did not know about a bolt at the top of the power steering pump that loosed the pump and allowed for easy tightening of the belt. I instead tapped on the side bolt and got it to where I thought it was tight.

Almost immediately after getting everything back together I noticed a very slight alignment issue to the cars right side. A little later we would notice a squealing sound on sharp turns and occasionally an almost stuck wheel feeling. After looking behind the wheel I saw the belt was a bit loose. I meant to get back into the car and tighten the belt but in that time the car began leaning stronger to the one side and then began a slight vibration which over a few weeks got much worse. In addition the steering wheel bounces back and forth. Almost immediately the car begins to travel to one side and at about 15-20 mph an up and down vibration felt heavily on the right side starts in. It gets worse as the speed increases and does not go away at any level.

I finally got back to the power steering pump, loosened the upper bolt, and properly tightened the belt in place. The wandering and vibration did not go away. I decided to try and isolate the issue by switching front wheels. The issue seemed to follow the wheel so I purchased a new tire. The problem remained. Yesterday I got a used tire put on a different rim and put that on. The issue has remained.

During the process of trying to figure this issue out I have noticed a few things and don't know if they could be the cause:

1) I had both front wheels off and had the car in drive to test brakes sticking. They weren't but I did notice that the right wheel was spinning noticeably faster than the left.
2) I have checked tire rods and the axle by applying back and forth pressure to the top and bottom of the tire (no wobble), left and right of the tire (no wobble) and in and out (no play). What I did notice is a small amount of play clockwise and counter-clockwise in wheel but that could be normal.

My front shocks are old and very worn and have been for some time. I am inclined to look that direction next.

Does anyone else ideas on what could be the cause?

Thanks

shark13

I ended up replacing two tires and finally resolving the issue. Both had significant bulging and were both on the left side of the vehicle (front and rear). Perhaps the car being jacked up at the front right wheel for 2 months caused an issue with the tires on the other side. Not sure.

salimshah

Yes your deduction is correct. For long term storage one has to lift the vehicle so the weight is not supported by the tires. Some of the deformity goes away after a bit of driving, but it really depends upon the condition of the rubber (age of tire).

Salim