So I been messing around with this 89 RS I picked up.....Looks mint and low miles but from driving it around the handling seems to be going. The car also had a slight wander to it. Ive replaced the tie rods, front sway bar bushings and struts. I also put new tires on it....It handles alot better but still has that wander... Could that be from the rear end bushings being old? They look like theyre original. I also noticed that the drivers side tire seemed to not stick out as much as the passenger side but it mights have just been me..... I plan of replacing the rear shocks, sway bar, bushings and control arm bushings in the rear and still need to do the ball joints in the front. Id really like to fix the wandering first. The steering gear box mounts look ok but not sure if its in that area or not. I wanted to do the bushings and everything I listed and was hoping it might fix the wander also.... Any input is welcome. Ive read about every thread about wandering but wasnt sure if rear end problems could cause it. The car is aligned in the front but Im still wondering about the rear end. Could it be moving? Could the bad control arm bushings and sway bar bushings be causing this???

 

Give the panhard bar and its brace and brackets a close look, because that's what keeps the axle centered under the car.

It could be anything from bad bushings (mostly annoying) to a bent or cracked bar, or PHB brace or bracket damage (scary).

That you mentioned the axle being "off" to the passenger side is a strong suggestion that all is not right with the bar itself.


Norm

 

Thanks for the reply Norm..... At least now I know that the rear components can possibly cause this. All I had to go by was my common sense and the theory that if the rear end moves, it'll change the handling. Im going to check over everything Saturday. My husband has his GTA in the garage now and its way to cold for me to be doing all that outside lol. Thanks again! I'll post my results as soon as I know something. maybe it'll help someone in the future!

Teagen

 

Your "common sense" is certainly on the right track, and handling or stability issues arising from rear suspension issues can be more annoying because you don't have direct steering control over that end of the car. You have to wait for the steering to cause the car's inertia to generate a little roll and a little lateral force before anything much happens back there, and the little time lags get in the way of feeling that you did the right correction.

If it turns out to be the PHB, spend a little time trying to figure out just why it bent, and what else might then need to be looked at. Three possibilities that I've seen at one time or other include use as a tiedown point by moron flatbed driver, use as a jack point by moron shop tech (don't laugh - I once stopped a dealership shop tech from doing exactly this - to his own 4th Gen's PHB), or the left rear was curbed (and the impact compression-buckled the PHB slightly).


Norm

 

Blown rear shocks can also give the sensation of rear wandering. I had this issue.