Well crap. Can't align the front.

[chairmankaga]

Took the M35 to the alignment shop today to try and correct the shaking over 60 and pull to the right issues... and they can't. They suggested an adjustable control arm kit (SPC 72123), which would give enough range to compensate. The quote for parts, labor, and re-alignment was $1,000.

But I'm worried that there's a larger problem at play. Why would the stock part be incapable of being readjusted back to factory spec? The car was driven by a 60+ year old dentist, so it was never lowered or stanced. None of that nonsense.

They wouldn't say definitively, but they suggested previous damage to the passenger side front upper control arm was the culprit. I knew the car had been in a minor front end collision recently. New bumper cover, new radiator, new condenser - that was it. So I'm suspecting undiagnosed and unrepaired damage from that.

I, of course, had a relatively expensive PPI done by the most reputable place in town, which identified no problems of this sort. He said it needed new tires, which I knew, and also that the steering rack had seeping o-rings, which didn't appear to be severe enough to do much more than keep an eye on fluid. Otherwise thumbs up.

If I'd known the car would need $1,000 in work just to make it stable over 60 and also not eat its front tires every 3 months, I would have bought a different car.

Sorta , and scared to tell my wife that this amazing idea of mine is probably about to cost another grand.

Ideas? Suggestions? Condolences?

[Ilya]

Yeah, looks like your PPI overlooked the issue and the seeping o-rings on the steering rack may have in fact been a sign to look the whole front end more closely. Especially after knowing it had a front end incident. But, that being said, I doubt your PPI would have been able to know the car couldn't be aligned unless they also put the car on such a machine (again, I doubt).

Unfortunately, not much you can do here but eat the cost of either changing the front upper control arm or buying the kit and hoping for the best.

What do you have for tools, etc.? Might be worth DIY'ing to save some money, but will cost you a few hours...

[steve_c]

What alignment specs was he unable to get under control?

[chairmankaga]

I'll need to pull the exact numbers off the report, but the front right camber was off by a half degree or so and couldn't be pulled in further. I believe caster was right at the edge of spec on the negative side. There was another value that showed the delta between the two fronts, and it was even wider.

I have a friend who's finance manager for the big, local Infiniti dealer. I'll see if he can help me sneak into their bay for a better look at the whole subframe. I also need to have the TPS system debugged.

I do have to wonder why the control arm can't be adjusted back to factory, unless there's more damage hiding somewhere in the suspension. That's my worry, at this point. I rebuilt the entire front suspension on my GTV6 not that long ago so I have a good ball joint separator, tie rod tool, etc. What I don't have is a heavy shop press for removing fat bushings, like in the A-arms and whatnot, or a spring compressor, since the Alfa has torsion bars in the front and DeDion in the back. I also really need to familiarize myself with the package.

[EdBwoy]

I believe the y50 control arms are cast aluminum, and by my crude testing they would crack rather than bend if the impact is severe enough. Are the bushings good?
Makes me wonder why you'd be maxed out on spec on a component that is not typically adjustable. Other guess is that the frame/subframe was distorted. They crumple dramatically if hit head-in, but can just shift laterally if hit from the side. See if you can have the body alignment checked as well.

Despite your experience with suspension work, I have to ask, you've gotten your tires/wheels balanced, right? I once got my tires balanced and the next day hit some rail tracks that threw the balance off. Apparently the dealer used this weight that was a single strip vs the chain store that used the small capsule weights. Paid up and my shaking over 50mph stopped immediately.

[chairmankaga]

I had new tires mounted up by Discount Tire, who I've never had any issues with - ever, just a few days prior to the alignment.

I'll have the Infiniti tech inspect the suspension components and subframe thoroughly. There almost certainly has to be something off up in there, because I agree. No good reason for non-adjustable components to be maxed beyond spec.

[EdBwoy]

How did this situation end Mr. Chairman?

[chairmankaga]

As it turns out, Discount Tire left off an entire set of wheel weights, which was exacerbating the noise and vibration from that wheel. Easy fix with my tire insurance comped! Still, problems.

It's still a bit out of alignment, apparently from a frontal, side-impact collision several years ago. The insurance company of the guy who hit the car only paid for cosmetic repairs, but apparently there were NO repairs to the suspension or other mechanical bits. I had a second shop carefully inspect everything up there and confirmed the subframe was OK but one of the control arms was slightly bent. There's no recourse with regard to the claim, as the "as-is" sale basically ended any option for a retroactive repair. I can have the front right suspension rebuilt, or just align as best possible and live with it. For now, I'm choosing option B. I'll need to see how tire wear looks after a few thousand more miles to determine if I need to do anything else. For now, it handles fine and only SLIGHTLY pulls to the right (more than acceptable, I mean), and there's no noticeable noise or vibration.

[EdBwoy]

Well damn! It had to be.
If you're still bothered by it enough after watching your tires and want to do something about it, let me know and I might have something for you.
I have an 06 m45. It was hit high in the front left but it otherwise drove straight and tracked true. I am almost done removing all the components that can be salvaged so I'll check the control arms. If good, just pay shipping.