HI Everyone. I'm really hoping someone can help me because my Envoy is my daily and my only working vehicle and as of now, its downright dangerous to drive. I honestly don't know exactly what to search for, so I will attempt to explain the problem as briefly as possible.
When driving in a straight line, if the car catches a small groove in the road, or if the road starts to slightly lean one way or the other, the car will suddenly veer to one side or the other.
It feels as if both front wheels are turning but without driver input or without turning the steering wheel.
Also at one point when I would brake, the car would pull hard right but steering wheel hardly moves. Believing I had a bad caliper, I replaced both fronts. That did help some but did not totally eliminate the pulling upon braking.
Upon further inspection I could see play in inner tie rod ends, so I replaced all of the ends, both inner and outer. No help
I also noticed that the end link on one side of the front ARB or ASB was very loose. The nut was not fully tightened. I replaced both front end links and made sure they are tight. No help.
The problem is getting worse. One would think that an inspection would reveal an obvious problem that is this severe. I can't find anything that is obviously loose or failing. No leaks from the steering rack. No apparent strut or spring problems.
I've tried to do an inspection on my back with front on jack stands and tried prying here and there to find any failed or worn out parts like rubber bushings, or any parts that are worn out and so far I haven't detected anything out of the ordinary.
I do realize that a problem like this is difficult to diagnose without being able to check the car out in person. I also realize that I am not explaining it very well. I just don't know how else to describe what's happening beyond what I've mentioned here.
If anyone has any ideas on what things I might want to take a closer look at, it would really help? Anything specific I should look at (besides everything)?
I would be very grateful for any guidance and you literally and figuratively might be a lifesaver. Unfortunately I can't afford to have a shop repair it. Even spending just a $100 - $150 to have it diagnosed by a shop is a problem right now because I got laid-off recently when he company I worked for for 15+ years was sold to a company in TX.
Finally, I have driven a lot of old, worn out cars over the years. I'm talkin' real sh&tbox pickups that had almost half a turn of play in the steering wheel and an old Renault that had a failed rack and pinion. 1960's era box trucks with a half million miles and little to no maintenance, etc.
This feels more like something is either broken or has fallen apart rather than just a worn out part because the problem came on kind of quickly. The problem with that assessment is that it appears to be getting worse, I have never been afraid to drive a car like I am now with this one.
Thanks for reading this.
Regards
Jim
When driving in a straight line, if the car catches a small groove in the road, or if the road starts to slightly lean one way or the other, the car will suddenly veer to one side or the other.
It feels as if both front wheels are turning but without driver input or without turning the steering wheel.
Also at one point when I would brake, the car would pull hard right but steering wheel hardly moves. Believing I had a bad caliper, I replaced both fronts. That did help some but did not totally eliminate the pulling upon braking.
Upon further inspection I could see play in inner tie rod ends, so I replaced all of the ends, both inner and outer. No help
I also noticed that the end link on one side of the front ARB or ASB was very loose. The nut was not fully tightened. I replaced both front end links and made sure they are tight. No help.
The problem is getting worse. One would think that an inspection would reveal an obvious problem that is this severe. I can't find anything that is obviously loose or failing. No leaks from the steering rack. No apparent strut or spring problems.
I've tried to do an inspection on my back with front on jack stands and tried prying here and there to find any failed or worn out parts like rubber bushings, or any parts that are worn out and so far I haven't detected anything out of the ordinary.
I do realize that a problem like this is difficult to diagnose without being able to check the car out in person. I also realize that I am not explaining it very well. I just don't know how else to describe what's happening beyond what I've mentioned here.
If anyone has any ideas on what things I might want to take a closer look at, it would really help? Anything specific I should look at (besides everything)?
I would be very grateful for any guidance and you literally and figuratively might be a lifesaver. Unfortunately I can't afford to have a shop repair it. Even spending just a $100 - $150 to have it diagnosed by a shop is a problem right now because I got laid-off recently when he company I worked for for 15+ years was sold to a company in TX.
Finally, I have driven a lot of old, worn out cars over the years. I'm talkin' real sh&tbox pickups that had almost half a turn of play in the steering wheel and an old Renault that had a failed rack and pinion. 1960's era box trucks with a half million miles and little to no maintenance, etc.
This feels more like something is either broken or has fallen apart rather than just a worn out part because the problem came on kind of quickly. The problem with that assessment is that it appears to be getting worse, I have never been afraid to drive a car like I am now with this one.
Thanks for reading this.
Regards
Jim