Steering Problems
 

I've been having this problem for quite some time.
When driving the car pulls to the left, not violently, but its to the point where i have to keep my hand on the wheel so it doesn't drift to the left. I've had the car aligned and i have the proper tire pressure. I am just trying to think of what else it could be.
My steering at idle is also acting weird, no weird noises just weird feeling. There is resistance when turning the wheels lock to lock, almost feels like a tightenig of some sort hard to explain.
Also a while back i had my car up on a rack and one of the mechanics poked a small hole in the boot of my power steering rack, fluid came out. The guy said that this was a definite sign that the rack was going south. Could this be the reason for the weird steering feel at idle/park and the drifting to the left? Thoughts/Advice are welcome,

Thanks,
Chris

I think it could also be the ball joints too...:confused:

The drifting could be caused by a bad tire, just looking at it won't reveal anything. I know it will make the wheels backwards but try swapping the two front tires, if the car then goes straight or pulls to the other side you have your answer. Rotating the tires front to rear isn't as revealing.

Belts in tires sometimes shift to one side causing them to 'lead'. A safe assumption is that all tires have belts slightly off-center. Have you ever noticed new tires that have circumferential stripes on their treads? That is how they are 'classed'. When a tire is built they are measured for the amount of distance the belts are from center and the stripes are applied. When a car manufacturer purchases tires they buy them by the carload (boxcar.) The tires are designated '0', +5, +10, -5, -10, etc., referring to these dimensions. That way all tires on a vehicle will match and not create delivery problems at the dealership. When buying new tires you can do yourself a favor and make sure all the tires installed have matching stripes so there won't be problems popping up after a rotation is done.

Also, when new tires are mounted there is something that most installers don't know about or pay attention to - a small yellow circle or dot on the sidewall that should be installed next to the valve stem. Wheels have a slight offset to concentricity (tyoically .015") that is indicated by the valve stem hole. Some (most) tires have a heavy spot or point of concentric offset and the dot locates that point. When the dot and stem are indexed the deflection is at its best match to reduce the offset of concentricity/deflection. Better: balancing performed with a balancer that has a load roller that applies pressure to the tire/wheel assembly and measures and indicates the best mounting position. An updated version of the balancer also measures the amount of side thrust caused by offset belts and indicates where each tire/wheel combo should be placed on the car. Look for shops that have the Hunter GSP 9700 balancer: http://209.176.154.132/

A leaking rack is a sign that replacement is required soon. I wouldn't worry too much about the 'feel' until that has been addressed.

We're assuming the tires are properly inflated right?

yeah the tires are properly inflated, 33 psi up front 28 rear. They're relatively new about 7-8 miles on them toyo proxes....and i have tried switching all the tires around front to back, corner to corner, side to side so i definately think its NOT the tires.

bump (update)
Now in addition to the above mentioned problems i am hearing a creaking sound when turning, kinda like a door slowly opening. I know its not my boots they are both relatively new.

Does the new noise narrow any of the suspect areas down?

I would simply take it to the dealership, but they claim there's nothing wrong. I know i am not crazy, b/c they're definately is something wrong. A car should not make these noises and steering should not feel this way.

Thanks, Chris

Get them to put it in writing that nothing is wrong. Then you might be able to hold it against them if something happens.

BTW did you try getting wheel alignment done?

yeah i've tried the wheel alignment, i've had new tires installed and properly balanced and there still is the pull, the awkard tightness, and now the noise. I really am at a loss of what to do. I guess i'll just keep trying various shops......