I have a 98 Ford Escort ZX2 with about 123,500 miles on the clock. To set the context I just got new tie rods installed in mid-January. So Monday night I got stuck in a sloppy, slushy, muddy parking lot (I live in Philadelphia and we’ve had some weather). After pushing it all morning with a friend behind the wheel I managed to dig two huge ruts under my front wheels. We tried turning the wheel back and fourth and kept pushing until four fella’s came and saved the day. Now my steering is loose, off center and pulls to right when I accelerate in any way but gently. So I’m wondering, do I just need an alignment? Or could there be something else really wrong?
Algnment technicians always check out the steering and suspension before they do an alignment, but sometimes it’a little bit “cursory”. Go to a reputable shop that does a decent number of alignments and just tell them what happened and that they should thoroughly check the whole steering and suspension.
Thank you Karl. I know a decent shop in Pendel PA called Karlson’s. I was planning on going there later this morning for a chat. They’re a suspension/alignment specialist and did good honest work for me once after a long night with a large pot hole. I am still wondering though if anybody in the Mid-west or Northeast have had a similar situation happen to them during the winter.
Carlson’s! One of the best reputations around. (I used to live in Central Bucks county.) I almost mentioned it in my post, but I didn’t know what part of the Philly area you were from. Can’t go wrong there. Please post back.