SputnikOne
Well-Known Member
Broken off old valve-stem aparrently.
73 Dart Front suspension rebuild
- Thread starter SputnikOne
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LOL! Well that actually makes sense!
I've had that happen too. Lazy tire shop employee...
fantastic! quite the mini adventure
and the smoke looks like valve guide seals, IMHO
If it sat for a few days and smoked, then it cleared up after it ran for a bit that's definitely a likely culprit.
SputnikOne
Well-Known Member
Yeah it was sitting for a good couple weeks. Ill keep tracking it, but is it still bad if it cleared up?
If it’s just valve seals it’s not critical, the engine will run fine. But it’ll smoke on start up when it sits, and it will get worse as the valve seals degrade further. Eventually it’ll smoke on start up all the time, not just after it sits, and if the seals go away completely you’ll end up burning a decent amount of oil.
The other possible issue is the valve seal parts ending up stuck to your oil pickup, which could cause a loss of oil pressure. That obviously could be catastrophic, but, it would take the valve seals falling apart completely and ending up in the pan.
If it cleared up it’s probably not something you have to fix tomorrow, but, you should definitely add replacing the valve seals to your “to do” list and take care of it sooner rather than later.
SputnikOne
Well-Known Member
Took the car to the alignment shop today, gave them the Skosh chart numbers for it. on my way back there to pick it up now, when they called and said it was ready they told me they only got it to about 0 caster which is alittle concerning, ill see what the other numbers came out to when I arrived, but I expected atleast alittle caster.
More idiots pretending to be alignment guys...
SputnikOne
Well-Known Member
Here's what they got
SputnikOne
Well-Known Member
Yeah the numbers speak for themselves it is once again not happy with driving straight, and the little bit of play in the wheel combined with that makes it a rather unpleasant drive now, but hey. Atleast the steering wheel is centered now 
SputnikOne
Well-Known Member
Well i dunno, I took it to the self service garage around base and took as many pictures as I can,
Nothing feels loose and nothing screams "im causing this problem" to me.
PS yes I know its a leaker, thats a problem for another time.
Nothing feels loose and nothing screams "im causing this problem" to me.
PS yes I know its a leaker, thats a problem for another time.
SputnikOne
Well-Known Member
Also we have added a new noise to our collection
This time its a subtle thunk in the center of the steering wheels play that it has
SputnikOne
Well-Known Member
Also yeah no clue where the wedge shaped bump stops are, you can see the upper and lowers are both round, though the uppers look alittle smaller? Could be worth swapping them around.
The rear wheel bumpstops are wedges, but theyre all cruddy and there's no way they are the new ones.
The rear wheel bumpstops are wedges, but theyre all cruddy and there's no way they are the new ones.
Why did you blur out the specified numbers in your alignment sheet? Just curious, obviously what they actually set it what matters.
The camber isn't terrible, but, they didn't set maximum caster at all.
Now, you didn't specify which side was which in these pictures, so I'm guessing as to which front goes with what rear.
This adjuster is middle of range. This is the front side, so, it should be all the way out or close to it.
Same for this rear adjuster. It's middle of range. If this is the same side as the one above, there's no reason for it. You could add caster by putting the front all the way out and the rear all the way in, and the camber would stay similar to what it is already.
This is a front and it's all the way out, the way it should be for max caster
This rear though is not all the way in. It's not middle of range either, so, if this one belongs with the one above it may be because of a camber setting also, it may be as much as you can get.
Regardless, once again I don't think the alignment shop has done you any favors. This is why I bought my own alignment gear. It's paid for itself many times over at this point.
SputnikOne
Well-Known Member
I didnt blur anyrhing myself i think the picture just messed up, everything looks readable to me when I scroll up and look at it.
Would adjusting the caster bolts for more caster just add more negative camber? Its at -0.25 on each side right now. They were maxed out before and I had positive caster but the negative camber looked pretty bad.
How am I supposed to get more caster without getting more camber?
Though honestly the slightly worse tire wear might be worth the car actually driving straight.
Would adjusting the caster bolts for more caster just add more negative camber? Its at -0.25 on each side right now. They were maxed out before and I had positive caster but the negative camber looked pretty bad.
How am I supposed to get more caster without getting more camber?
Though honestly the slightly worse tire wear might be worth the car actually driving straight.
SputnikOne
Well-Known Member
Would having positive caster on one tire and not the other even be a good thing? Also yes your guesses were correct, the tire at -0.6 caster is the one that looks like it can be adjusted more, so ill do that and see if it gets any better
SputnikOne
Well-Known Member
Welp, im alittle bit of an idiot.
I adjusted the caster bolts as reccomended and might have accidentally torqued them to spec before lowering the car
Didn't realize my mistake until I jounced the front end and the passenger side made 2-3 loud pops
Its not making the noise anymore and I looked at the bushings and didnt see anything wrong with my naked eyes, but im sure they are possibly toast now.
But hey, worst case scenario I have an excuse to get some offset UCA bushings now for caster
I adjusted the caster bolts as reccomended and might have accidentally torqued them to spec before lowering the car
Didn't realize my mistake until I jounced the front end and the passenger side made 2-3 loud pops
Its not making the noise anymore and I looked at the bushings and didnt see anything wrong with my naked eyes, but im sure they are possibly toast now.
But hey, worst case scenario I have an excuse to get some offset UCA bushings now for caster
repeat after me: making mistakes is part of learning.
also, for what you've paid for in alignments you could've probably bought a bubble gauge and done it yourself.
anyway, i'm not trying to throw shade, but you need to find somebody that *knows* how to align an old mopar and will *listen* to you. if you keep taking your ride to the 39.95 brake check and alignment place down the road you're going to keep getting the same dog water results, and therein lies madness.
also, for what you've paid for in alignments you could've probably bought a bubble gauge and done it yourself.
anyway, i'm not trying to throw shade, but you need to find somebody that *knows* how to align an old mopar and will *listen* to you. if you keep taking your ride to the 39.95 brake check and alignment place down the road you're going to keep getting the same dog water results, and therein lies madness.
SputnikOne
Well-Known Member
Yup, thats true, but it did help to verify something that I was pretty sure was the case already
Where in the world is all my caster at?
There's like no way for me to have proper camber and still have caster, probably the reason the suspension shop that did the "repairs" "couldnt figure out how to align it" and why the alignment shop (that has 2-3 of their own classic cars in-house) couldnt get barely any caster out of it.
Would replacing 'just' the UCA bolts/bushings with the special offset ones for more caster be a big job like LCA bushings?
But yeah I cant find Noone on this island that knows Mopar, luckily there's a huge mopar restoration shop in my hometown and my family has already showed them my car and they said they would love to help me with it. But I gotta get it there first.
I've always committed to having to have shipped over land as my hometown is in Nebraska and their is no ports anywhere near there, but they wont let me ship it overseas if its "leaking fluids" so that'll be fun.
That should be in just under a year from now.
Where in the world is all my caster at?
There's like no way for me to have proper camber and still have caster, probably the reason the suspension shop that did the "repairs" "couldnt figure out how to align it" and why the alignment shop (that has 2-3 of their own classic cars in-house) couldnt get barely any caster out of it.
Would replacing 'just' the UCA bolts/bushings with the special offset ones for more caster be a big job like LCA bushings?
But yeah I cant find Noone on this island that knows Mopar, luckily there's a huge mopar restoration shop in my hometown and my family has already showed them my car and they said they would love to help me with it. But I gotta get it there first.
I've always committed to having to have shipped over land as my hometown is in Nebraska and their is no ports anywhere near there, but they wont let me ship it overseas if its "leaking fluids" so that'll be fun.
That should be in just under a year from now.
yes
If both front and rear pictures that are "middle of range" are the same side, then you can get more caster without significantly effecting the camber. Front goes further out, rear goes further in, the camber changes should mostly cancel because the bolts are acting against each other for camber and working together to add caster
Essentially with the way the eccentric bolts work you're always trading one for the other. The only case where you're not is if you're in the middle on both and want to add caster.
Camber wear really isn't an issue if you're less then +/- 1° of camber. I've run as much as -1.5° camber on the street. It does depend on your driving habits, if you run that with nothing but freeway driving you'll see some wear. But if you drive any roads with decent corners probably not.
A little cross caster is frequently used to correct for road crown. But no, -.6° and 0 is not good at all if you're running radial tires. That's bad.
If all you did was "jounce" the suspension after torquing the UCA bolts with the suspension hanging it's pretty unlikely you destroyed the UCA bushings. Your current ride height is not extreme. Yes, you can tear those bushings by torquing them with the suspension hanging and then driving the car, but, it's not usually something that happens immediately unless your bushings are shot or your ride height is extreme. If just jouncing the suspension wiped out those bushings, well, they weren't gonna last all that long anyway.
I will maintain, as I have from the beginning of this thread, that you have more issues going on with that suspension than you know about.
You've seen the factory alignment specs. That's all the factory suspension was meant to get. It's a little unusual that you can't get +1° or +1.5° caster with the stock components and ride height, but, much more than that is not generally possible on most cars without offset UCA bushings. Even with offset UCA bushings the usual maximum setting is only +3.5° to +4°, and again, that is set up, ride height and car dependent.
I still think you have other issues, but these cars are known for their lack of positive caster adjustment with bone stock factory parts. The factory parts were designed for bias ply's, and bias ply's don't need much if any positive caster because their construction yields the self centering effect you get from positive caster. Radials don't have that, so, more positive caster needed. These cars were literally not designed for radial tires.
Replacing the UCA bushings, assuming the bolts aren't frozen in place, is a MUCH easier job than the LCA bushings. Since your UCA bolts have been adjusted recently, they should not be frozen. Getting the UCA bolts out is typically the hardest part of that job, the bushings aren't usually as bad.
Unlike the LCA bushings, you don't need a press or special tools to change the UCA bushings. You can make a UCA bushing puller/installer with just this stuff that you can get at just about any hardware store
If you've got an impact driver you can pull the UCA bushings in no time at all. If you're using hand tools to turn the nuts a bit longer. But I use this set up in place of a press on the UCA bushings, less chance of bending the UCA's in the press. And, if you're really in a hurry, you can pull the UCA bushings on the car with this set up. Undo the UCA bolts, spin the UCA around on the spindle so you have access, and pull and reinstall the bushings. Same tool for both operations, just working in opposite directions.
Car on jackstands, loosen the torsion bar adjusting bolts, removing the shock makes things easier, then undo the camber bolts and use the tool to remove and pull back in the new UCA bushings. If everything goes smoothly, you don't even have to take the UCA off the spindle.
By "leaking fluids" they're not talking about a couple of drips, they're only concerned about puddles. Like, is this a slip hazard for the workers or a hazmat incident kind of stuff.
SputnikOne
Well-Known Member
Thanks for all the information, I had no clue old tires just didnt need caster, i guess it makes more sense now as to why I cant get very much then.
As for my driving habits, I dont take the highway like, at all so I rarely go over 40-45 mph, but the roads here in Hawaii are pretty **** due to the climate.
Ill look into the offset bushings, do also need new shocks, and probably the correct lower bumpstops too.
But yeah again, im also convinced there's a bigger problem somewhere in this whole mess, but I've had zero car experience before this clusterfuck of a car so me looking at it really does nothing for any of us.
I suppose I could've told the alignment guy that caster was probably more important than camber, because id rather have negative camber than negative caster, even if I should probably be able to get both.
As for my driving habits, I dont take the highway like, at all so I rarely go over 40-45 mph, but the roads here in Hawaii are pretty **** due to the climate.
Ill look into the offset bushings, do also need new shocks, and probably the correct lower bumpstops too.
But yeah again, im also convinced there's a bigger problem somewhere in this whole mess, but I've had zero car experience before this clusterfuck of a car so me looking at it really does nothing for any of us.
I suppose I could've told the alignment guy that caster was probably more important than camber, because id rather have negative camber than negative caster, even if I should probably be able to get both.
SputnikOne
Well-Known Member
Went ahead and ordered the offset bushings, probably shoulda just started with those but oh well.
They'll arrived in 1-2 days, not sure if ill get around to doing the work before I have to leave island again, but we'll see.
They'll arrived in 1-2 days, not sure if ill get around to doing the work before I have to leave island again, but we'll see.
SputnikOne
Well-Known Member
Ill probably make a separate thread about this as I get closer to moving but here's my current issues.
There's a *very* thin line between my gas gage saying 1/4th and my car running out of gas, I forsee it being rather difficult to meet this requirement right now unless I figure this out.
And yeah the car does leak fluids, mostly power steering fluid, but there's some amount of oil drip from somewhere probably the oil pan, again may or may not be small enough to not matter.
There's a *very* thin line between my gas gage saying 1/4th and my car running out of gas, I forsee it being rather difficult to meet this requirement right now unless I figure this out.
And yeah the car does leak fluids, mostly power steering fluid, but there's some amount of oil drip from somewhere probably the oil pan, again may or may not be small enough to not matter.
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