Bad Frontend Alignment

[Goombatz]

My right front wheel hit a curb as I was rounding a corner... about 20mph... the steeringwheel alignment is off by about 50 degrees and the front end feels really loose... especially when going above 40mph. The car will stay in a straight line but when I "zig zag" it really wonders all over the place... it's a little scary. Any idea of what suspension components might be damaged? Is this going to be a serious repair? If so, is it going to drain my bank account?

--2001 986 Boxster 2.7--

51k mi.

Edited December 9, 2008 by Goombatz

[pk2]

Yes it's serious. I wouldn't drive it to far to fast. And yes you'll be reamed if you leave it with a dealer. But, aside from parts cost (depending on what you broke), any shop can fix it (unless you bent something that requires a body shop). Have fun.

Regards, PK

Edited December 9, 2008 by pk2

[ericinboca]

Take the wheel off and look if you can. There is not all that much under there.

There is a transverse control arm - it is at the bottom, attaches to the aluminum cross member on the inside, and attaches to the wheel carrier with a ball joint.

There is a diagonal control arm - it runs from a front frame attachment point to the transverse control arm.

And there is the tie rod - this is part of the steering rack and attaches to wheel carrier - on the forward edge of the wheel carrier if I remember correctly.

There are other bits and pieces under there, of course, such as drop links, coilovers, etc.

I would look hard at the tie rod. I think that is the mostly likely culprit. Inspect your wheel too - you might have bent the rim. (If you did bend the rim, don't throw it out - send it off to be straightened. Much cheaper.)

I recently did some suspension upgrades on my track dedicated 986S (solid bushings, mounts and bearings plus adjustable coil overs). I replaced one transverse control arm - it was something like $350, and one rear toe adjustor for $75 I think.

I have not priced an outer tie rod, but I would guess $100 ballpark???

Labor is another matter. If you are a competent wrench, and you have the right tools, these pieces can be replaced as DIY. You would need to take it to an alignment shop afterward, obviously.

One important note - I am not sure of the PSM stuff on your model 986, but I know on later models that there is a steering angle sensor in the steering wheel. If you have knocked the alignment out a huge amount, you might get a steering wheel angle sensor error code (CEL). If your model has this feature, you will want to take your car to a shop that can re-calibrate your steering angle sensor with a PST2 type tools when they do the alignment.

[Goombatz]

Thanks for your valuable input. I'm taking her to the shop tomorrow (certified Porsche mechanic)... I'll let everyone know how it went... wish me luck!