Front end wanders at highway speed 96 T-bird LX

20

Asked by halftoe Jul 23, 2014 at 11:38 AM about the 1996 Ford Thunderbird LX RWD

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

Just waiting for a cop to pull me over and check me for DUI due to constantly having
to correct steering because of wandering front end.
I've replaced front struts, upper arms (with ball joints) and lower ball joints but this did
not correct the problem.
Sway bar bushings look ok.
Car has a constant "clunking" from front end when going over bumps. Haven't been
able to locate from whens the clunking comes. Somewhere low to the ground, between
front end and tranny. Tranny mounts are tight, bushings good.
Thanks.

8 Answers

20

Also: tires are good. Rotated tires, but no change...

1 people found this helpful.
20

Stabilizer bar links... are they the funny lookin short bars mounted straight up and down with dust booty on each end? The booties are shot; I was going to change these bars out next, since there isnt much left to change. They look like a pain in the *ss. Any tricks to these? I appreciate the reply. This is the 1st forum of any kind I've seen that's actually worth a d*mn.

20

No mechanic: can't afford it. Have been doing all the work my self and saved big $$ doing so. Yeah, swapped tires out but no effect. Well, bar links and control arm bushings are next: will let you know if it works or not. Thanks for the input.

15,715

Just a faint possibility but it still could be tires. I presume they are radials. You could have broken belts in one or all that will cause a similar problem. Go to a good tire dealer and ask him to check them. THIS COULD BE DANGEROUS IF IT IS THE PROBLEM. REPLACE THEM.

20

Hey there oldtimer. I'll have to check if they're radials, but i just rotated them myself and gave em a look over and the rubber looked good to me; no sign of belts. Do you mean broken belts where they are not visible? I happen to be going to a mechanic tomorrow to do some code checks on the tranny. I'll run it by him. Thanks for the reply.

15,715

Broken radial belts are on the inside of the tire tread. You don't usually see them but can feel them when you rotate the tire on a jack. Just a small bump in the tread.

1 people found this helpful.
20

I see. Will have to check for that; will let you know what the outcome is. Thanks again...

Your Answer:

Thunderbird

Looking for a Used Thunderbird in your area?

CarGurus has 746 nationwide Thunderbird listings starting at $5,498.

ZIP:

Own this car?

Share your experience with others.

1996 Ford Thunderbird

Review another car

CarGurus Experts

  • #1
    Larry Sturgis
    Reputation
    2,960
  • #2
    Gene Arnett
    Reputation
    2,080
  • #3
    MrBlueOval
    Reputation
    1,560
View All

Know more, shop wisely

Search

Related Models For Sale

Used Ford Mustang
882 Great Deals out of 23,005 listings starting at $1,995
Used Chevrolet Corvette
671 Great Deals out of 11,960 listings starting at $3,200
Used Chevrolet Camaro
587 Great Deals out of 9,522 listings starting at $1,800
Used Ford F-150
5,911 Great Deals out of 122,780 listings starting at $1,995
Used Jeep Wrangler
3,245 Great Deals out of 56,978 listings starting at $3,000
Used Lincoln Town Car
12 Great Deals out of 388 listings starting at $2,999
Used Ford Taurus
168 Great Deals out of 2,195 listings starting at $1,999
Used Pontiac Firebird
19 Great Deals out of 367 listings starting at $4,495
Used Ford Explorer
2,220 Great Deals out of 62,652 listings starting at $999
Used Ford Ranger
579 Great Deals out of 9,890 listings starting at $2,550
Used Mazda MX-5 Miata
132 Great Deals out of 2,918 listings starting at $4,495
Used Mercedes-Benz SL-Class
128 Great Deals out of 2,465 listings starting at $6,850
Used Lincoln Continental
42 Great Deals out of 613 listings starting at $9,660

Used Cars for Sale

2005 Ford Thunderbird For Sale
5 Great Deals out of 72 listings starting at $6,950
2004 Ford Thunderbird For Sale
12 Great Deals out of 106 listings starting at $6,950
2003 Ford Thunderbird For Sale
8 Great Deals out of 108 listings starting at $6,595
2002 Ford Thunderbird For Sale
22 Great Deals out of 263 listings starting at $5,498

Content submitted by Users is not endorsed by CarGurus, does not express the opinions of CarGurus, and should not be considered reviewed, screened, or approved by CarGurus. Please refer to CarGurus Terms of Use. Content will be removed if CarGurus becomes aware that it violates our policies.