remedy to 1984 nova pulling to right, for all early nova owners

[marc69]

I had a post here several months ago regarding my 1984 nova which after an mot kept pulling to the right but only under acceleration. I went to various garages and advbice from lots of helpful people but to no avail however. A few weeks ago I spoke with a guy who actually raced them in the late 80s. he looked at the car and told me that

1 the drivers spring bush at the top has been replaced at the wrong angle therefore the wheels camber is wrong. (that serves me right for paying a garage to do the work instead of doing it myself!)

2 the strut and spring they used is from a 1991 car therefore is different to a 1984. All front springs and dampers were changed in 1985 and also the camber angles were changed in 1988, this is changed by minute differences in the angles of the steering hub.

3 his advice was if you are going to replace a spring or strut, replace both sides so that if a small deviation is made, it is made on both sides and will not affect the handling of the car, the same applies to steering knuckles.

I thought that they were the same from 1983-93, certainly when you get replacement parts they are all listed the same, however i got new springs put in the 1984 struts and the pull has gone! Will probably need tracking done now though.

[spanishfly]

3 his advice was if you are going to replace a spring or strut, replace both sides so that if a small deviation is made, it is made on both sides and will not affect the handling of the car, the same applies to steering knuckles.


That goes without saying!

[mowgli]

no offence but in my humble opinion:

1. bollocks. the top bits on a nova strut can only fit where the top of the spring is, as does the bottom bit. the top bearing can turn 360 degrees & it is in a straight line cos it is bolted to a straight strut

2. bollocks. I had a 1984 nova with 1989 suspension on & it handled fantastically

3.everyone in their right mind changes suspension in pairs & then gets it tracked up afterwards

what your car suffered with is torque steer, brought on by worn components, bad setting of tracking & camber, and the inherent design of a nova

[marc69]

thanks for your replies, I have not really worked with suspension before which explains my ignorance but not the ignorance of so-called professional mechanics and garages whom I took the car to afterwards.

looking at point 1 above, inside the top bit on the strut, the metal bit with the bearing was unattached to the rubber bit, there is a wee hole on the plate which is supposed to line opposite the bottom bit of the strut, this was not and therefore the angle of the bit with the bearing was wrong. I hope this makes sense for you.

point2, because you were intelligent enough to change all the suspension it would have been fine.

3. I didn't even look into what was being replaced at the time, I left it all to a garage however, in the future I will ensure everything is replaced in pairs, a bit of a lesson for me!

[Nobby]

pmsl i have mk1 struts on my mk2 and it doesnt pull to the right at all? its all interchangable only body panels and interior fixing interior etc were really the difference between the "early novas".I think the garage or chap you were talking to is a bit of a nob to be fair as he obviously hasnt a clue what hes talking about. In my opinion if you have any questions queires i would ask on here 1st as apposed to taking it to a garage. Just my bit lol

[marc69]

thanks, there is reference to the changes in the haynes manual under suspension and steering revisions at the end, but I didn't check this as I assumed a garage would know what they are doing. As far as i am now aware, it is all interchangeable so long as everything is done in pairs therefore your mk1 and mk2 parts should be fine.

I have to say a thankyou to all the guys here who helped me with advice regarding checking all the other suspension components so i was able to eliminate all other parts to confirm it was the replaced strut before i went back to get my money back (being a scot this is very important!!!).

Anyway I hope that no-one makes the same mistake.

[phazer]

no offence but in my humble opinion:

1. bollocks. the top bits on a nova strut can only fit where the top of the spring is, as does the bottom bit. the top bearing can turn 360 degrees & it is in a straight line cos it is bolted to a straight strut



The top mount rubber can only fit in one position but the metal part carrying the bearing has a hole in it that must be 180deg from the strut mount holes. I assume this will affect geometry if it's wrong?

[mowgli]

The top mount rubber can only fit in one position but the metal part carrying the bearing has a hole in it that must be 180deg from the strut mount holes. I assume this will affect geometry if it's wrong?

the bit that has to be lined up is the top plate on the spring. which is basically bolted to the top of the strut insert... the actual mounting bearing & bushing is also mounted to the top if the strut insert. there simply isn't anywhere for camber to be knocked out by assembly of the strut. the strut runs in a straight line. the top mounting in the turret could be out by accidental damage or the bottom bolts could be out of alignment, but the strut simply can't go wrong. the little hole has a very good chance of moving round & settling when the spring is doing its job.

[phazer]

the bit that has to be lined up is the top plate on the spring. which is basically bolted to the top of the strut insert... the actual mounting bearing & bushing is also mounted to the top if the strut insert. there simply isn't anywhere for camber to be knocked out by assembly of the strut. the strut runs in a straight line. the top mounting in the turret could be out by accidental damage or the bottom bolts could be out of alignment, but the strut simply can't go wrong. the little hole has a very good chance of moving round & settling when the spring is doing its job.

Coolio. I added the ? as Haynes and Vauxhalls own TIS note it should be done this way. Anyone know why then as neither of these two say so?

[Benn]

No need to replace steering knuckles in pairs.

[marc69]

the bit with the bearing at the top of the strut should be attached to the rubber bit that the spring sits in, this should ensure correct alignment however, in the dodgy one I had, the rubber had seperated and therefore the guy just threw it together, not checking for the wee hole.

The positioning of the wee hole is paramount as the plate that contains the bearing is at a slight angle to position the strut at the correct angle in the turret.

[Benn]

The strut top.

[mowgli]

No need to replace steering knuckles in pairs.

if you replace springs or dampers, then they really should be done in pairs. & then tracking & camber needs checking.


the bit with the little hole is refered to in the haynes as an identification hole!!!!!

as stated before, the layout of the nova strut is such that the bearing plate 'being angled' will have absolutely nothing to do with the alignment of the suspension.... the relationship between the two bottom bolts & the top strut-turret (metalastic) mount is in a straight line & nothing can alter that.

my best guess on that little hole is that it is for drainage, but as i have already said, the movement of the spring under driving conditions will cause the plate to settle & move to just where it feels like

[Benn]

I didn't say they shouldn't be. I said steering knuckles, then yes get the tracking checked. I had to drive mind 10miles home with it wrong (camber set up and tracking) its was a nightmare and dangerous.