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4 Wheel Drive/SUVs/Car pulls to the right

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Expert: - 9/26/2004


Question
Hi Carl:
I have a 1997 Ford Explorer (Eddie Bauer) with 4 wheel drive. My car pulls to the right. I put air in all tires as directed by auto instructions. The car still pulls to the right but not as much as before I added air to the tires. I assume that the next step is to have a wheel allignment and tire balance. Would the 4 wheel drive have ANything to do with this ?

Thanks in advance for the advice. I appreciate the help.
Bill Bollaert

Answer
Bill,

There are a few things that can cause this.  You have checked the first, being tire pressure.  It is important that the tires on opposite sides have the same air pressure.  You might consider  having the tires rotated, and like you said, balanced at the same time.  Another possibility, is that one of your brakes is not functioning properly, and creating more drag on one side than the other.  And, you are right on having the alignment checked, as your next check.  If all of these fail to correct the problem, you might have your power steering checked for proper pressure, and valve operation.

Having 4-wheel drive shouldn't affect the steering.

Carl

4 Wheel Drive/SUVs

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Carl Brandt

Expertise

Will discuss suspensions, lifts, lockers along with tire suggestions. Trail ratings and possible requirements needed for specific type of trails. Safety equipment and what you should carry with you. Certified off-road instructor. I am not a mechanic, and 4-Wheeling is a hobby, so if I can't answer a technical question it is due to my mechanical knowledge being related to vehicles that I have owned, or have worked on. I do not have manuals on all vehicles.

Experience

40 plus years of 4 wheeling in a variety of vehicles. At the present time, my major off-road rig is a 94 Jeep Wrangler with a spring over and a 1 1/2" suspension lift. This gives me a total lift of 7" or so. I have lockers front and rear. I have removed the track bars, and sway bar for maximum articulation. I am running a stock 2.5 ltr 4 cylinder with a Jacobs ignition along with a cold air high flow filter. It has 4.56:1 gears with a Dodge NV4500 transmission along with a 3.8:1 Atlas II transfer case. This gives me a final ratio of 105:1 in low gear/low range. Other vehicles I own, are a 96 Ford F-250 with a 6" lift, posi rear end, 36" Hummer tires, 5 speed with a fuel injected 460 ci engine, an 87 Samurai with an 8" lift, Ford 9" rear end with a spool, Chevy Dana 44 front end with an electric locker, 5.88 gears, 16% reduction in high range and a 6.5:1 low range with 35" Baja Claws, and a stock 2003 Grand Cherokee Overland. Trails I have run are the Rubicon (10 times), Dusey Ershim, Fordyce Creek trail, McGrew trail, several trails in Moab, Utah along with local monthly runs.

Organizations
Lost Coast 4x4's Cal 4-Wheel Corva UFWDA Blue Ribbon Coalition

Education/Credentials
Certified off-road instructor - Certificates in engineering/electronics

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