Jump to content

Ironic Quadrasteer update

steppetoe

Recommended Posts

steppetoe Enthusiast

steppetoe

Posted
Posted

A little while back I told you folks about my very positive experience off-roading with my QSteer truck. I did mention that one must be careful of those tie rod ends while off-road. Well, I should have mentioned to also be careful of them while reversing into a driveway.

 

Short story:

 

I'm house hunting, backing into an unfamiliar driveway, sizable rock that I didn't see because it was directly behind the truck hidden by the tailgate (yes, I should have checked better but driveways usually don't have stray boulders). Disheartening crunching sound. I get out and check the truck to find left rear tie rod bent into a U shape. Not good. Left rear wheel cockeyed. Truck drives but not well. Steering wheel needs to be held at 30 degree angle to go straight. Funny thing is, the QSteer is working fine, it's just that the wheels are in disagreement about which way the truck is supposed to go.

 

Someone needs to fabricate some skid plates for the twigs they use for tie rod ends.

 

To the shop tomorrow. Me not happy :)

LogixRat Enthusiast

LogixRat

Posted
Posted

Bent a tie-rod and piece of my frame once back in high school on a Nissan Sentra. It was a dark and stormy afternoon, and me and a friend was showing off for some girls on the highway. Doin about 80+ in the rain (you know I had it pegged...hehe). Anyhow, hit the exit ramp to follow them and get numbers. Well on the way to slow down the little red beast started hydroplaning all over the exit. Before we finally hit the concrete pier of the light pole, we did what looked like a W on the exit lane.

 

We was heading straight on for this freak'n pole, and I looked over at my buddy. He had his eyes closed scream'n like a girl. I guess right before we hit the pole, the curb must have jolted the car just enough to hit the front passenger side tire. We got out of the car lucky to be alive, and shook it off. At first I thought things were good (just a dented fender) and then we went to drive off and that's when I noticed the steering like you said. Got her pulled into a nearby gas station and crawled up under it and saw all the damage.

 

Needless to say, it cost some big bucks and my parents weren't too pleased either. Of course, the real story changed on what really happened...hehe. Not that it really mattered, but the girls did come back to check on us and we got their numbers as we originally intended but never called them because we felt like too big of idiots. Oh, the high school days.

steppetoe Enthusiast

steppetoe

Posted
  • Author
Posted
d**n :cheers:

 

That sucks :sleep:

 

How did the rock bend the things?

Rock was just small enough that the bumper must have just cleared it as I was backing up, so it (the rock) rammed right into the tie rod end, right between the rim and the diff. It also took out the e-brake cable. One of those freak things that it had to hit right in the exact wrong spot.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Latest Articles

  • Posts

    • fondupot
      Exhaust heat while towing!

      By fondupot · Posted

      You can install tailpipes that direct the exhaust sideways vs the OEM one that goes straight back. There are several on the market, do you own research. HOWEVER, you need to make sure the Venturi vents are still intact, otherwise it will throw a engine code. There is a sensor somewhere that detects back pressure on the exhaust. And if it doesn't collect the correct metrics, it will throw the truck into limp mode. 
    • Atlas
      Wow I'm in a pickle. (Broke down truck) and a story.

      By Atlas · Posted

      "Teardown" is complete. Head surfaces are clean and ready, new intake is prepped and ready. Coolant drained and water pump is removed, radiator is removed, new hoses and pump are ready.   The replacement intake is also from a '95 (with I think 260k, the odometer said). Noticeably less pitting where it covers the rear coolant passages. I'm not sure if that's a tribute to more frequent use, more frequent coolant changes/upkeep, or if the intake was machined at some point. But it appears I found a good one.   My coolant hoses were original, and the lower hose still retained the factory spring inside. It's not really rusty, but it's got deposits all over it. Unsure if I should re-install it (will thoroughly clean it first). Someone said hose technology has gotten better since 1995 (has it?) and I don't need the spring. I think modern EPDM is what made those hoses last from 1995-2026, so it's a question of how much suction can the water pump really pull, and will it collapse the hose without a spring?   I'm stopped and waiting for parts, however.   When I first brought the truck home, the fan was intermittently hitting the radiator shroud. I could see someone had monkeyed with the shroud (put a bunch of cardboard as a spacer between the upper/lower shroud halves. Someone said the motor mounts have likely failed and the engine has sagged. I wasn't sure I believed that. The engine is really solid in its mounts: To remove the old intake I *just* nearly permanently welded to the heads with freshly cured RTV and gasket snot two weeks ago, I literally had to use the arms on my lift and a chain with a bolt attached to the intake to pull it loose. It almost picked the front of the truck off the ground before ....scuuuuuuuuuuup.... I could actually hear the gaskets tearing and it broke loose and the whole truck settled back down. Motor barely moved.   SO, those parts I'm waiting on... The lower radiator mounts/bushings had completely failed. The radiator needs to be insulated from the rad support, and the bushings help the rad stand at the correct height. The plastic "baffle" was also destroyed at some point. Someone had attached the shroud to it incorrectly, overlapping a joint that should have been underlapped, creating another suspect issue potentially causing things to hit the fan. Broken tabs, side is busted off, and it's perma-formed/bent where it was jimmied incorrectly.   The baffle? Unobtainum. Long since discontinued from GM, of course. Aftermarket/capa/chinese? Also unobtanium. In GM's infinite wisdom, it appears there are at least two different variations whether the Blazer is 2 or 4 door, and I can't yet tell if they shared the same part with the S-pickups. Plan B, if I can't find a viable used one, will be to create a bracket to re-assemble the critical joint I need to seal a gap with the shroud. But that will bug me, it won't be...perfect.   The water pump bolts appear to have been installed with...plumber's putty. I guess, sure, if it works...? I've found a few "backyard fixes" like that. Someone's been here before....   If I can't find someone to jam bamboo under my fingernails to fill my free time this week I think I'll install the driver's power window motor and replace the rear door speaker that's inop. I've got a genuine GM "9.5" ohm working replacement. Why GM used a non-standard resistance....nevermind. Of course they did, you can get more sound from a cheap factory amp that way.   And the saga goes on...
    • glenn27
      Different requirements for oil filters?

      By glenn27 · Posted

      // Thank you, also for your  response. More information is always good. This 2013 GMC is most likely my 'forever truck"-I'm 77 and retired...and truck only has 42K on it-very clean-so I try to keep it that way.  Tks again for your  response- glenn
    • smooth68
      Alternate wiring for Kicker sub with Bose system. (DO THIS)

      By smooth68 · Posted

      I started my install this weekend. Everything was pretty straight forward but I ran into one issue with running power through the firewall. The nipple grommet on my High Country already has a small harness running through it - has anyone else ran into this issue? And on the engine bay side, does the wire basically just penetrate the factory wiring boot? I did this on my '22 Trail Boss and it seems much easier but thats been a few years. My other thought would be possibly drilling a new hole adding a rubber grommet just to the lower left of the factory hole. Thoughts?   Has anyone used a T-harness off the Bose amp and obtained power from there? It seems a little odd that such a small amp needs 3 power leads
    • glenn27
      Different requirements for oil filters?

      By glenn27 · Posted

      ///// Ok--Thanks for that info--I could not find yesterday when I looked for the specs on that NAPA filter what I wanted. Their website is not very user friendly. I buy all teh filters for  our three vehicles once or twice a year. Have always run NAPA Gold on everything I own....I buy it thru my Son's account for his business-which he has a Heavy Equipment repair shop-one reason he uses NAPA so much-they have such a full line of coverage for just about anything/anywhere- He gets s  good discount because of volume bought. Anyway-Thank you -Sir for your response.   glenn

  • GM-Trucks.com Clubs

  • Popular Contributors

×
×
  • Create New...