1996 Chevy Cavalier

1996 CHEVROLET CAVALIER
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BAKER8648
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1996 Chevy Cavalier 162000 miles, 5 spd, engine (2.2 ltr) runs great. I have a question about my front end, i just replaced brake pads and rotors about 100 miles ago, the reason i replaced them was because when i got the car and applied the brakes the car pulled to one side, so i replaced brakes and rotors, but that didn't fix my problem, so basically what happens is at any speed when i press the brakes the steering wheel turns to the left and the whole front end pulls to the right, so im thinking it would be a worn out tie rod end? when i had the wheels off i pulled on the components underneath and everything was completely solid so im just not sure what to do now, also makes a loud noise when i brake suddenly like i ran something over, as in, not a constant noise but a sudden bump noise, and i was wondering if you could send some helpful information my way, that would mean alot to me, Thanks, Jake~
Jun 2, 2007 at 5:20 PM
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E40WATER12
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U might want to do this first, jack up the front end of car, With the tires on with each one of youre hands on the front tire, try moving the tire up and down motion, If their is any play, Youre ball joints are wornout, Also Have you checked youre air pressure in all youre tires should has 32 psi max. Also on youre front tires do u see and wear (bald wear) on the outter edges of youre front tires?. If so I think u need a wheel alignment, Also Have you checked youre rear brake shoes?.

Keep us updated

Good Luck.
Jun 2, 2007 at 8:39 PM
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BAKER8648
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I have jacked the car up before and i tug on the wheels in all directions and everything is positivily solid, also, was driving today over some rough terrain and everytime i hit a heavy bump it makes that loud noise underneath the front end, i didn't check the rear brakes i guess i could to that that might have something to do with the pulling, but could it have anything to do with drive components or could i have bad shocks or struts that cause the noise and or pull? thanks, i really appreciate this site its AWESOME! Jake Baker
Jun 3, 2007 at 1:28 PM
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E40WATER12
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OK its makes a noise when u hit a bump, hmmm, How old are youre struts? they are orginal?.
The way to test youre shocks to see if they are good, This is called bounce test, push with both hands on front of the car until see the car go towards the ground, If the car bounces more then once youre struts are worn, Also it makes be thing youre strut mount & strut bearings are wornout, They manke those kinds of noises, Also strut mount & strut bearings are a common thing to wearout quick on these cars.

Good Luck.
Jun 5, 2007 at 3:17 AM