There was nothing wrong after the repair in March, it was #3 that said he heard something in the wheel end of July, but it turned out to be nothing and he said the alignment was off to go back to the guy who did it in March, he said it was the rack.

 

After researching, yes the castor could be an issue. I believe they put it in wrong and didn't put everything back the way it's supposed to be. Another issue, just found out, is the fluid was really low, like almost gone, I added fluid but it's still the same issue. I will have to check later if there is still fluid.

I'm sorry, but if the repair cause serious issues then it wasn't done right, and if they spent two days trying to find an issue with something else then it goes back to how they repaired it. I unfortunately let my kid make this decision as a learning experience and now she is without a car that NO ONE will touch.

But it comes down to what is the problem.

 

Talk about a can of worms.
I'm starting to wonder about the multiple alignment shops and the "mechanics".
This is what I would do.
Go see my Ford dealer service manager and tell him the entire history and ask what he thinks they can do .
Every thing has to be out in the open. He should be able to spell out what they will do and to keep you informed of what they find , before doing any corrections.
You may have a charge for that, but if they know the entire history , they should be extra careful to be thorough and notify you of what they find and the cost to correct, if possible. At least you will have some idea of where you stand before making the decision to have it repaired. As I said earlier, there may be more to this than we are aware of. What do you think?

 

I went to Ford, they said they would not touch it, number one reason, it may cost thousands to diagnose after someone else "may" have screwed it up, also, won't go in after another mechanic, you know, ethically. Same mechanic (alignment guy for #3) did a couple alignments, the guys who fixed it also did two. My main mechanic #3, didn't really want to do the R&P, and had no time so he wanted to hold off but my kid went off to school and we figured we could knock it out before she left.

The guys who fixed it said the steering was fine, no issues, no safety issues, just the wheel is at 10 & 4, but there is definitely an issue.

The problem is these guys are not the best mechanics, and rarely accept they screwed up and stand behind there work.

I have two issues, one is what exactly is wrong, but can't get anyone to diagnose it, can't even get anyone to just fix it. Research says the tie-rods aren't installed right, or that the wheel was not put on centered, or the pump hoses are being compressed, too much air. It just seems like it all needs to be taken apart and put back properly.

Second problem is, I need verification that there is a problem, to show them that maybe they should just go back in.

 

Caster only affects returnability of the steering wheel and possibly handling, that's all.
When the wheels are positioned straight ahead , the tie rods are adjusted to put the steering wheel where it should be.There is also a spec for toe in or out that is taken into consideration.
Camber is the inward or outward tilt of the wheel assy affects tire wear.

Is there another Ford dealership you might try?

A little FYI, unless the steering wheel was removed and reinstalled incorrectly there would be no need to remove during an alignment.
It must be installed as originally assembled , if not, possible clockspring damage could take place. A good part of these things are simple things that appear to have just got out of hand.
It is going to cost some to get this straightened out. but I don't see much choice at this time.

 

This is the problem, it doesn't return, at all, I have to hand over hand really fast to get back straight. It feels like I'm driving a car with no power steering, I have to control the wheel.

 

I wouldn't venture to say exactly what is wrong with the vehicle without actually looking it over.
There could be a few reasons for the steering wheel not to attempt to return among which could be
problem with the rack
problem with the pump
problem with the hoses
suspension parts not tightened in the correct position after installation
alignment not able to be done correctly due to possible damage to vehicle structure
wrong parts installed
As you can see, this is why you need to have the vehicle checked out by an experienced shop before anymore band aids are tried..
Once you find a shop that will listen to the problems and at least check it before doing any work, which by the way might cost a bit, but I don't see any other reasonable solution.
Maybe someone will come up with another solution,,I really don't know.

 

Well, a little bit of good news. Went for another alignment, to another mechanic, done perfectly, steering is still a bit stiff, and "return to center" is now at about 80-85%
All quoted above is what I keep thinking. Funny, when I checked the power steering fluid yesterday is was almost empty, I filled it, still full, I wonder if they even put fluid in there.

I called the mechanic who put in the rack, he asked if I was hitting the stop on the right side, this was an issue before that was the reason for replacing the rack. He said that that when the alignment was centered that you will still hit the stop, which is why they had it at 10 and 4, so basically the alignment I got today was a waste of money, because now you hit the stop on the left side.

Only reason to hit the stop is because of the rack, right?
I want to call them, let them know how it's running, but afraid they will do something again and this time no alignment will work.

 

You might ask the shop that did the last alignment why it is hitting the stop and see what they say. After you get an explanation you might inquire why it was hitting the stop on the right side. Don't be afraid to ask questions .

 

They said it was because of the rack, I called the guys who did the repair and they reacted as I expected them to, annoyed that I took it elsewhere, and said the alignment was off because if it wasn't it would hit the stop, but at the same time saying the castor numbers had to be exact, total contradiction. I have an appointment next week to have someone look it over and see if the pump is bad, I'll ask them about the stop.
I can only assume when they "adjusted" the subframe, cause supposedly they moved it over to the right, that is why it now hits the left.

Like I said, these guys don't accept wrong doing.