2004 odyssey wheel alignment question

1.5 month old odyssey, only 1500 miles.

I notice a very slight pull to the left (so slight, I might call it a small
drift), when going along at highway speeds on good roads. I normally expect
a little drift away from the crown of the road. Is there some small torque
steer going on from just maintaining speed at 65 mph or so? I would have
thought that only occurred under acceleration, not at steady state.

Anyone with similar results? Is it worth having it looked at? My gut is to
ignore it - and not let the dealer mess it up more...

 

There is and has been a service bulletin out on this since 2002. My 02
had it. There's a procedure for shifting the subframe; it involves new
bolts.

Since this is brand new, why don't you simply go to your dealer service
department and tell them to fix it? It could be just an alignment
issue, too.

 

There is and has been a service bulletin out on this since 2002. My 02
had it. There's a procedure for shifting the subframe; it involves new
bolts.

Since this is brand new, why don't you simply go to your dealer service
department and tell them to fix it? It could be just an alignment
issue, too.

 

You should keep an eye on your front tires. If they are badly worn on one
side, it usually means that you have a serious alignment problem. I
suggest that you have the tires aligned during your next service. It's
difficult to correct alignment problems without the proper equipment.

 

You should keep an eye on your front tires. If they are badly worn on one
side, it usually means that you have a serious alignment problem. I
suggest that you have the tires aligned during your next service. It's
difficult to correct alignment problems without the proper equipment.

 

Not all cars come out of the factory with alignment in spec. Even if
they do, transportation can bring it out of alignment. I bought a new
car this year, and decided to buy a lifetime alignment with less than
1000 miles on the odo. It wasn't in spec, and the technician told me
that a lot of new cars aren't in spec.

I just got a lifetime alignment at a Firestone shop for $160. With a
previous lifetime alignment on another car, I never got pressured to do
other "services". They did recommend I replace my nearly bald tires,
but I already knew that.

 

Not all cars come out of the factory with alignment in spec. Even if
they do, transportation can bring it out of alignment. I bought a new
car this year, and decided to buy a lifetime alignment with less than
1000 miles on the odo. It wasn't in spec, and the technician told me
that a lot of new cars aren't in spec.

I just got a lifetime alignment at a Firestone shop for $160. With a
previous lifetime alignment on another car, I never got pressured to do
other "services". They did recommend I replace my nearly bald tires,
but I already knew that.

 

This is not normal and you should have a dealer fix it under warranty.

John

 

This is not normal and you should have a dealer fix it under warranty.

John

 

:
:
<snip>
:
: Not all cars come out of the factory with alignment in spec. Even if
: they do, transportation can bring it out of alignment. I bought a new
: car this year, and decided to buy a lifetime alignment with less than
: 1000 miles on the odo. It wasn't in spec, and the technician told me
: that a lot of new cars aren't in spec.
:
Last time I had my '00 Accord aligned, they gave me a printout of the
alignment values (camber, caster, I don't know what all). Some of them were
accompanied by the notation that they were out of spec AFTER the alignment.
The shop told me that some cars are out of spec coming from the factory and
can't be adjusted sufficiently to bring them within spec. I found that a
litttle disturbing, but I can't really complain -- my original tires are
wearing evenly and are still in decent shape after 53,000 miles.

Paul

 

This is an excerpt from a Honda Service News Article from September of '03.
I have included just the decision points, your dealer will use to evaluate your
complaint. I suggest you perform this simple test before going to the dealer.


Drifting and Pulling at Highway Speeds


1. Set the tire pressures to the recommended
cold inflation values listed on the doorjamb
sticker.
2. Find a straight stretch of 4-lane road where
you can safely (and legally) go 60 mph for
several minutes. Ideally, you want a road that’s
perfectly flat, but most roads have a crown
that’s anywhere from 1.5° to 1.75° so they can
drain.
• Flat Road - While driving at 60 mph, use a
stopwatch to time how long it takes to drift
one full lane from center to center. Record
the time. Repeat this, driving in the opposite
direction to cancel the effects of wind, then
average the two times you recorded. If the
vehicle drifts one full lane from center to
center in less than 6 seconds, go to step 4.
If not, return the vehicle to your customer.
• Crowned Road - While driving at 60 mph,
check if the vehicle climbs the crown. Do
this for both a left- and right-crowned road.
A drift to the right on a right-crowned road
and a drift to the left on a left-crowned road
are considered normal. If the vehicle climbs
the crown or it drifts to the right on a left-
crowned road, go to step 4.

--
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-------- __o
----- -\<. -------- __o
--- ( )/ ( ) ---- -\<.
-------------------- ( )/ ( )

 

This is an excerpt from a Honda Service News Article from September of '03.
I have included just the decision points, your dealer will use to evaluate your
complaint. I suggest you perform this simple test before going to the dealer.


Drifting and Pulling at Highway Speeds


1. Set the tire pressures to the recommended
cold inflation values listed on the doorjamb
sticker.
2. Find a straight stretch of 4-lane road where
you can safely (and legally) go 60 mph for
several minutes. Ideally, you want a road that’s
perfectly flat, but most roads have a crown
that’s anywhere from 1.5° to 1.75° so they can
drain.
• Flat Road - While driving at 60 mph, use a
stopwatch to time how long it takes to drift
one full lane from center to center. Record
the time. Repeat this, driving in the opposite
direction to cancel the effects of wind, then
average the two times you recorded. If the
vehicle drifts one full lane from center to
center in less than 6 seconds, go to step 4.
If not, return the vehicle to your customer.
• Crowned Road - While driving at 60 mph,
check if the vehicle climbs the crown. Do
this for both a left- and right-crowned road.
A drift to the right on a right-crowned road
and a drift to the left on a left-crowned road
are considered normal. If the vehicle climbs
the crown or it drifts to the right on a left-
crowned road, go to step 4.

--
Tp,

-------- __o
----- -\<. -------- __o
--- ( )/ ( ) ---- -\<.
-------------------- ( )/ ( )

 

Thanks for this info. Will test when I get a chance - I think it's probably
more than 6 seconds though. I would say however, that it does climb crowns
to the left. The verbage below seems a bit confusing - I would think that a
drift to the left on a left crowned road would be the equivalent of saying
it climbs the crown - and not normal.

In a parking lot, I noticed that the 'return' to straight from turning right
goes much faster than the 'return' to straight from turning left. In other
words, at just a couple of miles an hour, there is a tendency to want to
'stay' left if already turned that way.

 

Thanks for this info. Will test when I get a chance - I think it's probably
more than 6 seconds though. I would say however, that it does climb crowns
to the left. The verbage below seems a bit confusing - I would think that a
drift to the left on a left crowned road would be the equivalent of saying
it climbs the crown - and not normal.

In a parking lot, I noticed that the 'return' to straight from turning right
goes much faster than the 'return' to straight from turning left. In other
words, at just a couple of miles an hour, there is a tendency to want to
'stay' left if already turned that way.

 

Certainly check the alignment. I would also check for a dragging brake
shoe. We have a non-Honda vehicle which had a persistent slight pull to the
right which could not be corrected with alignment. It turned out that one
of the front right brake pads had a slight ridge on the metal backing which
hung up a little on the caliper ... just enough to cause a slight and
variable drift to that side.

Alignment. Tires. Brakes. Steering rack. These are the things which can
cause pulling to one side or the other.

John

 

Certainly check the alignment. I would also check for a dragging brake
shoe. We have a non-Honda vehicle which had a persistent slight pull to the
right which could not be corrected with alignment. It turned out that one
of the front right brake pads had a slight ridge on the metal backing which
hung up a little on the caliper ... just enough to cause a slight and
variable drift to that side.

Alignment. Tires. Brakes. Steering rack. These are the things which can
cause pulling to one side or the other.

John

 

The wear on the tires after only 1500 miles would not be noticeable.

 

The wear on the tires after only 1500 miles would not be noticeable.