front left wheel has never been the same... HELP!!!

[sibble]

ok, i have to explain so read this through...

last winter i hit some ice slid into a tree sideways, going probably 2mph **i hit the tree with my left front wheel, turned into the tree, so it basically impacted directly on the tire. there was no damage to the body at all

ever since then ive had many problems with that wheel, some had been fixed


HERE IS THE MAIN PROBLEM

when i go into a left turn, i get a vibration from the left front that got hit... it hasnt been fixed yet

its not the brakes, i need a new caliper, which warps the roater, but thats a vibration i only get using the brakes

STS fixed some problem where the left front wheel was rubbing the plastic wheel well fender

classic chevorlet replaced roaters and pads

brakes were great until the caliper warped them in about 5k miles, but i still had that vibration going into a left turn

i would only get the vibration going 50mph+

a friend of mine who's a mechanic and driven in my car plenty of times says it might be the spindle, and that the frame is probably not bent from the way it still handles

im done having a dealership replace 5 parts before they find the right one, so i need some opinions

thanks!!!

[Pewter2K1]

How is the alignment?

Get the front tires off the ground and turn the wheel left and right, see if ther is anything binding up.. possibly a tire rod, endlink....

[V6Bob]

You can do some diagnostics yourself. Jack the wheel up and spin it with your hand. Doesn't take much for the test. Does the wheel run true? Grab the wheel at the top and bottom and try to rock it, top out and bottom in, and vice versa. Once again, you're don't need to use much force at all. Is there any play in the bearing?

[FunkZ]

Have the wheel bearing checked, also upper/lower ball joint, tie rods. Basically like V6Bob said, jack up that wheel and grab hold of it with it off the ground. If you feel any play in it there's something loose, worn or broken. Top to bottom play is usually ball joints, side to side is usually tie rods. All over is wheel bearings, which also typically cause brakes to drag and a rythmic noise from the wheel when driving.

[tdz16]

Like FunkZ said, if your wheel bearing got effed up, aside from the whole wheel wiggling in and out, it'd cause odd brake parts wear. Also, Do you have a low brake pedal? If so its its the wheel bearing, because as you drive the rotor moves back and forth and causes the piston of the caliper to be forced further in than normal. Check it out then get back to us...
~Tom

[FunkZ]

One other thing. Swap the front wheels and see if the problem moves to the right side. Could be a bent rim or a broken belt.

[that90spunk]

if you dont feel any play in the front end, get the front tires re-balanced. Because if you feel it over 50mph, they probably need to be balanced.

[Silverbird2002]

my best guess would be a bad ball joint, also check the tie rod's....just like funkz said.

[HeadyFirebird'00]

Yeah, all that plus alignment should help. But did u ever think that a sterring rod or something like that perhaps bent during impact? it sounds like something warped a little to me (not just rotor)

[sibble]

Thanks everyone for your help! Turns out every thing was just screwed up [img]smile.gif[/img]

pistons in that front-left caliper were bad
wheel bearings were bad
bent tire rod
alignment & balance

and umm i could have sworn there was something else....

nah that was it [img]smile.gif[/img]


Thanks again!! [img]smile.gif[/img]