EA82 wagon, 4" PK lift, 30" tires, EJ22.

 

The problem is that the front end lifts up to the point the suspension is at full droop whenever I accelerate in the lower gears. It's a problem to the point that if I try and accelerate hard, the front end will get really squirilly, spinning one side, then the other and generally really hard to control, and this is on dry pavement.

 

The problem is gone when the car is in RWD with a snapped front axle, so it's not a soft rear spring/ weight transfer issue.

 

The issue has something to do with the interaction of the front suspension with the torque from the front axles, but I can't fathom it.

 

It's fun for screwing around and spinning the tires, but it sucks when you have to pull out into a busy street and your spending all your time trying to keep the car under control.

not sure if I completely understand... but I'd check out the balljoints make sure they aren't worn. Other than that I'm not too familiar with the ea82 suspension. I suggest lifting the car up off the ground and putting it on jackstands, and then getting under there with a large wrecking/prybar and stick it between all the various components of the suspension and look for anykind of play.

are you sure it's actually maxing out your suspension? I can't imagine how that would be possible in FWD. I could spin the front tires with the EA82 without maxing anything out...

 

do you have adjustable struts? stiffer front springs?

 

 

sounds more to me like you're experiencing power + FWD + less than ideal street tires.

But it doesnt go away in RWD!One of my front axles is blown to.yea the car is easier to control,but in rwd when you want to accerate it doesnt happen.today I had to merge onto a busy uphill road.The back end burned out the whole way through the corner and on up the street.I know this from what the revs were doing and for the cloud of smoke that was at the intersection...it seems Ej22 cars have traction issues:burnout:

But it doesnt go away in RWD!One of my front axles is blown to.yea the car is easier to control,but in rwd when you want to accerate it doesnt happen.today I had to merge onto a busy uphill road.The back end burned out the whole way through the corner and on up the street.I know this from what the revs were doing and for the cloud of smoke that was at the intersection...it seems Ej22 cars have traction issues:burnout:

 

come again?

 

it doesn't go away? or it doesn't happen?

acceration doesn't really happen from a stop in RWD or FWD it just burns the tires off!

sounds more to me like you're experiencing power + FWD + less than ideal street tires.

 

+1

i had this happen on my brat,but only after i messed with the front block geometry.and it was an ea81 motor.the v-dubbers have a term for it but i do not know what it is.

axle hop?

torque something i think......

torque options... torque steer, torque flex, torque ok my mind went blank

Hmm.. seems like I have developed the same problem.

 

BRAT w/EJ18 XT6 front crossmember w/custom stretched control arms. (I extended my lower control arms by about an inch b/c I was running XT6 front hubs and the axles were getting compressed.)

 

I also don't have my sway bar in, so that may also affect it.

 

i had this happen on my brat,but only after i messed with the front block geometry.and it was an ea81 motor.the v-dubbers have a term for it but i do not know what it is.

 

How did you fix this?

torque options... torque steer, torque flex, torque ok my mind went blank

Torque steer.

It's not torque steer, that's when 1 axle is longer than the other and the difference in the CV angles tends to make the car pull to one side when accelerating.

 

Ball joints are new, struts are OK, springs are stockers but good.

 

When accelerating, the front struts extend to their maximum travel, leaving the suspension in maxed out position, so that the camber is so: \--/ The tires are riding on their ouside edges at that point and have no traction, so they spin.

 

The only suspension difference is that the strut extensions are an inch longer than the radius rod and crossmember extensions.

I have the samething in DRTYGRL, but it is great for in the mud. A little finese goes along way in driving it on the street. I just don't seem to have a problem, probably because I don't put myself in situations were I would be forced to spin the tyres:rolleyes: .

It's not that i'm pushing the limits of acceleration. You'd have to drive like there was an egg under the accelerator pedal NOT to burn the tires... it sucks.

actually,it is very easy to spin mine as well.admittedly,i am the first one to push the haul rump roast button.but even when i don't ,takin tread off is always the case.the only thing that helped me was different tires.maybe it is the size that matters:grin: they are on 15" rims. i went from 225 75 14's to 235 75 15's .i still had lift when i put the hammer down,but was more controlable.at that point all i was longing for was power.mmmmm power....grulelruel(sound of homer longing)

a 30" tire weighs a little more then the stocker that the suspension was designed for. I higher performance shock may slow the extension. I would have thought that the extra weight of the ej22 would keep the front end planted.

 

other fix would be to get AWD

check your tranny mounts. I had similar problems like I said and I put my sway bar in and the found out that they were a bit loose.

 

Tightened em up and no wheel hop in high range

 

I still have a bit in low range.

 

BW

TO MUCH TOW IN.

Ive allready fixed mine.

Do you have the torque rod(dog bone) attached to the motor and body? The only time I have seen this be a problem is when that is not hooked up. Other than that you need to relearn the throttle of a lifted rig. Changes everything from take-offs to normal everyday driving.

I'll have to take pics when I get home. It's not something that people understand untill they see it, then they're mystified.

 

I get plenty of grip in RWD, so it's not an over-power issue.

91Loyale.

 

I don't necesarily thing that the EJ is the root of the problem. I would look into how secure things are.

 

Tranny crossmember, tranny mounts, ball joints, tie rods, radius rods, strut top hats.

 

I realize that you mentioned the some of that stuff is new, but new parts that aren't tightened right feel and act like old worn out parts.

 

Also give us some feedback as to what has been checked. This will help us narrow down what's going on.

 

BW

granted ken, i have broken a dog bone or two.

but it was just more accentuated when they were broken.

 

and in my case all bushings and suspension pieces were new.:-\

Dogbone is on and tight, it's an EJ22 one

Tranny mounts are good and on tight, I forget what I grabbed them off of but they are still bonded on both surfaces

Engine mounts are good, and not crooked like some other's EJ22 ones are.

Radius rod bushings are a mix of the best ones I had, so some cracking but mostly good. Right hand side has some washers in with the bushings to push that wheel forward to correct for the bent body at the radius rod mount. Rods are straight.

Allignment is within stock spec's, I've checked it at school.

 

Wheel hop woudn't be a problem if the suspension stayed where it belonged. I'm not complaining about wheel hop. I'm complaining about the suspension forcing it's self all the way out, which leads to wheel spin and hop.

The suspension is reacting in a wierd way to the torque applied by the front axles, and extending to it's maximum travel. When there isn't torque applied by the axles (when their broken), and it's in RWD, the front stays level, so it's not an acceleration problem, it's a torque loading problem.