Steering - Vibration Above 45 MPH/Drift/Pull to Right
Article No.94-12-2
06/15/94
^ STEERING - PULL/DRIFT TO THE RIGHT - SERVICE REPLACEMENT TIRES - VEHICLES BUILT BEFORE 5/5/94
^ VIBRATION/SHAKE ABOVE 45 MPH (72 KM/H) - SERVICE REPLACEMENT TIRES - VEHICLES BUILT BEFORE 5/5/94
LINCOLN-MERCURY:
1993-94 MARK VIII
This TSB article is being republished in its entirety to include an ending build date for the vehicles involved.
ISSUE:
Some customers may experience:
^ a drift/pull to the right and/or
^ vibration/shake in the steering wheel, floor pan and seat at vehicle speeds above 45 MPH (72 km/h) after wheel alignment is set to specification and/or the tire/wheel assemblies are balanced. Both of these conditions may be caused by a sensitivity in some vehicles to a construction characteristic of the original equipment (OEM) Goodyear tires.
ACTION:
To resolve:
^ a drift/pull to the right that was not corrected by following normal alignment procedures, (Pages 04-00-11 through 04-00-16 of the 1994 Mark VIII Service Manual) and/or
^ a vibration/shake felt in the steering wheel, floor pan and seat at vehicle speeds above 45 MPH (72 km/h) that was not corrected with wheel/tire balancing, replace the OEM Goodyear tires with service tire kit (F4LY-1508-B). Refer to the following procedure for service details.
EVALUATION OF DRIFT/PULL
Unacceptable drift/pull is defined as the vehicle changing one (1) full lane (12 feet, or 3.6 meters) in less than 8 seconds when driving at 55 MPH (88 km/h), with no steering input from the driver. Refer to the 1994 Mark VIII Service Manual, Pages 04-00-14 and 04-00-15 for a more detailed vehicle evaluation procedure.
EVALUATION OF SHAKE/VIBRATION
Tire/wheel assemblies should be balanced only after the vehicle is driven to remove any "flat spotting" of the tires while it was parked. 20-25 miles (32-40 km) of highway speed driving is suggested to get the tires to normal operating temperatures.
If the temporary flat spots are not driven out, the balance will be inaccurate. (This is not applicable when installing new tires that haven't been on a vehicle yet.)
NOTE:
IF THE SHAKE/VIBRATION IS NOT ELIMINATED BY THE BALANCING OF THE WHEEL/TIRE (AFTER DRIVEN TO OPERATING TEMPERATURE), THEN PROCEED TO THE REPAIR PROCEDURE.
REPAIR PROCEDURE
Order the service tire kit (F4LY-1508-B) through Ford:
1. REPLACE THE OEM GOODYEAR TIRES ONLY WITH THE SERVICE TIRES FROM KIT F4LY-1508-B. Mount the new tires per the following procedure:
CAUTION:
IF THE TIRES ARE MOUNTED BY AN OUTSIDE SOURCE, (e.g. TIRE DEALER), ENSURE THAT THE FOLLOWING TIRE/WHEEL INDEXING PROCEDURE IS PROVIDED TO THEM.
a. Index the tires to the wheels. Indexing of the tires to the wheels is CRITICAL to maintaining the best possible ride characteristics. The index sticker on the tire must be aligned with the yellow paint mark located in the "dropwell" area of the wheel, Figure 1. If there is no yellow paint mark located in the dropwell area, align the tire index sticker to the valve stem of the wheel.
b. Inflate the tires to 30 psi (206.9 kPa) cold, and balance them.
2. Road test the vehicle. If drift/pull concern is still present, the alignment can be reset, within specifications, to tailor the vehicle to local road conditions, Figure 2.
Labor Operations/Dealer Coding Chart
CLAIMING INSTRUCTIONS FOR HANDLING ALLOWANCE
On the parts side of the 1863 claim form, enter "ALLOW" as the basic part, "NET" as the quantity and "$120.00" as the amount. The service tire kit (F4LY-1508-B) is to be submitted as a NET ITEM (not eligible for markup) on the 1863 claim form.
PART NUMBER PART NAME CLASS
F4LY-1508-B Service Tire Kit - P225/60R-16 VG
97V (Kit Contains Four Tires)
OTHER APPLICABLE ARTICLES: NONE
SUPERSEDES: 94-4-2
WARRANTY STATUS:
Eligible Under The Provisions Of Bumper To Bumper Warranty Coverage
OPERATION DESCRIPTION TIME
941202A Replace Tires 1.4 Hrs.
941202B Replace Tires 1.4 Hrs.
DEALER CODING
BASIC PART NO. CONDITION CODE
TIRE 79
OASIS CODES: 303000, 306000, 703000