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snookpig

New member
Joined
Feb 9, 2019
Messages
4
I bought a used Imiev 2012 odometer 1,200 miles. original tires the steering is notlike normal power steering.
doesent pull. , but when I make a small correction it keeps going until make a correction in opposite direction.
It is more pronounced at higher speeds. no service lights on. It isn't a safty issue just feels odd. Is this just the way
this vehicle feels? cb
 
Welcome to the forum!

Sounds to me as though maybe your car has a bit of toe out - That can cause what you're describing. Run the palm of your had across the tread on your front tires both ways. If they are wearing properly, there should be no difference in feel from either direction. If you feel an 'edge' in one direction but not the other, then the toe on the car isn't correct and you need an alignment

Don
 
snookpig, welcome to the forum. A 2012 with 1200 miles on it!!! Gosh, I wouldn't expect any suspension wear at all.

Regarding your issue, in addition to what Don said, what you describe also sounds like underinflated rear tires. First make sure that the tires are inflated correctly (36psi) or even overinflated slightly - primarily to ensure good mileage. What you describe is also a normal response when driving on longitudonally grooved pavement commonly experienced on Interstates, and is the result of zero toe-in/toe-out which the car is set to in order to minimize rolling resistance. The electric steering on the car is excellent, but does 'feel' just a little bit different if you've not experienced it before.

While you're checking things, I presume that the 12v battery has been replaced, but it wouldn't hurt to do a load test on it just to make sure it's up to snuff (especially as it's now winter). Even though it doesn't experience a serious load such as seen with an ICE (Infernal Combustion Engine) vehicle, a weak 12v battery has been the source of a lot of strange issues with our cars over the years.

Good luck to you with your new car, and hope you're experiencing the EV grin! :D
 
I will check those suggestions. On further driving , what i find odd: when i make a turn the steering keeps the car in that turn until
I put in an input to stop the turn. It does not "self center" when i release the wheel. Im already getting used to it , just want to know if this is normal operation . Thanks cb
 
That is not normal operation, but it sounds normal for a car that has been sitting a long time.

With such low miles it could be rust, corrosion or debris has built up either in the steering rack and pinion, the electric-assist motor/gearbox, or in some of the tie-rod ends such that it is causing it to be very stiff and bind. It may clear up over time with use, or you could try jacking up the front end and exercising the steering.

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The caster adjustment is what causes the steering wheel to return to a straight line when you release the wheel - Something else to check if you decide to get a wheel alignment to check the toe adjustment

In a toe out condition, each front tire is slightly pointed away from straight ahead and the car follows whichever front tire has the better traction at the moment and that usually switches sides from one to the other as you try to steer a straight line. You hold the wheel firmly straight ahead and the car jumps a bit from left to right at random times

Our second car was in a minor fender bender when a pick-up pulled out in front of my wife a couple years ago - The front bumper cover was bent in against the passenger side wheel. The car was repaired good as new, but they didn't check the front end alignment. With the tiny front tires, I never noticed that the car was toed out, but as soon as I put the bigger tires and wheels on it, it was pretty obvious something wasn't right . . . . it was certainly 'darty' to drive and before long I could tell from the tire wear that it was toed out. A quick adjustment made quite a difference in the way it drives, plus it added a few more miles to the cars range - Anything less than a perfect wheel alignment will have a negative effect on how far you can go on a charge

Since you appear to have more than one alignment issue, I think it would be a good idea to have a good alignment shop check out your wheel alignment

Don
 
Don explained more about alignment that I ever could.

I'll just add a few notes:

# Several (at least two of us) got new MiEV's delivered with the front wheels toe set not quite correctly. That COULD cause what you report.
Perhaps worse, it can wear your expensive front tires quickly (unfortunately, I didn't know mine was out of toe until at about 18,000 miles notice the uneven wear.

I'd say have your alignment checked anyhow. Les Schwab in my area will check alignment and may not even charge you if it either doesn't need adjustment or what's out of alignment is non-adjustable.

# At least one of the settings (camber?) was reported to me by Les Schwab as not exactly set at perfect factory spec but as unadjustable on MiEV.
 
snookpig said:
I will check those suggestions. On further driving , what i find odd: when i make a turn the steering keeps the car in that turn until
I put in an input to stop the turn. It does not "self center" when i release the wheel. Im already getting used to it , just want to know if this is normal operation . Thanks cb
I agree with others to have the alignment checked. My car was weirdly aligned (both wheels pointed to the right) but drove perfectly straight on the original tires. I'm not sure how these cars were aligned when they were built, but they seem to align it by feel (steering wheel straight makes the car go straight and that's all they look for).

That said, my car will mostly self-straighten out of a turn. There's about 15 degrees of turn off of center that mine won't self-center, which I think is simply due to zero toe-in. Caster by itself can only do so much. Being that your car has so few miles, the aforementioned alignment and simply driving the car will help. I don't know if the linkage has any lubrication points.
 
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