i am having this memory steer on my 97 SSE as well, just after having the front bearing replaced..... when i turn left, the car pulls left. when i turn right, the car pulls right. it also makes the steering wheel off center....

Not yet, but I'm going to get more aggressive about it tomorrow. It'* really a nuisance and really ruins the "Bonneville ride". Archon recommended a place for me that apparently really gets into front ends and frames and such, and that'* where I'll probably end up.

I'll be sure to post the outcome and exactly what was wrong, and how it got fixed (I hope).

In case anyone following along is wondering...Memory Steer is not an option that could be ordered with the car.

Devon and others.. I'd suggest checking the typical stuff like we started to outline in the beginning of the thread. All suspsension should be looked at...

Well, here'* the latest on my "Memory Steer" problem (not a factory option -- thank you Boosty )


The Short Story:

I got the steering problem fixed, and now my steering is perfect (aaah, the Bonneville ride!!). The very new front strut bearings were found to be both bad (sticky) and were replaced. Alignment was done front and back. Perfect steering now!!!


The Long Story:

The struts and bearings were only a few hundred miles old. The "memory steer" occurred simultaneously with the new struts and (aftermarket) bearings. The place that finally fixed the steering (Muskegon Tire) found sand in the very stiff bearings and suggested this was the "apparent" cause of the failure, but also thought struts and bearings were installed correctly. I can't fault (on the face of it) any of these findings, really.

But it is a mystery why the steering problem occurred immediately after repair, before any dirt roads had been encountered. Seems like the new bearings (aftermarket, not GM) were already "sticky".

One thing that Muskegon Tire told me was that Bonnevilles (and I suppose similar GMs) from '91-'96 have a somewhat "open" strut casing that can allow dirt to come in more easily into the upper bearing area. The manager showed me the bonafide GM bearings that he recommended putting in, and they had a sizable downward lip to help shield the bearing interface. The aftermarket bearings had none. (see pic of aftermarkets --sorry no pic of the GM bearings). Also, the manager said he would have the new GM bearings grease-sealed, but that was about as good as he could do.

(sand is getting in between the white and black disks)

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n...d/P2230009.jpg
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n...d/P2230010.jpg

Any thoughts or "deja vu" anyone?

So, anyway, back again to the original installer (company X) tomorrow and see what he has to say. Mainly I'm happy at least to have gotten the problem fixed.

(PS -- I expressed my belief to the Muskegon Tire manager that "memory steer" was almost always due to stut bearings. He concurred.)

(PSS -- Archon, I went personally and talked to three of the guys at Muskegon Tire about my problem. There was a most definite ring of credibility, so I decided to give them a shot. It was nice though to have the Grand Rapids recommendation in my back pocket, so thanks again!)

That you decided to go somewhere else (especially closer to home) is not a problem as far as I'm concerned. There'* more than one good shop in the area. You go where you feel comfortable.

I used aftermarket strut bearings on a '93 SSE without issues.