Mk1 1.8 pulling to right when coming off the throttle

[mycool]

Strange issue with my mk1 1.8.

It’s started pulling to the left when on the power and then to the right when lifting off.

Any ideas?

Alignment has been done so not that.

Could it be a wheel bearing dragging causing the diff to operate (Torsen lsd)?

[fat80b]

mycool said:

Strange issue with my mk1 1.8.

It’s started pulling to the left when on the power and then to the right when lifting off.

Any ideas?

Alignment has been done so not that.

Could it be a wheel bearing dragging causing the diff to operate (Torsen lsd)?

Feel the wheels after a trip out - is one hotter than the rest?

I'd jack it up and spin the wheels by hand - I've had a few sticky brake calipers on MX5s in the past - a common enough problem.

[Sad Weevil]

I'd look at suspension bushes and diff mount bushes.

[anonymous-user]

My 1.8 did this severely when I bought it, I thought perhaps something was seriously broken when I drove it home and gave it some proper welly - under power it pulled to one side, when lifting off it pulled to the other, strong enough to change lanes on the motorway with no steering input if you wanted.

It had new (admittedly budget) tyres put on to drive it home as the old ones were cracked, so I don't think it was the tyres themselves, when I got back I swapped it onto the wheels from my previous scrapped car and the problem was instantly resolved, no trace of it at all in all the years I've owned it.

Those other wheels became planters in my garden.

[mycool]

Thank you for all the options to look at.

The left rear wheel does get mildly warm when all others are cold so left rear caliper might be slightly sticking although i'd have thought that would make it pull the other way and not just on/off power.

Any tips how to free it off at home easily without a trip to the garage?

Bushes - good shout and will have a look as know when the alignment was done that one adjustment bolt was seized/ bush not well.

However I think the winner might be the tyres as recently had the rears replaced and then one replaced again shortly after due to a puncture. I'll swap the matching fronts to the rear and see if that solves it. If not then will do the bushes.

[daddy cool]

mycool said:

Thank you for all the options to look at.

The left rear wheel does get mildly warm when all others are cold so left rear caliper might be slightly sticking although i'd have thought that would make it pull the other way and not just on/off power.

Any tips how to free it off at home easily without a trip to the garage?

Greasing the slider pins sometimes helps matters, though its usually temporary and eventually its best to bit the bullet and get a recon caliper from mx5parts etc.
Mildly warm after a 1 mile journey or 10 miles? When ive had bound calipers the wheel has been too hot to touch after a decent length drive.

[mycool]

after 10 miles so only very lightly on i think

[anonymous-user]

mycool said:

Thank you for all the options to look at.

The left rear wheel does get mildly warm when all others are cold so left rear caliper might be slightly sticking although i'd have thought that would make it pull the other way and not just on/off power.

Any tips how to free it off at home easily without a trip to the garage?

Bushes - good shout and will have a look as know when the alignment was done that one adjustment bolt was seized/ bush not well.

However I think the winner might be the tyres as recently had the rears replaced and then one replaced again shortly after due to a puncture. I'll swap the matching fronts to the rear and see if that solves it. If not then will do the bushes.

Have the rims checked for straightness at a tyre place, pretty sure the problems i mentioned above were due to the rims themselves not the tyres.

[Sbloxxy]

This is actually quite a well known MX5 problem and its down to the tyres. Sometimes its tyre pressures but most of the time you'll find that the rear has two different brands of tyre fitted - and MX5s really don't like that. Any other weird handling traits can often be attributed to wheel alignment. For an MX5 to drive properly, a good four wheel alignment set up is essential and can make a huge difference to how the car drives.