1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

crooked prius?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by ghatid, Feb 28, 2008.

  1. ghatid

    ghatid Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 8, 2007
    22
    0
    0
    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    So, I just finished my first oil change! Took me awhile because I wasn't sure where to put my jack/jack stands. Also, the dealer put the filter on too tightly, so I had a lot of trouble with that. Anyways, after bringing down the car, I noticed that the left side seemed lower than the right side. I don't know how it was before, but could I have somehow made the right side go up when I was working on the oil change? (I tried to follow the pdf floating around to tell me where to put the jack/jack stands). I measured it from the ground to the bottom of the fender on each side. I think the clearance is coming from the suspension (the distance between the wheel and the top of the fender seems inconsistent) Does anyone know what this could be?
     
    #1 ghatid, Feb 28, 2008
  2. Bill Merchant

    Bill Merchant absit invidia

    Joined:
    May 3, 2005
    4,096
    81
    13
    Location:
    USA | Oregon | Portland area | 97004 |
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Just that one side was jacked up higher than the other? Drive it around and see if it's still warped.
     
    #2 Bill Merchant, Feb 28, 2008
  3. ghatid

    ghatid Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 8, 2007
    22
    0
    0
    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Hmm, I took a look at it today and it seems to be more even. Is it the dampener that kept one side a little higher than the other? What needed settling?
     
    #3 ghatid, Feb 28, 2008
  4. Steamboatsig

    Steamboatsig Member

    Joined:
    Jan 3, 2008
    337
    20
    0
    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    When you lower the car, the tires end up with positive camber because they grip the surface. This can account for the difference is fender height. As they roll a few feet, they settle to their normal camber and height.

    This can be proved by lowering one side of the car on a slippery surface. You will see the tire skid to the side as it is lowered. On a grippy surface the tire will not settle correctly.
     
    #4 Steamboatsig, Feb 28, 2008
  5. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 25, 2007
    10,096
    4,805
    0
    Location:
    Clearwater, Florida
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Please list your car year & package on profile.
     
    #5 edthefox5, Feb 29, 2008
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)