steering "wandering"

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rutter123
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steering "wandering"

Post by rutter123 »

noticed over the past few weeks that the steering is starting to wander a little, have had a quick check of lower arm bushes, tie rod ends and all good there, tyres are matched with even 4/5mm tread and pressures are even, tracking was checked not too long ago, tends to wander to the left with a right click of the wheel needed and straightens up again, the steering wheel has always sat dead straight but now seems slightly cocked to the right to hold a straight line, i have recently changed all 5 spheres but everything seems ok there, i have yet to check the bottom ball joints but will do so at the w/end. seems to pull up straight enough under braking. it doesnt seem so bad with 4 people in the car?? any ideas?
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Tinkley
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Re: steering "wandering"

Post by Tinkley »

Maybe a difference in drop link length. There was quite a discussion on it in another thread and at least one person said that that caused a 'pull' to one side when everything appeared and checked out fine. I noticed mine tracked better (perfectly) with a new matched pair and they were only 1.5-2mm different in length. The new ones are 6-7mm shorter. Quite a few different length by all accounts.
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Re: steering "wandering"

Post by Tim Leech »

May still be worth checking the tracking, the general state of the roads are crap these days and it doesnt take much to knock it out (after you have checked the drop link).
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Re: steering "wandering"

Post by Stinkwheel »

Worth checking the rubber donut that sits in between the column and steering rack.
I had a deteriorating one a while back and the symptoms were similar to what you describe.
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Re: steering "wandering"

Post by rutter123 »

drop links are matched pair and showing no signs of wear or knocking only 2 years old, steering column rubber bush also not too old and no signs of wear/degradation, i suspect one of the rear arms is starting to fail on the n/s maybe this is contributing?
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Re: steering "wandering"

Post by Mothman »

Had a failing rear arm [now fixed] on my TXD for years and it didnt affect the handling whatsoever so it shouldnt affect your directional travel whatsoever. More likely the body is becoming detached from the subframe at the rear due to rust. I hope this isnt the case.

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Re: steering "wandering"

Post by Brian »

Hmm,
Do this simple check.

1. Normal height, engine running.
2. Run up and stop, apply hand brake, steering wheel at your original straight ahead position.
3. Measure and record wheel centres both sides. (Wheel rim to wheel rim is easier).
4. As 1 above, with steering wheel in new position.
5. As 3 above.
6. Compare any difference in dimensions.
This will give you a clue for further investigation.
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Re: steering "wandering"

Post by rutter123 »

no the body is solid as this is one of the areas that was rusty when i got it, much welding ensued to ensure it was rust free and solid (and still is) i recall rebuilding the o/s/r arm a few years ago as it was a bit \ now showing some / on the n/s.
The problem still persists and im sure its the n/s where the prob lays, will tmrw time/weather permitting strip out the n/s/f and have a proper look as once again when i got it recall fitting a new lower ball joint to one side or other.
will in the next week or so have some new rubber on the front for the coming 6 months of snow, so will get it retracked then.
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Re: steering "wandering"

Post by Tinkley »

Of course it might be similar to mine and I can assure you a bent front subframe DOES affect the steering :lol:

Probably worth checking though as even a small distortion will alter the wheel direction. Check the almost flat bit forward of the rear mount as this is the easiest place to see anything out. It might well be the potholes have caused a bit of bend if the spot welds have rusted through internally. Even a couple of mm would have the wishbone off line. I'm just amazed that very little else seems to be damaged, fingers crossed.
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Re: steering "wandering"

Post by Thread Bear »

As Tinkley, I can confirm that while drivable a bent suspension makes for interesting handling. It is at least consistent if the deflection is large. A small deflection might allow the caster action etc to return to a path of least resistance. This would give two positions of easier sitting. I seriously hope that is not the case and Tinkley's subframe corrosion was an isolated case, but I guess it gets added to the list, as it happened.
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Re: steering "wandering"

Post by Discoil »

Have you checked to see if there are lumps or bumps on the tread or sidewall.

I had a similar problem on our BX and all it was :( one tyre on the left front .
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Re: steering "wandering"

Post by citsncycles »

Rear end may be rust free, but what state are the rubber mounts in?
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Re: steering "wandering"

Post by BX Bandit »

Have you checked for sticky front brake caliper or seized hand brake cable? Both could cause enough resistance to cause steering wander. Look for a kink and corrosion in the hand brake sheath.
Check for hot wheel after a run or lift front end up and spin wheel. Also grease the loops for the handbrake cables to let them move and settle properly.

Applying the hand brake with the wheels on lock can kink the hand brake sheath and that's where the problem starts. I always turn my wheels to straight ahead to avoid kinking the cable.
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Re: steering "wandering"

Post by rutter123 »

had some time this morn to strip out the front end to find the prob,
1st, the lower n/s/f ball joint is worn
2nd, pads are very low both sides
3rd, handbrake cables are in poor condition, tho operating ok for now
4th, 1 split ball joint rubber
5th, tyre wear to inner edge n/s/f i suspect the ball joint causing this

so for now it will stay stripped down, parts ordered from local factors, then to the tyre shop for new rubber, tracking and balancing, after checking my service records o/s/f lower ball joint, both tie rods and both drop links were replaced 06/08 @ 190k and the lower arms/bushes and brake discs 07/10 @ 218k, so not too bad in all but im expecting the bill to be £200 ish all up.
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Re: steering "wandering"

Post by Tinkley »

Uneven tyre wear may still be the tracking though, unless you have significant wear in the ball joint. I was told I had an unsafe steering ball joint (outboard one on wishbone) a few years ago (it was replaced) but tyre wear was even!.
Also with knackerd wishbone bushes one side and wobbly steering wheel as a result the tyre wear was still even.
Pretty different now with both wishbones having new bushes and new droplinks, and with new front spheres. A minute trace of inbalance which I think is exactly that. On my old 14 no PAS you used to get a v slight wobble when the tyres were about 60%+ worn, none with new balanced tyres.

Last time I had uneven tyre wear I had the tracking done and told the guy (a decent tyre guy and mechanic) it was out. He said 'How do you know?' and my answer was BXs' wear the fronts evenly scrubbing both insides and outsides equally and the centre is left with the most tread. He checked it and sure enough one side was fractionally out, he was impressed that I even noticed the v small difference.
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