steering "wandering"

[BX Bandit]

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.

Still cheaper than depreciation from a 'regular' car though!

[Way2go]

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.

I take it that you are referring to the "Hardy Disc" ? This item is checked by the MOT man and I had a fail on this for a split although it was not yet evident in the cars handling.

The replacement has been nfp from Citroen Dealers for several years although I was lucky enough to get one of the last. This was after getting one of the wrong type from GSF which was for manual steering not power which is a compact rivetted assembly.

Did you have much bother in sourcing one Stinkwheel?

[Tinkley]

Did you mean the Steering Coupling? Chevronics have new ones in stock!. I bought one for when it goes. Got to say from crawling around under it and replacing subframe, how easy is it to change? Looks like my rusty bolts could be a true pig.

[Way2go]

Yes, a bit of a pig because you need to work in the footwell as well as in the engine compartment. Long reach tools (allen) also help for working underneath the car. Is Chevronics offerng a new assembly or just the rubber bit?

[BX Bandit]

It's a piece of cake if they are genuine style with the studs pressed into the metal part. The gsf ones have loose bolts which means you either need an assistant, Carol Vordeman is very good, or, you need some mole grips, a gentle touch and the wind blowing in from the east, or you need to change into Mr Tickle.
I prefer the Carol route myself but she's been hard to get hold of lately!

[Stinkwheel]

I take it that you are referring to the "Hardy Disc" ? This item is checked by the MOT man and I had a fail on this for a split although it was not yet evident in the cars handling.

Did you have much bother in sourcing one Stinkwheel?

Thats the very thing yes. I had no toruble because the one i wanted was for the StTropez, a manual steering model

[citsncycles]

I prefer the Carol route myself but she's been hard to get hold of lately!

She must be busy with all those adverts she's doing!

[rutter123]

i have today replaced the lower ball joint, cleaned and lubed the calipers, new pads, replaced the split ball joint rubber, 2 new handbrake cables, 2 new tyres fitted and balanced and had the tracking set, yes it is much better but still doesn't feel 100%, i think the front end is as good as it can get feeling a lot more stable @ 80mph+, so some attention to be paid to the n/s/r suspension arm which will need rebuilding /l. not much of a budget left over for the tyres so had to settle for a mediocre mid range tyres which are e rated for noise d rated for fuel consumption but b rated for wet weather and in all fairness (@ £78 a pair fitted and balanced courtesy of our local asian owned cash only tyre shop) they are pretty bloody good in the wet and good grip all round to boot, not really any noticeable difference from the prev fitted avons which are now on the rear. Pleased with the overall result but still a little room for improvement.