"mouse" in my steering

[tomtrout]

It would appear that I have a very annoying squeak coming from my steering column whenever I saw on the wheel. The good news is that it's so loud in my car when I'm properly underway that I can't hear it! I presume my squeak originates from the rubber column bushes and it's something I am going to have to live with? Do other Vixen owners keep mice in their steering column or am I the only lucky one?

[tomtrout]

Hi Steve. Yes the car is pretty well finished but I need to book up a MOT test before I can really get a feel for what she's like. Also having some difficulty getting the twin carbs properly balanced. I think a session on a rolling road with somebody who really knows how to fettle webers will be money well spent. There are quite a few jobs I would like to revisit,the transmission tunnel cover particularly bothers me so will be recovering that at some stage but I really just want to enjoy driving it this summer.

I was a little worried about how heavy the steering was until I remembered that I had not put any air in the tyres since completing the rolling chassis three years ago! Also managed to find an extra 1/2 inch of clearance under the exhaust after giving them some air! Still only around 3" between the bottom kink in the tail pipe and the road so lots of care needed on some of my local lanes.

A few pics of how she looks at the moment but I will post some more once I get her road legal.


[url]
|http://thumbsnap.com/bQ8rZOAO[/url]

[tomtrout]

I did try a quick squirt of rocket 40 but without the little plastic tube I don't think I managed to penetrate into the mouse nest. Will try again!

[tomtrout]

Yes it is a very early S2 first registered in Jan 69. I will want the garage to check the steering geometry as I have only messed around with a ground leveling laser to make sure I have a least a little bit of front toe-in. Having all four wheels pointing in the right direction will help but I must say it already steers very well. I will try and get the MOT sorted asap.

I have also just received some info from DVLA about previous owners and interestingly (to me anyway) the first owner kept the car for 22 years and the second owner for 19. I also have a few receipts from a Willwood Tune garage in Stockport dating back to the late 1970s when the car was still with the first registered owner. It seems the first owner did very few miles in the car from around this time with the car only covering 1200 in 14 months. In Dec 79 the recorded mileage was 39,000. I think the 55,000 recorded miles I have on the clock might just be the correct mileage. I guess it is possible it has covered 155k but pretty unlikely as the car was last taxed in the late 80s. I didn't have the speedo serviced and I was half expecting the needle or the odeometer to be stuck but they are fine.

Re my squeak. I suppose it could be the slip ring but I think the rubber column buses are more likely to be the culprits.

[tomtrout]

The mouse is dead! Well done Phil, it was indeed the brass slip ring and all that was needed was a tiny blob of copper grease on the contact end of the spring-loaded plunger. Almost like a Bentley now - well maybe not!