What's wrong with my steering?

[brickwall]

The initial message was deleted from this topic on 04 August 2024 at 22:15

[MikeO996]

Don't know, but doesn't sound like you should be driving it.

[trickywoo]

The obvious things are tracking, worn wishbone (bushes / ball joint), possible broken spring, tyres and binding brakes.

Could also be (but less likely) steering rack issue.

[Bill]

Sounds like a seized front left caliper.

[littleredrooster]

It has the symptoms of worn/soft suspension bushes.

The heat from the n/side wheel is a bit concerning, however; is it definitely hotter than the other side? If so, that points to a sticking caliper but that would make it pull to the left, not the right.

[mwstewart]

Sounds like a mix of misaligned toe and excessive negative camber. Self centering is designed in to production cars and is a function of the standard geometry and a alignment. Excessive or misaligned toe can make the wheels 'grab' on raised sections of road too and it usually dictates a need for constant steering correction i.e. wheel off centre when driving dead ahead.

It doesn't sound like the end of the world to me: get the car aligned and take it from there.

[gizlaroc]

I would say worn left front control arm bushes.

The heat thing is probably caliper, but different to the off centre steering.

[Lotus 50]

It could be any/all of the above - or even a bent suspension arm. Is the heat from the LH wheel coming from the tyre or the hub?

[mwstewart]

Lotus 50 said:

It could be any/all of the above - or even a bent suspension arm. Is the heat from the LH wheel coming from the tyre or the hub?

Ok, I would expect the tyres to have suffered following that trip; are the fronts worn unevenly?

[brickwall]

mwstewart said:

Ok, I would expect the tyres to have suffered following that trip; are the fronts worn unevenly?

Not obviously to the naked eye, but I'll be honest I haven't checked with a depth gauge (and I'm away at the moment so can't check now!)

[shoehorn]

I would look at the spring first,top breaks usually result in the broken spring end digging into the underneath of the turret rather than riding on the bearing/top mount.
This can cause the broken spring end to dig into the turret as you turn one way and will try to un-coil the spring resulting in the notchy feel as it judders round.
The pull can be produced by the spring digging in then letting go using its energy to move the leg round slightly while its loaded,as the bottom of the spring is still located in the leg.
The heat could be a symptom of the uneven loading.

[gizlaroc]

brickwall said:

Thanks - will get it aligned. Constant steering correction is a good way of describing it - it doesn't feel as relaxed as I think a 7-series should.

Don't do that until you have checked your front suspension set up.

You may simply align it based on knackered parts.

It will only take 5 minutes on a ramp to find what is wrong with it.

[Condi]

gizlaroc said:

It will only take 5 minutes on a ramp to find what is wrong with it.

This.

Internet diagnostics are hard enough at the best of times. There are so many things this could be, that offering advice on any one seems pointless. Go to a garage and pay an expert to take a look.

[Swanny87]

Condi said:

gizlaroc said:

It will only take 5 minutes on a ramp to find what is wrong with it.

This.

Internet diagnostics are hard enough at the best of times. There are so many things this could be, that offering advice on any one seems pointless. Go to a garage and pay an expert to take a look.

No offence, it's slightly worrying that there are people out there who will drive a car with quite severe steering problems. Then instead of driving it to a mechanic immediately, then come home and ask some people on the internet what is wrong with their car...

Although to be fair, it's better than the white goods motorists who would probably shrug this kind of thing off completely!

[E63M6]

ETA; What an idiot... I posted on the wrong thread lol. My bad

Edited by E63M6 on Monday 22 December 01:51

[Claudia Skies]

Condi said:

Internet diagnostics are hard enough at the best of times. There are so many things this could be, that offering advice on any one seems pointless. Go to a garage and pay an expert to take a look.

I think that's right. It's easy to start chucking money at the wrong solutions. Proper diagnosis is a good starting point.