Steering problems.

[robsco]

Hi all.

Took the Cerbera to work this morning, had some steering issues. Initially thought that the pump was kaput as the steering was heavy. What happens is that from the straight ahead, when a little lock introduced the wheel is very stiff, then all of a sudden once you start introducing more input through the wheel, the steering seems to "catch" and then you dart across the road. Unnerving, to say the least. Its worse when turning right, and the steering also won't self-centre after turning right and takes some muscle to wrestle back to the straight ahead.

Any ideas?

Thanks.

[e12mat]

Have you noticed any fluid loss?

It may not have leaked past the steering gaiters yet but could be an indication.

[spongy]

seems like i have the same issue mine feels heavy sometimes i thought it was tramlining....but im not sure.have no funny noises from the pump.it can be a handfull on the motorway as it makes the car hard to steer.did notice my power steering was a tad high so will drain some out to see if this helps...aint driven mine with its new front tyres on yet...so will report back

[Nickccc]

Check the steering uj going into the rack and visible behind the drivers side wheel.

[ridds]

Mine did that, it was the UJs.

For the price and peace of mind I'd just replace them.

[spongy]

Nickccc said:

Check the steering uj going into the rack and visible behind the drivers side wheel.

yep done this was dirty...but was all working fine

[spongy]

thought maybe the belt was slipping..no noise here and it all looks good,was there not an issue with the woodruff key causing the pully to spin,so people were putting in an electric pump(saxo i think)

[spongy]

looks like an easy job to change that uj......what have i just said

[robsco]

Cheers guys. I thought perhaps UJs, but they were absolutely fine 4000 miles ago when it was serviced. Anyway, not to worry, shouldn't be too tricky a fix. By the way Spongebob, mine is running Citroen electric PAS. It offers minimal assistance, but only really a pain when parking up (bloody heavy).

[ukkid35]

Sticky valve in the rack. Mine did that until I had it rebuilt, but now I have other issues, so I'm not going to recommend any course of action just yet.

[Nickccc]

If you can get both front wheels off the ground then try the steering, if if feels notchy then all most certainly uj's.
The one behind the drivers side wheel is exposed so any washing particularly with a jet wash will blast off any grease leaving it running dry it won't last long then.

[spongy]

good call mine is up in the air on the front end at the mo....good time to have a looksy.;)

[pmessling]

That's how my project come about because of the steering. Changing both uj's. Get them from power by far the cheapest.

[spongy]

pmessling said:

That's how my project come about because of the steering. Changing both uj's. Get them from power by far the cheapest.

How do you go from steering uj's to a complete rebuild...i thought i was bad.mind you i can see how;)

[pmessling]

Well taking one bit apart resulted in lots and lots of bits then noticed shot powder coat coming off in sheets so thought sod it go the full hog

[spongy]

well crew my uj's are 100% fine as far as i can tell.bottom one looks fairly new top one grubby but no play in it.steering is really smooth from lock to lock,and no play in any joints.pump sounds spot on,fluid is really clean and its bang on the marks so no fluid loss.must be my tyres thats causing my problem i hope.

[esso]

When checking the UJ`s make sure that the bolts in them do not foul the inner wing,i had this problem on the top UJ when i had a new one fitted and the bolt was too long.

[spongy]

yep mine all clear on this too think maybe im an old fart now who maybe aint got the skill i once had behind the wheel(or did i ever have it)

[robsco]

I've spoken to Track V Road today, she's going in for some pre-Chatsworth fettling anyway, so the UJs are just an addition to the job. Will a healthy spray of WD40 loosen things up temporarily?

[spongy]

Check em yourself bud its easy enough...a spray up may help if they are really stiff and not playing ball.like i said mine are fine so still got to find my problem