964RS steering rack problem?

[lemon yella rs]

i have what maybe an imagined problem. My steering wheel often has what feels a bit like a dead/light spot to one side(rhs) off center and can feel for want of a better description a little jerky. I have checked the whole front end for play and have completely new front control arm bushings springs and shocks and have replaced and one bottom ball joint. I have pushed and prodded and can find no discernable play in either the tie rods or ball joints or the steering rack uj. I have reset the toe to RS spec it was toeing out slightly.I have "stringed" the car and it's dead straight,square and the steering wheel is set correctly. None of this made any difference.
Are there any other checks i can do? is the steering rack likely to cause this? Anyone had similar with a manual racked RS ?

[clubsport]

Laurence....obviously hard to diagnose over the net,,,,but I did drive a manual rack 3.2 once which did not feel right, it turned out to be a problem with the ballrace in the stering column.....have you had this disconnected at any point and felt it turning smoothly? just a thought.

[lemon yella rs]

interesting thought Paul. I should add this first highlighted itself on a car limits day with Andy Walsh. Thing is, i can't remember if it had always been that way or happened on the day.

[slippydiff]

Disconnect the steering rack from the column and as previously mentioned see how "smoothly" it rotates.
If it is ok, remove the steering column universal joints and check for "tight spots" and/or play.
If no fault is found within these two areas it could indicate a rack problem.
Have you checked the strut top mounts ?
I'm not sure what oil or grease is used to lubricate the rack, but a quick call to JZM or Jaz will elicit the info I'm sure.
Good luck

[lemon yella rs]

The only thing that puts me off both yours and pauls suggestions is that if the pre load is removed i.e. the car is off the ground the steering rotates freely, i'm not sure if removing the uj will not just make it do the same. i might recheck that it does indeed move as freely as i'm stating though. It may be i'm not describing what's happening well too.
Thanks for the suggestions. Removing the uj and checking for tight spots is worth investigating I think.

[slippydiff]

If the "notchy" feeling disappears when the wheels are not loaded I'd be having a good look at the strut top mounts. They obviously contain a uniball but I'm not sure that is the part that allows the the strut to swivel or whether that function is carried out by a separate ball or needle roller bearing race .

[lemon yella rs]

When i changed the shocks and springs I had the monoballs apart. They looked ok no galling or heavy wear marks. So I put them back. They moved freely enough off the car but very difficult to tell if there at fault either way. They may be a last resort if all else fails. I really don't want to be pulling them apart again
I have started to have a closer look at the steering uj but is seems virtually impossible to remove without either removing the column or the rack. There is a very very slight knocking noise but that could be normal !

[clubsport]

Always slight play in the Uj.......i replaced one on another manual 3.2 rack once. the steering was fine before, but I thought it all had to help...couldn't notice any difference,,,the uj part was about £100 I think,,,all I learnt was a certain ammount of play seems accepatable!

Laurence, assuming the steering characteristic you have is not actually dangerous??
I would be inclined to put a few miles on the car and let the new suspension bed in and see how it feels......you are gonna have to get the column off though for peace of mind!

[lemon yella rs]

Yeah i am coming to the conclusion that i will bolt it back up and get a few miles on the car. There is a lot to take in. I will be at brands Tues eve. Praying it don't rain! Then i can see what it does or does'nt do. It's still on very old assimetricos so i am not expecting miracles.