Inner Tie Rod
 

Hi all, I'm trying to track down some play in my steering rack. Symptoms started off with my steering wheel having a "memory" of my last significant turn. So if I turned hard right, the wheel would assume a neutral position of approx. 1 o'clock. If I turned hard left, the wheel would assume a neutral position of approx 2 o'clock, etc.

The issue seems to be getting worse, to the point it's scared me a couple of times. If I now do a hard right turn quickly followed by a hard left, I get a terrifying deadzone whilst changing direction - as if the first right turn has shifted some components and before the car can turn left, those components need to shift back - so I get a horrible moment where the car feels like it's badly understeering before the lock begins to apply.

I had the car on stands at the weekend, and nothing looked amiss. It was hard (impossible) to replicate the issue without load on the wheels, so I may have to resort to throwing parts at it.

Rack bushings should be fine, as I put Whiteline ones in about a year ago.

Outer trackrods and lower balljoints are a Super Pro adjustment kit about a year old.

That leaves the inner rods that haven't been touched. For 40quid on Import Car Parts it's probably worth a crack at swapping them.

Does anyone know if the Impreza inner rods are accessible for removal with a standard spanner, or will I need one of those special tools to slide down the track rod?

Any other parts that could cause this issue worth looking at whilst I'm at it?

Car is an 05 STI.

Check the steering knuckle at base of column is sufficiently lubed

easy enough to do with a std spanner.......

Thanks Alyn, I noticed this morning when the car is stationary I can hear/feel a slight clunk/knock when turning the wheel to the right, never to the left - only to the right.

As the whole rack moves regardless of direction I'm not sure that this narrows anything down :lol1: