Steering Play/lack of feel - Any ideas?
27 November 2008, 02:16 AM
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Steering Play/lack of feel - Any ideas?
Hi all,
I have strange steering play and lack of feel at the moment. At slow speeds the wheel really tries to turn on uneven surfaces, not like tram-lining it's not tire related. If I stop the car and steer left and right it feels a little notchy, as if it steers, has a break then steers again!
I've replaced lower ball joints & track rods which make the front feel tighter but hasn't cured the problem. I'm thinking maybe the UJ's? The steering just doesn't inspire much confidence feels a little wishy washy. All else I can think of is steering rack or bushes?
I also get a strange knock when turning hard left and the wheel feels like it kicks a little, had this on a car before could this be related?
Any help appreciate just can't stand cars with vague steering like it to be tight! (no pun intended!). The car has done 91,000 miles so I really want to replace the parts that are past their sell buy date!
Thanks
I have strange steering play and lack of feel at the moment. At slow speeds the wheel really tries to turn on uneven surfaces, not like tram-lining it's not tire related. If I stop the car and steer left and right it feels a little notchy, as if it steers, has a break then steers again!
I've replaced lower ball joints & track rods which make the front feel tighter but hasn't cured the problem. I'm thinking maybe the UJ's? The steering just doesn't inspire much confidence feels a little wishy washy. All else I can think of is steering rack or bushes?
I also get a strange knock when turning hard left and the wheel feels like it kicks a little, had this on a car before could this be related?
Any help appreciate just can't stand cars with vague steering like it to be tight! (no pun intended!). The car has done 91,000 miles so I really want to replace the parts that are past their sell buy date!
Thanks
Last edited by Monky; 27 November 2008 at 12:34 PM.
27 November 2008, 03:29 PM
#2
Had a similar sounding thing on a bugeye wrx uk with similar miles. Took it to subaru4you and Len kindly had a look and advised it was probably steering rack problem. You can get seal kits from subaru but you may go to a lot of trouble if it is actually busted.
Len got me prices and if your sitting down - here they are roughly.....£600 for a new rack from subaru, but you could call grade-a-subaru as i did and its delivered for about £110 mark.
Got a friend to fit it which took quite a while but mainly cause its fiddly. All ok now.
Len got me prices and if your sitting down - here they are roughly.....£600 for a new rack from subaru, but you could call grade-a-subaru as i did and its delivered for about £110 mark.
Got a friend to fit it which took quite a while but mainly cause its fiddly. All ok now.
27 November 2008, 06:37 PM
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The tie bars from the rack to the steering arm have joints in, one of mine knocked after I was forced off the road.... a fairly straight forward job, I fitted a new one as you can't be too careful.
DunxC
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27 November 2008, 10:49 PM
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@ jobie - thanks for the info, the rack you bought for 110 was that a used one and if so was it reconditioned? What exact problems were you getting, steering play? 
@ dunx - again thanks, that's one part that I haven't replaced noticed the aftermarket ones are quite well priced.
Apart from the track rods & tie rods what else can effect the steering, what about things like lower arm bushes? And how many other ball joints are there I've replaced the lower ones.
Hope it's not the rack, but I can't think what else it could be just lots of steering play at the moment and a notch when you go past a certain point. If I can ascertain what else effects steering I can replace and make it as tight as new
Cheers
@ dunx - again thanks, that's one part that I haven't replaced noticed the aftermarket ones are quite well priced.
Apart from the track rods & tie rods what else can effect the steering, what about things like lower arm bushes? And how many other ball joints are there I've replaced the lower ones.
Hope it's not the rack, but I can't think what else it could be just lots of steering play at the moment and a notch when you go past a certain point. If I can ascertain what else effects steering I can replace and make it as tight as new
Cheers
27 November 2008, 10:58 PM
#5
its gonna be the rack!!! happened to me and i ignored it thinking i'd be ok till i could buy a new one.
it got worse over night and like your saying it turns and feels like it has a break then turns again mine started like that then the break felt more like it siezed and was fighting with the wheel to turn at all......
not good i tell you.
it got worse over night and like your saying it turns and feels like it has a break then turns again mine started like that then the break felt more like it siezed and was fighting with the wheel to turn at all......
not good i tell you.
28 November 2008, 01:31 PM
#6
Yeah used but been on a year and all ok. At motorway speeds almost felt like the front wheels were on ice, needed more input and when stationary if you turned the wheel then stopped at a certain point it kind of knocked back at you. Almost like forced steering wheel on the playstation.
Hope this helps and also you can try japperformaceparts.
Toby
Hope this helps and also you can try japperformaceparts.
Toby
04 December 2008, 02:43 PM
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Thanks for the help, I may take to a specialist to avoid buying parts I'm not actually sure it needs.
It's quite bad, to road users it looks like I am drunk as the car follows ever bump in the road which makes the steering wheel pull left and right, I literally have to grip the wheel with all my strength to keep it straight over bad roads. When I accelerate hard or brake hard it's almost like one wheel is trying to turn and the other is staying straight, maybe wheel bearing related? Just so much movement in the wheel feels like they are not working in harmony.
As mentioned before the steering has a clonk when turning on the spot, like a little kick that you can feel through the steering wheel, feels like the front wheel is bending
. I was thinkning maybe it could be pump related as when you turn it feels like there is a gap in the steering, maybe low fluid on the power steering but shows fine. I do need to get my tracking re-done and I am running RE10 (tram lining specials) so with all this in mind and the problem I can't find = dodgy steering!
It's quite bad, to road users it looks like I am drunk as the car follows ever bump in the road which makes the steering wheel pull left and right, I literally have to grip the wheel with all my strength to keep it straight over bad roads. When I accelerate hard or brake hard it's almost like one wheel is trying to turn and the other is staying straight, maybe wheel bearing related? Just so much movement in the wheel feels like they are not working in harmony.
As mentioned before the steering has a clonk when turning on the spot, like a little kick that you can feel through the steering wheel, feels like the front wheel is bending
. I was thinkning maybe it could be pump related as when you turn it feels like there is a gap in the steering, maybe low fluid on the power steering but shows fine. I do need to get my tracking re-done and I am running RE10 (tram lining specials) so with all this in mind and the problem I can't find = dodgy steering!
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