Steering Issues

[205_sunderland 4]

after changing all suspension on front end ive needed tracking doing but havent had enough cash so was going to get it done this week, but last night whilst driving off the a690 i had a full car (5 people). my car steering went heavy as hell, i thought at frist i had a blow-out as i was only doin about 10 mph round a little corner so i pulled over and no flat tyres, (the car pulled to the left also which what was led me to belive it was a flat tyre).

 

I carried on driving and the steering was still unbeliveably heavy, i drove to my destination and car was still handling fine, pulling to left but other than that ok except for the enormous effort required to turn it. i left it a while and then headed home. The steering wasnt as bad on the way home and got lighter. Once i dropped all the people off in my car the steering was like normal once again, i dont know i this was due to the lightness of the car now or the rack freeing up again.

 

I have just jacked the car on both sides and checked the track rod end which seem to have no play but the boot on the left side is split. I turned the rack best i could by myself and worked some oil into the unviersal joint it as i dont have anything else, after that i wiped all the oil away and used some cv boot greese underneath the plastic gator. i lubircated as much of the rack as i could and when i checked the gator(long one with actual rack in) on the passenger side i found that when i sqeezed the gator i felt something moving about in there i.e loose. i checked the other side to make sure but there was no free parts but there was definetly something i could grab and rattle on the passenger side boot.

 

can anyone please help me or guide me as to what you think could be the problem here although it looks like its the rack i could be wrong

 

regards michael

[hengti 2]

*potential can of worms*

 

 

i'm having similar sounding stiff steering problems with mine at the moment

 

 

jack the car up, stick it on axle stands and disconnect the track rod ends from the hubs ... does the steering still feel stiff or at all inconsistent? this might be difficult to tell if you're not used to the car

 

I've replaced the rack and the steering column on mine, but still have a problem. it can only now be the lower steering column, which has a universal joint in it. this must have worn and be contributing to the problem i'm getting (which is apparent after following the above diagnositic method).

 

The bad news is that pattern lower columns aren't available, but the good news is that they're relatively cheap from Pug (£70). I'm going to try some s/h ones to see if that sorts it first though.

 

I'm not suggesting that this is what might be affecting your car - there are number of other things that you'd best be checking beforehand (imo, descending order of likelihood/ease of fixing is ...) - tyres (condition and pressure), tracking, bottom arms (inner bushes and outer balljoints), top mounts, steering (as above), driveshafts (does it pull to one side or t'other?) - there's plenty of info on search to be going by, and others might have more ideas.

 

have fun! i'm bloody loving it

[Furiousd 0]

Just pulled this thread up on a search as I'm sure my steering was feeling overly heavy (For a non-PAS 205) on my way home from work. It feels like the tires have very low pressure but I've checked and they're fine. Also it is not consistently stiff/heavy when going full lock.

 

I don't like the sound of the "Can of worms", I've just has new tyres fitted and the tracking done as it was way out. Could this have anything to do with it?

 

If not is it likely to be something simple like the suspension bushes?

 

Ta

Chris

[James Stewart 1]

Furiousd and hengti - it sounds like it is the lower steering column (or intermediate shaft as Haynes call it), which is at fault. The universal joint wears, causing excessive play or very stiff movement. When they go stiff the resistance varies depending on what position the universal joint is in.

 

In my experience it is a waste of time trying secondhand parts, they are either worn too, or don't last long. Buy a new one.

 

If you have a square pinion rack the lower column is available from Euro Car Parts, part no. 613735001 (look under Steering Parts/Steering Column Parts) for around £35 plus VAT. I'm not aware of anyone doing a pattern part for the circular pinion rack, so you may have to go to Peugeot.

 

205_sunderland - you may be suffering the same problem too, but the rack sounds very suspect. I'd suggest you pull back the passenger boot and find out what is in there first! You could also get some mates/family to pile in the car and go for a drive up and down your street to see if the extra weight really is making a difference.

 

James.

[Furiousd 0]

Many thanks for the reply!

 

How do I find out whether I have a square or circular pinion rack? My car is a '91 J reg 1.9. Any idea's on the cost of getting this part replaced by a mechanic?

 

Cheers

[C_W 3 1 Cars]

IMO it's unlikely to be the intermediate shaft as this just turns with the steering wheel, the joint would have to be siezing up to prevent the wheel turning.

 

As the extra weight affected it a lot it could be your top mount bearings need replacing?

[Furiousd 0]

IMO it's unlikely to be the intermediate shaft as this just turns with the steering wheel, the joint would have to be siezing up to prevent the wheel turning.

 

As the extra weight affected it a lot it could be your top mount bearings need replacing?

 

My car is really bad with just me in it so is this still likely to be the steering column at fault? Also is it dangerous to drive it in this state or will it wait until I have time to check it?

 

If I check the steering column will it be visably worn or is it a case of having to replace it to check whether that was the knackered bit?

 

Any advise greatfully received

[hengti 2]

my earlier post in this thread was over a year ago now; the probs i was having were, indeed, related to stiffness in the U/J in the lower steering column (as per James Stewart's suggestion)

 

Furiousd - always difficult to tell over t'internet, but sounds as though you could be having the same trouble

 

when you say that the steering is not consistently stiff/heavy, does it seem to alternate between stiff/loose as you run the rack through its travel? it'd be easiest to tell by putting the front end up on stands to take the weight off the wheels and then running the rack to and fro. if you're getting alternately stiff/loose steering, what could be happening is that one of the U/Js has started to seize in one of its two planes of movement - hence stiff then loose then stiff etc

 

best way to tell is by disconnecting the lower U/J from the rack and checking it by hand - it should be completely free to move in both planes of travel. if it's stiff in one or both, that'll be what's causing the problem. if you haven't the tools to do it yourself, it should only take a garage 30mins max to check it for you

 

whilst it's disconnected, you can check which pinion shape you've got - the clamp on the lower column (and the pinion coming out of the rack) will be either round or squared off. the later cars were fitted with square pinion racks (mine was a '91 and had a square pinion rack) but i don't know when the change over point was

 

i can't see full replacement taking a professional mechanic much more than an hour; don't know what the book time is though - possibly more. again, if you've got tools and facilities, it's not a difficult job by any means

 

dangerous to drive? wouldn't like to say; mine stiffened up over quite some time; can they eventually seize solid? dunno. i'd fix it asap anyways

 

apols for the tome - hope it helps

 

PS. if you get a definitive diagnosis, i actually have a couple of lower columns left from my spares (broke my car up and finished with 205s earlier in the year) - got a circular one and a square one (both fine) - let me know if you need one and are interested (£5+P&P)

Edited July 5, 2007 by hengti

[Furiousd 0]

Many thanks for that, I'll get the car jacked up this weekend and have a look. I will deffinately take the parts if they are indeed what I need.

 

Thanks again for your advise!

 

Chris