Guest pat Posted February 22, 2007 hi ,just after a quick bit of guidance , my new toy failed on a couple of things ,one of which was the steering being excessively tight plus exc rough , the rough i think is the steering knuckle with having stood , if i were to replace the rack , 1 how complex , 2 is a cti one the same as my 1600 gti (non pas) & lastly the other thing they kindly gave me a caution for was the arse end being low & immobile apparently the only suspension at the back is the air in the tyres, any help appreciated dudes Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pug_ham 245 3 Cars Posted February 22, 2007 The steering being excessively tight & rough could be due to a couple of things, the lower column universal joint (knuckle), the top mount bearings need replacing or the rack itself. Replacing the rack is easy enough, two bolts hold it to the subframe, disconnect the track rod ends & remove the lower column link arm. You don't need to totally remove this from the car, just loosen the bolt inside the car, remove the one on the rack & push the arm up to free it from the rack. If you suspension is set to low it is possibly on the bumpstops or the only suspension being the air in the tyres it could be the beam is seized which is expensive to repair. How long has the car been stood? Graham. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest pat Posted February 22, 2007 (edited) cheers graham , car stood for about 18 months before i bought it , it was laid-up with mot on it which ended june 05, to be honest the steering did'nt feel that heavy to me but i'm used to manta's ,but it has what i can only describe as a tight spot about every half turn , the tester said he could, but would'nt fail the arse end as it was'nt on the bump stops but that its solid & would'nt shift , i was told by the previous owners dad that the son had lowered the rear , the only reason i asked about the cti being the same is theres a rack available localy on ebay but its a cti one not gti is it the same or different ratio?.cheers for the advice, might start looking for a used rear beam too as the car is pretty tidy overall ,i'm only the 4th owner, but i sense grief coming from the wife Edited February 22, 2007 by pat Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jrod 7 Posted February 22, 2007 If it's not sitting on the bump stops and it has no movment I'd certainley look for another beam (and be very suprised if it passes an MOT?!) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest pat Posted February 23, 2007 if i get hold of a 1900 rear beam ,will that be ok with the 1600 alloys or does it have to be a 1600 one? , also is the cti rack suitable ? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jonnie205 1 Posted February 23, 2007 Cti rack will be fine, all 205 racks are the same apart from the later racks having a different pinion spline where the lower UJ goes on. What age is your car? A 1900 beam will go staright on but you will need 1900 handbrake cables. 1600 wheels will bolt straight on Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest pat Posted February 23, 2007 thanks, thats what i think i needed to know. the cars on a j plate, so dont know if that will affect it if the rack is from a g plate ? many thanks for your answers so far guys Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
