Hello all, My RS250 has developed a ticking/clicking noise when steering. It's only there (or I can only hear it) when the car is stationairy or driving very very slow. Worth mentioning is that it wasn't there before my lap on the Nordschleife. I've been looking at the steering rack bolts and tightened them where necessary but it did not solve the issue. Car is driving great so it's only the sound it seems. I thought it might be one of the swivel bearings. Car is booked in in two weeks but perhaps someone around here recognizes the sound. Thanks for reading/listening! Best regards,
I had the same sound. I got my front ARB changed which meant dropping subframe and when it was all put back together the noise was no longer there. I got my lower swivels inspected and there a very small amount of play in them, but going to get them changed as preventative maintenance anyway.
Thanks! I'll have a look and post the result here.I assume it's the ball joint located at the number 1 as seen in this diagram? http://excesstext.com/2014/06/13/renault-megane-perfohub-transplant-about/car_photo_338011/ Almost sounds like some random bolt has come loose and was tightened again when re-fitting the subframe. I'll add it on my list of things to check, thanks for the reply.
Small update on this one. Both lower swivel bearings were replaced. One of them was faulty and the replacement fixed the vague feeling in the steering wheel. It did not fix the ticking noise however. Renault did further investigation and told me the noise is coming from the steering rack and it needs replacing. I'm a bit surprised by this as there is nothing wrong with the steering/feeling itself. It's just the noise. I'm now going to have every bush, bearing and bolt checked first somewhere else before replacing the rack as it's not a known weak point of this car as far as I know. The car is not used on tracks on a regular basis and is not even my daily drive.
Your steering rack is knackered! Just had this exact problem on my 225, it's a real metal, cracking sound, only hear it sitting still turning steering, or parking in car parks. Hold a track rod end/tierod while someone turns steering, you'll feel it!
No problem mate, still happy with the reply. Car hasn't been fixed yet as I'm going to have the steering rack replaced and planning on doing a suspension refresh anyway while everything has been taken off around that area. Surprised it failed though, not something I've been hearing a lot about these cars. Now that I'm doing the suspension refresh anyway, is it worth going to Superpro (or PowerFlex) bushes for the front suspension and an adjustable drop link? I've been reading mixed stories about PU bushes on these cars so not sure what to do. My car is lowered (KW V3) but not sure if the adjustable drop links are needed either, if not I'm just getting OEM.
I'm same as yourself, always hear a lot of split opinions on uprated bushes, from making the ride too harsh to not flexing enough and wearing away as they don't 'give' as much and may squeak due to the friction, i've heard it all! Only advice i can give is just read, read, read on opinions people give on polyurethane bushes, then make your own mind up! It is tempting to want to refresh things while it's all apart, i suppose you have to judge how you've felt about the way the cars felt since you've had it and if it really 'needs' firming up all round? Tell them to put thread lock fluid on the steering rack mounting bolts when fitting new rack, as you touched on, bolts on these 'can' loosen. Good luck!
Thanks for the tip on the thread lock, I'll keep that in mind! So I've decided to go for PowerFlex in the wishbones. OEM is fine on the RS when it's not fuilly used on track but I'm too curious! That'll be the steering rack, anti-rotation links, drop-links, fresh ARB OEM bushes and PowerFlex bushes for the wishbone. Should be good.
OEM is the better option especially for those that are used on track. Polybushes on MK3 wishbones are not great
Thanks for the tip. I don't have the polybushes on the car yet so I can still go for OEM. But what makes the polybushes not worth it? Feeling? Durability?
They fail due to how the arm moves. Either stick with OE arms of ifnits a trackcar get some Spherical bearings like Kirfel do
Sorry for the late reply.. personal stuff came up (moved house, is that the correct word?) For future troubleshooting I just wanted to let you know that the ticking sound was indeed the steering rack.. got it replaced and car has been fine after that. Also did the a complete front suspension refresh as everything had to be taken apart anyway. Car has been feeling great since then! As the Powerflex bushes were already ordered I decided to try them out. Only did 1 trackday with them and have been fine so far but I'll keep Jamie's advice in mind when they have to be replaced again (or fail). Thanks for the help!
