Hi guys just wanted to get some feelers as to what might be causing this based on the forums collective experience. Twice now I have felt a knock or click coming back through the steering wheel when cornering, and I may have imagined it but it felt like the wheel moved in a way its not supposed to. In those two cases I was monstering brakes and throttle and I believe the knock or click happened in the transition between the car being subjected to deceleration into corner and acceleration out. Certainly the second one was. This has got me a bit worried now so I won't be driving the car hard until I have got to the bottom of this one. In previous cars a bushing on the steering column or a worn steering UJ could cause this but the steering wheel itself feels really solid with the car stationary so maybe something lower down? Bush on the rack? I believe one of the track rod ends or steering links is a bit worn but I have never felt one of those manifest such a sudden feel in the wheel during cornering usually they give a slightly loose or vague feel to a car. Car tracks dead straight though either braking or accelerating but does fight about a bit on the throttle sometimes over bumpy roads which is why I think it has a worn steering arm/link. Is it typical on the Meg for a worn steering arm to create both effects, the torque steer and a knock or click felt at the wheel? Cheers Neil
I don't know where to start here, you have asked too many questions in one go! The first thing you need to check for when it comes to the steering component that may lead to a knock, is free play in the steering wheels. Jack up the front of the car, and support it on some axle stands (for safety). Then try to wobble each of the front wheels at the 12 and 6 (o'clock) positions - free play here suggests wheel bearings. Next try to wobble at 3 and 9 (o'clock) positions - free play here suggests steering arms. Free play more than a mm and the car needs to go to a professional mechanic quickly! To check if the steering rack bush has gone, then you need to check the free play in the inner steering arm on the passenger side. The inner steering arm is the one that sticks out from the steering rack itself and will have a gaiter. If this moves up and down (perpendicular to the steering movement) then the steering rack bush needs replaced. Finally, if your steering is fighting you over bumps/inclines/crown of the road then it might be that your swivel hub bearings are seized. To check for this, still with the front end jacked up, disconnect the outer steering arm from the hub and then try and move the wheel from side to side. If it is a right stiff bugger to move then the swivel hub bearing (at the bottom of the hub) has seized and needs replaced. This bearing generally won't lead to a knock. Hope this helps, and no doubt some more experienced guys will help to improve my fault-finding
Cheers, quite a list, makes logical sense as a sequence. The car is going in to K-tec soon for a service but I like to check all these things myself, just got paranoid when it comes to suspension and brakes after building and maintaining my race car.
Where do you get the inner rack bush? The one that sits inside the NS rack end? Is it just a pull out/push in job once the inner track rod is removed? Cheers
Get them from Track Focus Direct http://www.trackfocusdirect.com/sho...steering-rack-bush-also-fits-clio-197/7481443 They are a trader on here, and he provides a pdf fitting guide.
Thanks! I saw them on trackfocus before and assumed they were an upgrade bush? Is their a standard (cheaper part)? I quite fancy one for my RS but for now I'm working on the wife's old 1.5 banger and wandered if there was a cheaper alternative?
There was some for sale on eBay for about £3 iirc. I brought one and so did quite a lot of others I think. It's a pretty big profit for tfd selling them at £33.
Thanks Dan, this is my worst fear that this is what may have happened as it genuinely feels like the whole wheel moves across me a little and its a noticeable click that I never ever get in either day to day driving or 90% cornering. Only happened when really gunning it in the bends as in car moving around and getting loose on the tyres, squealing sounds etc. etc.
Yeah if it is that it'll sound worse then it is, mine only nipped up a little but I tend to do nut/bolt checks before and after Trackdays as habit
Bit of an update, seems there are at least 2 very different things going on. Firstly the click seems to be coming from the wheel itself! I have been so used to a car without PAS that when monstering brakes and throttle I know I was hanging on the wheel pretty hard. Its a bit shocking just how much the steering wheel bends and sure enough with the wheel sat at 90 degrees pushing and pulling on it top and bottom makes a clicking sound. Curiously I couldn't get the sound with the engine off. Can't feel anything just a feint sound. Column and mounting of the wheel all seems rock solid. Up front I definitely have a worn link which may have been giving the feeling as I can detect a slight knocking feel when moving the wheels. Otherwise I couldn't see anything wrong but was only mucking about on the drive.
Did you check the inner free play in the track rod arm on the near side? Jack up that side, remove wheel, grasp inner tie rod and see if there is movement up and down.
Oops sorry no didn't take the wheels off so I got to the point of determining that there is something with some free play in that area causing a slight knock, checking back through the cars history it was an MoT advisory 2 years ago which wasn't picked up last time round. Either way its going into either Ktec or Tech1 to be fixed.
Pretty sure it's the steering bush. My car had the same advisory two years running in the history. Stated outer track rod ends. Outers changed, play still present.
Quick update for those who missed my other post on this, Paul at Tech 1 had a good look underneath could only find a tiny amount of movement in one steering arm which he didn't seem bothered by. Following his tip I am now going to switch off the TC/ESC whenever enjoying the cars performance as with it off the car just drives perfectly regardless of the speed, camber, bumpiness of the road. OK a bit of wheel spin sometimes but it doesn't seem to unsettle the car at all. Really quite a shocking difference just how much the TC/ESR fights the car when trying to drive at anything like a swift pace on our rubbish poor roads. Also on a very positive note I am amazed how good the traction is from this car, yeah you can get some wheelspin out of roundabouts but have to be trying blooming hard to get it in the dry on fresh PS2s. Very impressive. Clicking sound must have been me leaning on the wheel as I haven't heard it come back.
Really? So in short theirs nothing wrong with it? I thought the TC/ESP came back on automatically past 30mph?
Pretty much yes, don't forget I have only had the car about 6 weeks and unfortunately got very paranoid about the slightest wrong feeling in a car after having a load of DNFs when racing.
Fair enough. Alls well that ends well. I prefer to identify summat, diagnose and repair/replace it. That sorts my paranoia. My ASR/TC automatically turns off at 30 btw
Yeah was down there again today, talked about that as well he said it was a PITA for tuning on the rollers the older cars which turn it back on at 30 ish, my R26 definitely stays off until the engine is restarted when it resets back to on. Would be interesting to find if it reasserts itself due to extreme driving, I know a few race teams found this with the post 2000 non GT Porsches as there was no way to completely disable it, throw the car sideways a couple of times and it would switch back on despite trying to disable it in software. Heard similar on some other cars. Both steering arms have a small amount of knock, one of the CV gaitors has slipped a bit and one of the exhaust hangers is broken. Sounds like typical Meg stuff I reckon so I will be doing all these gradually to spread the cost out.
