marf Posted March 1, 2010 Report Share Posted March 1, 2010 Hi All Today I had a new steering rack and ball joints fitted to my MR2 Turbo. Also had a geo done to factory settings. Now the car handles great, rear end feels planted, front end feels pointy and precise. Just as you would expect an MR2 to feel. However, the steering does not attempt to centre itself when I apply some lock, you can just set the amount of lock you want and then if you loosen your grip on the wheel, nothing happens. If you want to straighten up again you have to conciously push the wheel straight again This occurred immediately after having the rack fitted, and got no better/worse following the geo. Could it be geometry related? I've never felt a car do this before and its quite disconcerting. Cheers Sam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted March 1, 2010 Report Share Posted March 1, 2010 Hello Sam It could only be Geometry related if the castor position was reduced, which out the box is not adjustable unless you have fitted adjustable tie rods. It reads like a friction issue with the joints or rack, a good test for this is jack the front up and by hand feel how stiff the wheels move lock-on-lock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marf Posted March 1, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2010 I'll jack the car up and see how it feels, thanks Tony. Not sure if this could be a factor but prior to having the rack fitted the NSF wheel was noticeably toed out more than post rack/geo. Could this have an effect? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted March 1, 2010 Report Share Posted March 1, 2010 Although centering is effected by the toe position your complaint moves beyond this. I honestly feel it a friction problem, if you find there is resistance lock-on-lock then by disconnecting the track rod ends it will tell you if the criminal is the rack or the joints. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marf Posted March 1, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2010 Thanks Tony. Gives me a few things to check Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyelcomb Posted March 2, 2010 Report Share Posted March 2, 2010 I would advise some caution re jacking the front of any car with power steering and turning the wheels vigorously from lock to lock by pushing/pulling the road wheels rather than with the steering wheel. Its possible to damage some of the rack seals by doing it that way - should be ok if you do it slowly though. Certainly agree with Tony - disconnect the track rod ends and that will show where the stiffness is. Years ago had a neighbour come to me complaining that the steering wouldn't centre on his Marina so i took it for a drive round the block and found it a complete nightmare. How they hadn't had a crash I'll never know. Went through the same rigmarole and eventually disconnected the offside trackrod and found the kingpin totally seized and it was impossible to turn the road wheel by hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marf Posted March 2, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 2, 2010 I forgot to mention, I also had new outer track rod ends fitted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted March 2, 2010 Report Share Posted March 2, 2010 Same method of testing applies regardless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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