Well I admit defeat with steering and suspension!!

I've wasted the last two weeks trying to sort out my steering and suspension and I'm no nearer than when I started.

I lined the wheels up with 0 degree toe, centralised the rack, adjusted the tie rods and going lock to lock the steering wheel still ends up at a completely different angle to when I start turning.

I cant remove the upper ball joints from the hub to adjust the castor

And should an Mk modified rack be 5 turns locks to lock? it seems a hell of a lot of turns.

So basically I've had enough and the garage door is now closed and locked and I can't see me going back in there as I know that when I do think I'll have another go I still won't have a clue as to what is wrong and where to start.

Many thanks for all the help but I can't see what is wrong or where I'm going wrong.

I really wanted to get it SVA'd this year but this car is fighting me every step of the way and I'm fed up with it.

My apologies for the negativity but with every problem I've encountered so far a quick post on this forum has put me on the right track but 2 weeks of posts and plenty of helpful replies it just isn't working.

Cheers all
Nigel

Don't give up!

You can adjust your camber without removing the top ball joints by removing the wishbone mounting bolts and turning the wish bone to wind it in or out.

The steering rack is the standard sierra one but shortened - you need to buy a quick rack to change the number of turns from lock to lock.

Finally are there the same number of threads showing at either side of the track ord ends? - there should be.

You can centralise your steering wheel by moving the splined joint at the bottom of the steering column whre it joins the rack.

Hope that helps a bit

Cheers

Mark

What you obviously need is a bigger hammer mate.

If its any consolation, MikeR has been working on his steering problem for at least 5 years now.

Leave it for a couple of days, have a beer, watch some TV etc, come back into the garage, take it all off the car, check each bit isnt broken, and try again.

Sometimes you just need to do something else for a while and come back to it before you see whats causing the problem.

HTH

David

Nigel,

Sorry to hear all seems to be going down the pan, but beleive me, I started my project back in 2005 and I had wonderful intentions for it all.

The first thing that came along was a divorce! Then I seeme to be travelling all over the world evry other weekend with work and felt that I was never going to get this thing going.

I finally get time and space to get cracking in earnest and what happens? I discover that several rather crucial parts for the kit have mysteriously gone missing during my divorce/move!

I sat down, took stock and with all the help from this forum and other sources I am renewed

I WILL finish this project and I WILL take great pride in driving around the countryside in my creation!!

Don't give up, take a little break from it, ask a few more questions, read a few more books and I'm sure it will come together.

Phew! All this seems a bit heavy for first thing in the morning.

All the best,
JB

quote:

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You can adjust your camber without removing the top ball joints by removing the wishbone mounting bolts and turning the wish bone to wind it in or out.

---

oh dear

invest in a ball joint splitter, this type below is very good, I have one myself. While you are adjusting the front replace the nylock nut with a normal one and tighten just hand tight so you can fiddle with it. I would not be to bothered with the rack either, once your up to speed, very little movement is needed to make the car dart about.

Have a beer and go back out and finish the damn thing



[Edited on 11/9/08 by Mr Whippy]

Cheers all

My main problem is even though I've followed all the great advice on this site the steering just isn't working.

Take the steering for example. I disconnected the tie rods from the hubs, centralised the rack and set the wheels to 0 deg.
Reconnected the tie rods and adjusted making sure that the toe didn't alter.

So you'd think that doing the above and seeing the same amount of thread visible on each tie rod extension then the steering would be straight?

I then removed the steering wheel and repostioned it straight.

But turning the steering wheel left to right or vice versa it never ends up in the same place with the wheels returned to straight, or if I go off the steering whhel the wheels aren't pointing right.

The steering rack was brand new before getting MK to modify it?

So hopefully you can imagine that 2 weeks trying everything I can think of and trying everything kindly suggested on this forum grinds you down when you make absolutely no progress.

The main problem is I'm completely clueless which isn't helping.

I'm going to walk away for a week or so but I'll be honest and feel rushed by this impending new test and the costs involved.

you start with the wheels and steering wheel straight, turn from lock to lock, centre the wheels and the steering wheel is in a different position?

is the UJ on the steering collumn skipping over some splines somewhere? damaged or tightened properly?

I'd remove the mushroom but I have to stick it in the freezer for 2 days to get it too fit in the first place and it won't budge.

Plus if I did get it out wouldn't it have to go back in the freezer to refit it.

Flippin 'eck Nigel - sounds like you are having a bit of a 'mare there.

If you need a hand i can pop around sometime?? Pretty sure we can get the steering set up and working properly given a couple of hours.

The connection to the rack with the splines was a nice tight fit and doesn't appear to be slipping. It needed a couple of taps with a rubber mallet to get it to fit.

Appreciate all the ideas of things to check, please keep them coming and I'll go through them all when I decide to go back in to the garage for another try.

Thanks all it's much appreciated.
Nigel

Nigel
Don't give up on it mate - I've seen some of your posts b4 & I know you're probably not the most technical guy on here (don't mean to be insulting ). When you don't fully understand stuff, or realise the best way of going at it, it can seem like a mountain to climb, when actually it's a mere foothill (the real mountain's not in sight yet!!! Ooops, shouldn't have said that!!).
I would very strongly suggest you take Paul (Tiger B6) up on his generous offer of assistance. Another pair of hands, & more importantly another mind on the job can work wonders.
If you want to talk over any parts of the problem, by all means give me a bell 07905 879407 or 01268 565169 pref during the day or early evening, again it's often easier to understand a problem by talking it thro', &, good tho' the forum is points are not always fully explained or understood.
Best of luck with it anyway.
Russ

Something is obviously slipping if the wheel/steering wheel alignment is not the same after moving and returning to the same point:

Steering wheel doesn't move on its shaft does it? (mark with tippex then turn lock to lock and check).
Check UJ in column and any welding if its been mdified.
The gear that engages in the rack could be damaged so it can skip, or a pin missing that stops it rotating on the shaft(or retaining bolt not tight). I know you say its new, but manufacturing faults happen!
The track rod ends dont have stripped threads do they? (I would think that would be pretty obvious though)
Is the rack properly bolted down? If so, are the mounts man enough to not distort?

Well I'd better get some work done - best of luck
Hugh

something is skipping, if it's not the rack then it's the splines or steering wheel (but that's hexagon or something right)

Maybe MK didn't reassemble the rack correctly when shortened.

just had a look at the sierra haynes manual (in pdf form) and it only has a exploded view of the rack, not how to disassemble and reassemble. I'm sure this is in the escort manual (book form at home), but as you can see there's some stuff to adjust, so maybe they forgot at MK.

[Edited on 11/9/08 by Werner Van Loock]
Rescued attachment sierra_rack.JPG

Thanks all

Yep I aint going to look a gift horse in the mouth and a U2U has been sent to Paul.

Hopefully his knowledge and my tea making abilities should get us somewhere, I'll let you know what the problem was (any money it's something I've done wrong or connected back to front etc )

C'mon Nigel, you can't give up now

I'm at roughly the same stage as you and when you post a problem, I get the benefit of the answers

I can't help with this specific one as my steering seems to line up ok and I have the Rally Design camber adjusters. My ex Escort steering rack seems to be about 3 and a half turns end to end so I suppose that's ok. If the steering wheel doesn't return to the same place each time there must be play in the system somewere - observation should show you where. Does the action feel smooth end to end, or is there a jump ?

But best idea is to take a few days off, go and get drunk, get laid, go on a cheapie to Amsterdam (sorry if there's a Mrs Jabba - I didn't mean that )

Then get someone round to have a look - it's soul destroying working on your own. I've lost a lot of impetus lately and sometimes it seems like "Is it really worth it ? " So I need you and people like you to keep me fired up. Some of my friends swear by the motto "One day at a time "

quote:

---

Originally posted by jabbahutt
Hopefully his knowledge and my tea making abilities should get us somewhere, I'll let you know what the problem was (any money it's something I've done wrong or connected back to front etc )

---

Ae you doing everything up tight when you turn the wheel, like the tie rod ends and ball joints?

If not, you'll get the symptons you describe.

Pat...

Once again this forum is a moral saver.

Thanks for all your posts of encouragement and to Paul for his very kind offer of assistance.

I'm still putting money on the fact that Paul is going to find something really stupid that I've done, so expect a post early next week to give you all a laugh at how stupid I was!

Could the fact I've mounted the rack at the rear of the car be a problem

quote:

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Originally posted by jabbahutt
I'd remove the mushroom but I have to stick it in the freezer for 2 days to get it too fit in the first place and it won't budge.

Plus if I did get it out wouldn't it have to go back in the freezer to refit it.

---

Removing the mushroom from the upright is very simple...

Remove the pinch bolt and then drive a small cold chisel into the gap to open up the upright. The mushroom will then come out very easily. Leave the chisel in place until you re-fit the mushroom and then remove.

quote:

---

Originally posted by Mr Whippy
oh dear

invest in a ball joint splitter, this type below is very good, I have one myself. While you are adjusting the front replace the nylock nut with a normal one and tighten just hand tight so you can fiddle with it. I would not be to bothered with the rack either, once your up to speed, very little movement is needed to make the car dart about.

Have a beer and go back out and finish the damn thing



[Edited on 11/9/08 by Mr Whippy]

---

To remove the mushroom you could
take the pinch bolt out and put it back
in on the threaded side first.

Then as you turn it in drop a washer half
in to the gap so the bolt cant enter the none thread side of the casting.

The tip of the bolt tightens against the washer and pushes the gap apart.
The mushroom should pull out.

Hope I have explained that ok.

s

quote:

---

Originally posted by StevenB
To remove the mushroom you could
take the pinch bolt out and put it back
in on the threaded side first.

Then as you turn it in drop a washer half
in to the gap so the bolt cant enter the none thread side of the casting.

The tip of the bolt tightens against the washer and pushes the gap apart.
The mushroom should pull out.

Hope I have explained that ok.

s

---

Get down to Asda and get plenty of gush in for the weekend, turn the sky on (get it in if you havent got it) and tune into Eurosport for 3 nights of very nice MotoGP.

Take the car to MK and ask them whats wrong.

Chin up

Might have been said before but is the rack secure on its mountings and correct size bolts used i.e. not a big hole with a small bolt. A while ago I hit a kerb [dont ask I was being foolish] and the steering wheel then failed to centre, turned out I had pushed the rack to the extreme end or its mounting. If yours was loose it could explain why it never returns to the same place. I always find a few beers and a day off helps. Good luck

If you used the washers i described to you the steering should be limited to 2 3/4 turns lock to lock, camber is no prob, to remove mushroom take out pinch bolt and tap a wedge or screwdrive into slot to spread it and out she pops, spent ages measuring the distance sticking out the rack wondering why it was doing the same as yours until I realised the rack wasn't quite central to the chassis. shame I finish at 7am be only to happy to help my van carries all my tools and welding gear
Don't give up you're almost there
Tony