No feedback on steering

[dghodges 0]

I've just bought a 2.0 16V C and the steering is exceptionally light with no feedback, i.e. it doesn't try to centre itself. There seems to be no play or notchyness as described by others. I'm having no luck finding other similar threads. To save reiterating yourselves if there are similar threads please just post the link.

 

Thanks in advance!

 

D.

 

P.S. Have a great Christmas all!!

[Phil K 0]

What are your tyre pressures? Does sound odd! My C has plenty of feel :?

[CorradoVR6-Turbo 0]

If you have just bought the car and dont know the history get your tracking,camber checked out or you could have worn bushes, joints ect...

[double-6s 0]

Mate you need to slow down a bit - 8 posts in 3 years!!!! :)

 

If your tracking is way out it can make the stearing feel very light and generally odd. For example after kerbing it.

[dghodges 0]

Maybe buying this C will be the start of me making many posts :lol:

 

Yeah had a thought last night about camber and tracking. I guess even without the rack or power steering working the front wheels should still try to centre themselves. At the moment you can almost blow on the wheel and it will go into a corner and will stay steering that direction with your hands off the wheel...not that I generally do this lol.

 

I had another quick look today in the light after xmas lunch, there seems to be a bit of a flat spot on the drivers front wheel, so obviously hit a kerb or pot hole. Will get it checked out soon as poss.

 

Another thing...the cat is making a terrible rattling, mainly at idle, especially as it seems to idle a bit low and irratically when cold. I'm thinking the cat has obviously seen better days. The car was first registered 24/11/92 on a k plate, can i legally get rid of the cat?

 

Thanks folks

[CorradoVR6-Turbo 0]

If it was fitted with a cat it needs one for test. 92 onwards cats are needed for test.

[double-6s 0]

It does sound exactly like my blue one mate, and that was a kerb.

[Kevin Bacon 5]

I guess even without the rack or power steering working the front wheels should still try to centre themselves.

 

Caster is responsible for self centering, but Corrado's have very low caster in favour of lighter steering - so any bad geometry misalignement will weaken it's effect. Too much positive camber and too much toe can both cause this, so it's onto the 4 wheel jig for you matey :lol:

[dghodges 0]

Ummm... not too sure about 4 wheel jig...i guess thats not something that every garage does?? The place i normally go to does a 4 wheel alignment, things on the rear wheels and align the front wheels to the rears and to themselves. The garage doesn't do camber setting, so i guess it doesn't do caster either. I'm still a bit clueless about what caster actually is? any dumbed down explanations?

 

Anyone around the newent (gloucester) area or malvern (worcester) where I work, know of any places i could get a full setup done? I work at same place as Mike Edwards so i'll hassle hime as he'll probably know of someone.

 

Cheers and happy New Year

[Supercharged 2]

dghodges, yopu may be better off going to a good bodyshop rather than a garage...

[StuartFZR400 0]

dghodges I'm with the others here and go get the tracking checked. Is there any sign of odd wearing on your tyres?

 

I have the 2.0 C and find the steering a perfect balance between light (lighter than a Scirocco) and heavy (much heavier than modern cars such as a Megan). It always goes back to centre, and even fights it. In addition to the camber and toe being corrected, make sure your tyre pressures are realistic - overwearing in the middle suggest they are overinflated and overworn edges mean under inflated - but this takes many miles to realise this, just check the pressures with an accurate guage.

 

My C has no notchy feeling.

 

WARNING: about your CAT, it could simply be a heat sheild, I'd get under the car with a long metal pole (scredriver) and start pressing the metal plates to see if one is loose - best done on a car lift with engine running to make the noise re-occur. Genuine VAG CAT's are expensive but will last ages; there are other makes of CAT you can use.

[dghodges 0]

Right... Set the tyre pressures and went to get it tracked today. Unfortunately the tracking was pretty much spot on. Looking at the car it is possible that there is slightly too much positive camber. I think I will try the camber adjustment myself first to see what effect this has, if any then i will take it somewhere to get it properly setup.

 

Guessing if that doesn't work then it is the caster?, something i believe there is not much adjustment for and implies that something is bent (arm etc.)

[dr_mat 0]

You can't *see* camber, unless it's miles out .. !

[StuartFZR400 0]

As Matt says, you can't see a minimal poor setting, unless its miles out / \

Even then, I'd expect it to tramline like .... like a tram, ie follow all the hollows in the road and be terribly nervous when going over the white lines. Again, old tyres will show bad wearing on the edge.

 

I presume you have got the proper, full weight, engine in there - lol. You're not loaded up with stacks of bricks in the boot, huh; and the suspensions ok. Just joking.

[dghodges 0]

I've driven around quite a bit more in the car and it seems to click and make funny noises on near to full lock when driving at slow speed. It sounds to me that it might be the outer CV joints. I've bought new ball joints and top mounts almost as a matter of course and hopeing to shed some light on the creaking/clicking before spending loads on full wheel alignments and jigging.

 

I'll let you know what happens...

 

Thanks