My C goes a-wandering....(steering issue!)

[Purple Tom 0]

Hey,

 

I've had the C for nearly 5 months now, and I've done quite a bit of work already. When I bought it it drove really well, no pulling or tugging on the steering or any other symptoms of its 160k mileage. Almost all of its previous mileage was done on motorways, but my commute is mostly country lanes and this sort of driving has taken its toll on the (mostly original!) suspension components already.

 

Currently the car isn't particularly nice to drive. It seems to tramline very easily, suffers from fairly bad bump-steer, and also the steering seems to 'shimmy' from side to side under braking, to the extent that I need to keep a very tight hold of the wheel when braking to simply prevent the car wandering from side to side as it finds low spots in the road.

 

I've done a lot of reading of this forum and so far I have replaced, with genuine VW parts (cost a small fortune!):

 

- Front wheel bearings

- Front lower ball-joints

- Front steering tie rods

- Front trackrod ends

- Front wishbones

- Front ARB bushes and drop-links

- Front calipers/carriers/discs/pads (replaced with fully rebuilt 280mm set-up)

- Front brake hoses (Goodridge)

- All associated nuts, bolts and fixings

 

- Castor, camber and tracking then fully set-up correctly using the proper tools.

 

So far, I haven't touched the upper suspension mountings, or the rear suspension. The back end feels a bit wobbly so the rear axle bushes are becoming a priority, however I don't think the axle bushes will be having much of an effect on the horrible steering at the front.

 

Obviously I haven't touched the rack or the column, and since replacing all of the above didn't make one iota of difference to the way the car drove, it has led me to the conclusion that it must the one of the two, or maybe both. I guess that the rack must be worn, and possibly the lower U/J on the column is also worn (it appears to be at quite an acute angle?). Could worn top mounts contribute to the problem? I can't see it somehow....

 

Does my logic seem reasonable, or can anyone think of anything else it could be? Or does anyone have any general advice/similar experiences of this problem?

 

Sorry for the essay, I'm just trying to get everything sorted in my head before I go and spend a load more money on components.

 

Thanks for any advice! :thumbleft:

 

Tom

[KIPVW 0]

Hi Tom,

 

What are the dampers like? i'd be thinking it could be that along with the top mounts. Although i dont know much about this sort of thing but since replacing all my suspension and associated bits it feels much better even on the standard ride height :wink: Hope this helps!

[loopylindsay 0]

have you had the tracking done as this can often make your car pull one way! and chexck the wheel balancing if the steering wheel is shaking when your going straight then it could be that!

[Purple Tom 0]

Kip - the springs and dampers are actually relatively new, I have a receipt for their replacement with standard OE components back in 2003. The car has a full VW service history right up until the end of 2007.

 

Lindsay, as I said in the first post, I've fully set-up the wheel alignment, as well as the castor and camber. The wheels are all 100% in balance.

[KIPVW 0]

Hmm it is a while ago though, what kind of mileage did it have when the dampers were replaced?

[davidwort 0]

knackered top mounts will make it wander all over the place, not that expensive to replace, I reckon they're an item that should be changed every five years, especially the early types.

[Jim Bowen 1]

my rear axles bushes were in a real bad mess after 170,000 miles, they pretty much just feel apart when i took them out.

 

i found i could rock the back end of car from side to side and see the bushes sliding

[Jim 2]

I'm where you're at with my car and have been advised to change the steering column from the variable height Corrado one to the fixed height column found in the old Polo. Basically the Corrado column has one UJ at the very base where it connects to the rack, but another a bit further up to allow the height adjustment to work. General opinion is that the UJ at the top of the column gets some slack in it and causes these kinds of symptoms.

 

I've had the column now for nearly a year and haven't gotten round to doing the work but I'm optimistic it'll do the job!

 

(The only reason folks suggest going to the fixed height column is because a new fixed height column from VW is significantly cheaper than the variable height one.. like 1/8th the price or something crazy!)

[junkie 0]

Any ideas where it fixes the height as i have mine on the lowest all the time?

[davidwort 0]

about in the middle setting, but you can space it down with washers to the desired level :)

[dr_mat 0]

I'd get your rear axle bushes replaced as a priority - you'd be surprised how instability at the back can make the front feel weird (and don't forget to check the rear wheel bearings while you're at it too). May aswell do the front top mounts too, that'll only cost £40 or so all in for genuine parts.

 

And yes, I had play in the adjustable column that was only evident around the straight-ahead. You don't usually feel it when in the middle of a bend because the steering loading takes up the slack. It's rare for the racks themselves to wear that badly, but you should be able to detect play in that system by waggling the steering wheel. Then it's a matter of trying to decide if the slack is in the rack, the UJs (which can be tightened up by the way), or the column itself.

[vwdeviant 0]

Checked the Springs?

 

Had similar on my old Saab 9000 turned out I'd broken a spring in 2 places! Only obvious when the car was in the air ona 2-poster with suspension at full droop!

 

But yeat Top-mounts are another "Consumable" especially if the originals were replaced with GSF/Euro-made-of-toffee ones!

[Purple Tom 0]

There isn't any noticeable play in the steering when the engine is running (and the power steering pump operational), however with the engine off there is the slightest of clunks from somewhere around the lower column area which could either be the rack or UJ I suppose.

 

I read the Wiki guide on how to convert to the Polo 6N rack just before the server change. Its something I want to do because with the adjustable column its either slightly too low or slightly too high for my ideal driving position, so I think that would be an ideal opportunity to get that sorted too! dr_mat - the UJ adjustment, is it a case of taking them apart and reshimming the UJ or something else?

 

I've got some Mk4 calipers to fit soon, so on my shopping list from VW I think I'll be getting:

 

- New rear axle bushes

- New front top mounts

- Rear discs, pads and bearings

 

The springs definitely aren't broken and apart from the straight-ahead issues the car handles and rides very nicely, no clunks or bangs from any part of the suspension.