could someone please describe what a worn steering rack feels like? i have somewhat rough response when turning, in that the steering wheel does not have a linear smoothness from lock to lock. there is a loss of feel when the wheel is off-center and then feel tightens progressively as the turn is completed finishing with moderate understeer. sharp bends are especially noticeable. it almost feels as though the car is refusing to turn in. there is approx. 4000mi on the kumho esp's and alignment.there is no irregular wear apparent. my 2002 was the only other non-power steering car i have driven in the last 35yrs. with that to act as a comparison, i prefer it's response to gabriella. if this is peculiar to the 3x8 series i guess i can live with it. since this is the oldest rack and pinion car i've had , i'm not sure i can confirm if the unit needs rebuilt/lubed. love to hear from ya.
With 4000 mile on the thing, I'd get the alignment checked just to eliminate any doubt. Would be looking at shocks and bushes too. The 3x8 are often described as feeling like carts. If its under-steering into the twisty bits something isn't right. My opinion is qualified by not having direct experience of the cars yet, though. Yeah a good 2002 is a real joy to drive. Had a beaut, that I used a bunch of Alpina stuff to tune the suspension and handling. My lady used to say that she knew she had a margin of safety left if she converted the kph corner advicery signs to mph and used that for her entry speed. With a mph speedo her system worked rather well.
You might try raising the front end to get the wheels off the ground and then turn lock-to-lock and see if you can feel any resistance or hear any noises. Don't underestimate the influence of tires. I'm not familiar with Kumho's but in some tire surveys in this forum I don't recall them being mentioned. Are they high performance?
actually kumhos were mentioned in a thread here last year. yes, they are ultra-high performance and are popular with the autocrossing types as well as the rice burners. i did the off-ground test last winter. smooth as silk lock-lock. the bushings did cross my mind and possibly the tires, but pumping them to 40psi didn't seem to improve matters. even tried placing a bar between the frame and wishbone to check for bushing deflection (-). like i said, i can live with it. seems as though i'm getting cheated on the ferrari experience, however.
Nothing wrong with Kumhos as a sports tyre. Maybe take a careful look at your steering column? There's a universal joint in there that when in need of attention can cause problems with feel as lock is applied.
If the rack itself is slightly bent it will cause stiffness and the passenger side bush will eventually elongate.Has the steering suffered from any harsh hits?
hard to say. i bought her 08/07 and i could not get any meaningful history except the 30k performed by the outfit where i purchased her. that said, i looked over the suspension and frame pretty thoroughly from many angles when i changed the brake hoses and fluids. without the benefit of a front end alignment, i'd have to say things look pretty straight and unscathed. she did get a fresh alignment and kumhos before i took delivery btw. the uv joint in the steering column looks ok and has grease, but what would you check (listen) for? after 4000mi. wouldn't some evidence of tire scrubbing or misalignment show up? is it possible to have proper alignment and still experience unusual steering/ handling characteristics? as i've said above, i've only driven 1 other car without power steering in 35yrs. in defense of the little bmw, it definitely was smoother than the 328.
If you've checked all the obvious things .. and it seems you have .. then you might just be suffering from old car syndrome. I find that after driving my daily wheels, driving the 328 with no power steering takes some adjustment and tolerance. I have to make a sharp turn out of my driveway and when the wheel is hard-over it steers like a tractor but in normal driving one never (hopefully) gets in that full-lock position.
I've had a mechanic describe exactly the symptoms you describe and said it was the upper steering universal. Just a thought.
There ARE universals in the column, (2 even?) I'm sorry, just saw the thread! A worn rack will give you steering wheel "shimmy" side to side at some specific freeway speed, usually goes away if you speed up or slow down.....I suppose there's some low speed slack as well but it's not so noticeable. It be hard to bend to inner parts of the unti I'd think but maybe someone was in there and got it wrong? Definately should be reviewed, as it should be smooth lock to lock even at low speeds... HTH
Bottom line would have to be a BMW 2002 was a great little handling car. However if a mid to late eighties Ferrari can't handle the tight and twisty bits better than a BMW at least ten years older its a poor show indeed. Would love to get to the bottom of Bill's car's handling and feel. Not least because I'm going to be very disappointed myself if that's the reality.
well... i can only say that the hills around here that i used to slam my little 2002 around back 30+ yrs. ago i would be afraid to do the same in my beloved gabriella. the steering feedback is not very comforting and i do not relish the feeling of terminal understeer at the limit. fastradio has given me a portfolio of things to consider. i will take this topic up again after the winter pm exploratory service and report back on this topic.
