Car Pulling - Diagnosis

[MS Injection]

When I bought my 2.8, I was aware that I was going to need a new power steering rack as it is very heavy to turn right and light as a feather to the left. It had a slight pull to the left too.

The front end has been taken to bits and checked and serviced. Discs and pads are like new and there are copper pipes that are undamaged and functioning well - the brakes are far more responsive than before. All bushes seem fine. Calipers have been off and are working, though the right side is just a tad lazier than the left.

Springs are not collapsed. It's had new bilstein shocks in the last 2 weeks.

The wheels have not all gone back on same hubs they came off.

I believe it to have had a minor front end bump in the last 4 months (Jan ebay sale shows intact grill and bumper, when I got it top of grill was cracked with a missing section and bent bumper). The chassis and everything else is straight, certainly no suggestion it was damaged so as to cause it to pull.

It is still pulling to the left noticeably. Not diving left - the better the road surface, the more gradual the pull - but under braking it is worse. MoT on Thursday at 12.30

Having searched some old threads on here, and searched net, I think diagnosis seems:

- Suspension and brakes have been checked and shocks replaced with new, they are as good as I can hope for such the pulling is unlikely to be a suspension fault or (purely) brakes issue

- A lot of people refer to their own Capris having a bit of pull anyway, even when all is well (one bloke said his was always that way having owned it from new)

- Fooked rack largely/entirely responsible - making it pull left because the steering is free and loose to the left (maybe also exaggerating some waywardness that's already there)

- Lazy caliper contributing, certainly not helping

- Wheels having moved around possibly affecting alignment and/or balance or alignment was never right anyway/thrown out by its front end bump, thereby exaggerating the pull caused by steering rack

- Will fail MoT in this state

- So....fit new rack and get wheels aligned and balanced; as there is a known fault with the rack, and this is the only known fault, it is probably down to this

Does that sound right or have I made too many assumptions? Ended up getting a little carried away with earlier resto, and the cost of a recon rack etc is not going to be negligible so want to be as sure as I can be!

Cheers

[Terra-Kotta]

Calm down.

This is common and there's a fix for it that involves tweaking the pressure by moving some washer in the rack.

One of the others will be on later tell you how.

I fkn hate 2.8is.

[Andrew 2.8i]

Hi,
The power rack imbalance can be adjusted. Check out this other thread:
viewtopic.php?f=10&t=41409&hilit=power+ ... adjustment

The important bit is reproduced here for your benefit!

No need to go to that site, it's all here.....

The following article describes how to adjust the rack.

It is common for the power steering racks fitted to 2.8 injection and 3.0L Capri’s to feel as if the power assistance in not balanced, in other words it is easier to steer one way than the other. In some cases; mine included, the unbalance can be so bad as to feel if there is no assistance turning right but over assistance when turning left. The usual cure has been to replace the rack with a new unit costing around £120 plus all the hassle that goes with it only to find the problem still exists but in a different manner.
The actual problem lies within the rack itself and is generally due to slack assembly methods at the point of rack manufacture and can be resolved quickly and with no cost, except your time.
Adjustment
The valve that needs adjusting lies at the end of the pinion shaft and is adjusted by removing a locking tab and moving the inner race clockwise or anticlockwise with respect to the outer race.
Start by jacking up the front of the car and removing the road wheels while supporting the car on axle stands. Disconnect the track rod ends but don’t unscrew them from the rack otherwise you’ll need to reset the tracking, I find the best way to get the track rod ends off without knackering the joint or rubber boot is to remove the split pin and nut and then apply downward pressure on the track rod end stud, with this done use a hammer to strike the part the track rod end goes through, with a good pressure and a good hit they will separate quickly; usually by the third hit.
Now start the engine, the steering wheel will move fully to one direction depending on which way it was easier to turn when driving on the road, stop the engine. On the rack remove the two bolts holding bearing cover in place (this is the domed pressed steel one at what looks like the end of the steering column and NOT the 6mm thick steel one) and withdraw the cover; expect oil to come out. Remove the locking tab by carefully bending the tabs forward then remove the nut and the locking washer. Turn the inner race ¼ turn anticlockwise if the steering turned left or ¼ turn clockwise if it went to the right, now refit the locking washer and nut and nip up the nut to retain things then refit the cover and two bolts. Centralise the steering and start the engine again, take a note of which way the steering turns and how quickly, by comparing this to the first time you can estimate how much further the inner race needs to be turned. Repeat this until the steering does not turn by itself when the engine is started and feels balanced when turning by hand. When you are happy remove the cover and refit the locking tab, by this time you will have destroyed the gasket so fit another homemade one or use instant gasket then fit the cover and two bolts.
You will need to replace the oil that came out, use a syringe to force 200mL of oil under the steering rack gaiter where it joins the track rod and then slowly turn the steering fully left and right to distribute the oil; use ordinary engine oil as this is for lubrication only, the steering rack hydraulic system has not been disturbed.
Refit the track rod ends and wheels and test. If it was anything like my own car you’ll be amazed at the difference the driving experience is, all for free.

It might be the fix that you are looking for.

All the best,
Andrew.

[stevemarl]

Andrew beat me to it.....

As far as failing the MOT - not necessarily, they only check condition of steering/suspension from a safety point of view, not alignment. If the brakes are OK it`ll pass on the rollers; any misallignment of suspension etc which is only evident when moving won`t necessarily be picked up.
On the other hand, an MOT may reveal a fault you`ve missed?

edit:

A lot of people refer to their own Capris having a bit of pull anyway, even when all is well (one bloke said his was always that way having owned it from new)

I don`t believe that`s true - if it`s all working they`re perfectly balanced. In 30 years mine has never pulled (to the side that is )

[Andrew 2.8i]

I don`t believe that`s true - if it`s all working they`re perfectly balanced. In 30 years mine has never pulled (to the side that is )

I agree with that. The car should track and brake in a straight line if all is well.
I doubt that the power steering rack imbalance is contributing to the car pulling to the left. I would hazard a guess that there is either an issue with the brakes or the track control arm bush or balljoint. Also, and excuse me for stating the obvious, but have you checked the front wheel alignment and tyre pressures too?

Andrew.

[MS Injection]

Thanks for replies as always

I fkn hate 2.8is.

Lol, I know. Haven't been told to calm down for years

Hi,
The power rack imbalance can be adjusted. Check out this other thread:
viewtopic.php?f=10&t=41409&hilit=power+ ... adjustment

I saw this and was not sure it would be a fix for the car pulling left, as I was not thinking the issue with power steering in that thread would cause it to pull to one side . I believed that if the steering was causing a pull, it was more terminal than just adjusting it. I was not even sure that a power steering rack fault/failure could be responsible for the car pulling. But as everything else is apparently in order, I did the old logic of if that is all that is left, however improbable, it might be the cause.

Also, and excuse me for stating the obvious, but have you checked the front wheel alignment and tyre pressures too?

Not stating the obvious there at all Andrew - I am told that tyre pressure and front wheel alignment are fine

I'll try the rack adjustment anyway, see if it makes any difference.

Thanks,
Mike

[Bug]

If it drifts to one side it can be due to uneven pre-load in the strut top mountings.
With the weight on the wheels and the steering set straight ahead, loosen the top mount centre nuts and then turn the wheel in the opposite direction to the drift. Leave it at an angle and then tighten the top nuts up again.
Take it for a test drive and see what happens.
May take a bit of trial and error to get it right.
Personally I'd try that before doing the rack.

[Terra-Kotta]

Calm down dear. It's only a 2.8

[pbar]

The car should track and brake in a straight line if all is well.
.

Though I don't disagree with that, in a recent Q & A in the Capri club magazine, the expert said something along the lines that it's not unusual for a Capri to pull to one side, even that it may be quite normal. I will have to check get the quote spot on, but it was something like that.

[MS Injection]

Ok. Steering stayed dead on centre when I fired up the engine with the front wheels off the ground. Did not even try to flick to the left. On that basis, it seems the rack is faulty so isn't going to be sorted by any adjustment.

The only known fault is with the rack so will change it and hope for the best. The following has turned up:

Seal leaks in the control valve or off-center steering may route hydraulic pressure into one side.....causing the steering to want to turn itself to one side. This can be checked by raising the wheels with the engine running to see if the wheels turn to one side by themselves. No change (i.e. still pulls) would indicate another cause, but if the pull suddenly vanishes (i.e. stops) an imbalance in the power steering system is to blame. The control valve assembly or steering gear needs to be replaced.

Everything else (including the strut nut issue) has been checked and double checked. I checked along with professional mechanic friend who has worked on, owned and restored everything from P5 Rovers, Capris (restored 6 over the years) and a Jaguar Mk 2 so I'm satisfied that there's nothing else wrong.

That is what seems to be happening - it pulls until it is off the ground and is struggling to turn right suggesting a problem with the rack. It really seems that there are differing views on whether faulty PAS can cause a pull/drift and it's obvious that it could be a complete coincidence, with something else actually to blame.

It might slip through the MoT but as the ticket runs out on Saturday, will just get it done.

[Andrew 2.8i]

Hi,
Good to hear that you are methodically working your way through all the potential causes of the problem.
As you probably know, exchanging the PAS rack is quite a quick and easy job and the difference it makes to the feel of the steering is astounding, especially so if your old rack has been on the car for some years. Good luck for the MOT!
All the best,
Andrew.

[Andrew 2.8i]

Hi,
I've had a quick scan through the recent issues of the CCI magazine and found this question from the December 2013 issue which you might find useful:
"I've owned my Brooklands 280 since it was two years old, and the steering has always pulled slightly to the left which I now (at last) find more annoying than I did. It's certainly not the camber of the road, nor the tyres which have been changed more than once, nor the wheel alignment which has been checked several times over the years at various tyre dealers and not found wrong. The car has never failed it's MOT so I assume there is no steering wear: this assumption is supported by only normal tyre wear. I'm not aware of any accident damage, none in my use, so now I'm at a loss to think of any other cause. The mileage is now 123,000"
Response, note in particular the last paragraph:
"It is a very common Capri trait to pull to one side or the other whilst driving or braking. Bearing in mind that the suspension system was designed during the 1960's when there was no such thing as 7 inch wide and 15 inch diameter wheels on a road going car: Capris do remarkably well in the driveability stakes. This size of wheel and tyre combination accentuates the tendency for the car to react to differing cambers and road surfaces, leading to pulling, wandering, tram lining and juddering. This also leads to exaggerated wear on certain suspension components.
You say that you have owned the car since it was 2 years old, and it had now covered 123,000 miles. It will undoubtedly be ready for some new track control arm bushes. You may well have had these items checked by a garage and given the All Clear, but in my experience it is almost impossible to access the wear on the inner TCA bush with it bolted in place. Ask your garage to unbolt the TCA from the cross member and check it again.
One other cause of a pull to the left can be a fault with the power steering rack. It is not uncommon for a seal to fail internally, giving more assistance to the left than the right. This obviously will cause the steering to try to turn left on it's own, so check this out too"
It looks like it could be possible for the rack to be causing the pulling to one side.

Apologies for the lengthy post, but I hope that it has been of some help to you.

Andrew.

[MS Injection]

Wow, thanks for going to all that effort Andrew. Very much appreciated. Of some relief to know that I hopefully didn't waste my time going to Derby and back today to pick up a rack! It's a little against the clock to get it fitted before tomorrow with work commitments but hope I will manage it.

I can (on present experience) commend Car Parts Direct. The rack was £126+VAT which is a fair bit less than a lot of other places. They were unable to get the delivery out to me in time (hence why I went to collect) because the rack they had in was a Granada rack wrongly marked. So for the inconvenience, they threw in track rod ends, 2 bottles of steering fluid and new wiper blades all round the car for free. Very pleasant people to deal with.

[Andrew 2.8i]

Wow, thanks for going to all that effort Andrew.

No bother, really.
Hopefully the new rack will cure your steering issues and all will be well with the world again!
That is a good price for a new steering rack, and thanks for the recommendation of Car Parts Direct. It's always good to hear of people's experience with different companies.
Hope you can get it sorted and good luck for the MOT.

Andrew.

[nigecapri]

Best of luck with this & I hope the new rack sorts it.
It is possible to have the tracking set at correct toe-in but for them to be mis-aligned. I've been on with this fault for about three years now on my van. Misubishi L300. My old man had a branny one on an 'F' plate a good few years back which pulled hard left, the dealers even had a couple of Jap engineers on it when they visited the country but their solution was to jack the nearside up on the adjustable suspension to get it running straight - he sold it soon afterwards. I had mine on the fancy 4-wheel Laser alignment machine with a big black & white spot board on each wheel, roll back & forwards, let it read, roll again etc. All computerised display with amount of degrees to adjust. The van would still drive up the footpath if you didn't hang onto the wheel. Turns out the offside wheelbase was 1cm longer than the nearside (Setback in tech terms) Their spanner monkey set toe & camber & said job done. I had to figure it out myself & sort it. Hence why I made my own tracking gauge.
If the new rack doesn't cure the fault ( & it's not your track control arms ) then you'll need to accurately measure front to back both sides & compare.
Keep us posted !

[MS Injection]

Hope you can get it sorted and good luck for the MOT

Thanks Andrew, as always!

Best of luck with this & I hope the new rack sorts it

Cheers Nige! I hope that I don't have the same battle as you had with the Mitsub.

Work likely to prevent fitting new rack being fitted before zero hour, and also need to bottom out why she decided to part company with her coolant earlier I've had her on ramps and hoses and rad are fine. Only difference to set up has been replacing rad cap. I put old one back on and since then, cooling system fine.

Decided to take the rack with me and if tester is wavering on the issue, I'll just show him the new one and tell him it will be in the car sameday. And hope he'll use his discretion. Not the end of the world if not, as enquiries reveal they have a re-test slot available sameday and the fee I paid includes re-test.

[Bug]

Wow!
Never remembered it before until I read the last few posts!

Years back I had a mate with a 2.8i with a similar problem.
His turned out to be due to the rear axle not quite being located squarely, hence giving a bit of rear steer.
Have also heard of broken rear springs giving the same effect, but obviously if you have single leaf ones fitted you'd notice it!

[Terra-Kotta]

A fat passenger can also cause this.

Are you big? I do like em big.

[MS Injection]

Started to change the rack at 8am yesterday...

High pressure pipe so corroded it snapped...

Rang everybody I knew that breaks Capris and nobody had one. Even Martin @ Caprigear didn't have one he could sell me as they were in poor condition...

Found a hydraulics and brakes workshop in a back street of Salford that made me a new one whilst I waited for £40 which compared to the cost @ CCI was good I thought...

Got it on the car, arrived at test centre 3 mins late but passed with no advisories so happy days. Tester refused to test brakes on the rolling road because he felt that testing each rear brake individually on the rollers could damage the diff so he drove the car to test them. He would definitely have felt the pull then if it had been there

Oh yes, no longer pulls so steering was the culprit. Case solved.

[Andrew 2.8i]

arrived at test centre 3 mins late but passed with no advisories so happy days.
Oh yes, no longer pulls so steering was the culprit. Case solved.

Hi,
Fantastic news, glad to hear it's all sorted, despite the last minute panic. We've all experienced that before!
Now it's time to hit the road and enjoy the fruits of your labour!

All the best,
Andrew.