Steering Question

Hi All,

Yes, it has been ages. I've been lurking here a bit. My life has been a soap opera. The highlights include - 1) my sister-in-law's cancer, surgery, and now chemotherapy treatments, and 2) another designer passing off photos of my designs as his own work on the Internet. I'm about to rattle those cages. If imitation is flattery, then what is stealing? Just pathetic. (I mean - what if someone stole your e30, slapped on a couple Mercedes stickers, and drove it around town casually? Would you not say "Vacate my driver's seat immediately and remove the ridiculous stickers! You are a nut case!") But this has nothing to do with Beemie's steering issue which appeared about 3 days ago.

After turning the steering wheel and driving around a corner, the driver can release their grip on the steering wheel and the wheel should naturally spin around and return its "home" position with the car traveling straight forward. You have probably done this oodles of times.

Well, when I release my grip on the wheel after turning the corner, the wheel is reluctant to return to the home position. Often I must turn it around myself. To me, this seems like only a minor annoyance. But I know so little about steering systems, could this be a sign of something much worse?

Thoughts anyone?

Cheers, Kelly :-)

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Kelly
Hi All,

Yes, it has been ages. I've been lurking here a bit. My life has been a soap opera. The highlights include - 1) my sister-in-law's cancer, surgery, and now chemotherapy treatments, and 2) another designer passing off photos of my designs as his own work on the Internet. I'm about to rattle those cages. If imitation is flattery, then what is stealing? Just pathetic. (I mean - what if someone stole your e30, slapped on a couple Mercedes stickers, and drove it around town casually? Would you not say "Vacate my driver's seat immediately and remove the ridiculous stickers! You are a nut case!") But this has nothing to do with Beemie's steering issue which appeared about 3 days ago.

After turning the steering wheel and driving around a corner, the driver can release their grip on the steering wheel and the wheel should naturally spin around and return its "home" position with the car traveling straight forward. You have probably done this oodles of times.

Well, when I release my grip on the wheel after turning the corner, the wheel is reluctant to return to the home position. Often I must turn it around myself. To me, this seems like only a minor annoyance. But I know so little about steering systems, could this be a sign of something much worse?

Thoughts anyone?

Cheers, Kelly :-)

Hi Kelly,

Life is just one more adventure after another. Sorry to hear of your sister-in-law's episode with cancer. Hopefully she will respond to the treatments and return to good health.

Nail the thieving bastard who has stolen your IP! Get a good lawyer and make him pay, pay, pay

Beemie sounds like she is in need of some professional diagnostics and quickly. It sounds like the steering rack has worn to the point of being potentially dangerous. Any car with proper steering and suspension parts should naturally return to the straight ahead situation if left to itself. This is partly because of the caster, camber and kin pin angle or the geometry of the steering system.
When it becomes manually required to return the steering to center, it is because something is binding and the first place to look is the rack.

The other likely place to look; if the rack is good; is at the pivot point on the lower strut(s). This is roughly the equivalent of the old king pin.

Your mechanic should be able to check these two items out and diagnose the problem easily. Whatever you do, get it looked at quickly.

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Archeo-peteriX

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Kelly
Hi All,

Yes, it has been ages. I've been lurking here a bit. My life has been a soap opera. The highlights include - 1) my sister-in-law's cancer, surgery, and now chemotherapy treatments, and 2) another designer passing off photos of my designs as his own work on the Internet. I'm about to rattle those cages. If imitation is flattery, then what is stealing? Just pathetic. (I mean - what if someone stole your e30, slapped on a couple Mercedes stickers, and drove it around town casually? Would you not say "Vacate my driver's seat immediately and remove the ridiculous stickers! You are a nut case!") But this has nothing to do with Beemie's steering issue which appeared about 3 days ago.

After turning the steering wheel and driving around a corner, the driver can release their grip on the steering wheel and the wheel should naturally spin around and return its "home" position with the car traveling straight forward. You have probably done this oodles of times.

Well, when I release my grip on the wheel after turning the corner, the wheel is reluctant to return to the home position. Often I must turn it around myself. To me, this seems like only a minor annoyance. But I know so little about steering systems, could this be a sign of something much worse?

Thoughts anyone?

Cheers, Kelly :-)

Hi Kelly,

Life is just one more adventure after another. Sorry to hear of your sister-in-law's episode with cancer. Hopefully she will respond to the treatments and return to good health.

Nail the thieving bastard who has stolen your IP! Get a good lawyer and make him pay, pay, pay

Beemie sounds like she is in need of some professional diagnostics and quickly. It sounds like the steering rack has worn to the point of being potentially dangerous. Any car with proper steering and suspension parts should naturally return to the straight ahead situation if left to itself. This is partly because of the caster, camber and kin pin angle or the geometry of the steering system.
When it becomes manually required to return the steering to center, it is because something is binding and the first place to look is the rack.

The other likely place to look; if the rack is good; is at the pivot point on the lower strut(s). This is roughly the equivalent of the old king pin.

Your mechanic should be able to check these two items out and diagnose the problem easily. Whatever you do, get it looked at quickly.

I agree, there is probably something (ball joint or top strut bearing) getting tight.

Sorry to hear about the sister in law Kelly. My wife is coming home from your neck of the woods after a month and a half of dealing with a sick friend. I hope I have someone to hold my hand when I check out...

Peace

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rkj

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Archeo-peteriX

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Kelly
Hi All,

Yes, it has been ages. I've been lurking here a bit. My life has been a soap opera. The highlights include - 1) my sister-in-law's cancer, surgery, and now chemotherapy treatments, and 2) another designer passing off photos of my designs as his own work on the Internet. I'm about to rattle those cages. If imitation is flattery, then what is stealing? Just pathetic. (I mean - what if someone stole your e30, slapped on a couple Mercedes stickers, and drove it around town casually? Would you not say "Vacate my driver's seat immediately and remove the ridiculous stickers! You are a nut case!") But this has nothing to do with Beemie's steering issue which appeared about 3 days ago.

After turning the steering wheel and driving around a corner, the driver can release their grip on the steering wheel and the wheel should naturally spin around and return its "home" position with the car traveling straight forward. You have probably done this oodles of times.

Well, when I release my grip on the wheel after turning the corner, the wheel is reluctant to return to the home position. Often I must turn it around myself. To me, this seems like only a minor annoyance. But I know so little about steering systems, could this be a sign of something much worse?

Thoughts anyone?

Cheers, Kelly :-)

Hi Kelly,

Life is just one more adventure after another. Sorry to hear of your sister-in-law's episode with cancer. Hopefully she will respond to the treatments and return to good health.

Nail the thieving bastard who has stolen your IP! Get a good lawyer and make him pay, pay, pay

Beemie sounds like she is in need of some professional diagnostics and quickly. It sounds like the steering rack has worn to the point of being potentially dangerous. Any car with proper steering and suspension parts should naturally return to the straight ahead situation if left to itself. This is partly because of the caster, camber and kin pin angle or the geometry of the steering system.
When it becomes manually required to return the steering to center, it is because something is binding and the first place to look is the rack.

The other likely place to look; if the rack is good; is at the pivot point on the lower strut(s). This is roughly the equivalent of the old king pin.

Your mechanic should be able to check these two items out and diagnose the problem easily. Whatever you do, get it looked at quickly.

I agree, there is probably something (ball joint or top strut bearing) getting tight.

Sorry to hear about the sister in law Kelly. My wife is coming home from your neck of the woods after a month and a half of dealing with a sick friend. I hope I have someone to hold my hand when I check out...

Peace

Hi P and R,

Thanks for your advice. Well, I'll drive to the mechs tomorrow morning. I really hope Beemie will be ok for a couple more days. I'd hade to roll off a hill. Egad.

Thanks, Kelly

Hi P and R,

Thanks for your advice. Well, I'll drive to the mechs tomorrow morning. I really hope Beemie will be ok for a couple more days. I'd hade to roll off a hill. Egad.

Thanks, Kelly[/quote]

Roll off a hill

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Kelly


Hi P and R,

Thanks for your advice. Well, I'll drive to the mechs tomorrow morning. I really hope Beemie will be ok for a couple more days. I'd hate to roll off a hill. Egad.

Thanks, Kelly

Hi P and R,

I swung by the mechs this am. The mech said the car is safe to drive for the present. He thought the rack may be moderately worn. We took a little test drive. He said that the steering is not returning on the left as well as the right. I'm traveling back to Wash DC for 3 weeks. My car will be sitting unused. When I return, I will take Beemie back to the mech for a full assessment.

Thanks for your help, Kelly :-)

Yes, have the upper strut bearings checked out.

Bob in Everett