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Steering Problem

C

chrisjcoe

New member
It's about time I sort out the biggest problem on my car, the steering!

The car goes where pointed, and turning right is fine either when rolling or accelerating. When rolling while turning left, fine again. However, when turning left, even slightly, while accelerating, there is an audible rattle and vibration through the steering wheel. From the drivers seat it seems to come from behind the steering wheel.

I mentioned the problem during a recent check at the Porsche centre and they noted that the steering wheel upper bearing was worn, the off side front wheel had play up and down (worn strut/wheel bearing), perished front shock bump stops, off side front bottom arm bush at rear perished, and rear shock bushes at bottom perishing.

Would any of this give me the steering symptoms mentioned? The car has previously been up on a ramp for a quick suspension check in regard to the noise and the mechanic said it was ok, so I've been worrying for months that I need a new steering rack!

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 
Yes, possibly. Steering geometry (and brake geometry) is hugely complex, and for any kind of diagnosis of faults you need to start by replacing anything that is worn. Sorry, that's not what you wanted to hear. But replacing worn parts is the first place to start. Oli.
 
Sorry, that's not what you wanted to hear. But replacing worn parts is the first place to start
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Lol, it does mean a bit of work is needed! I am going to be replacing what I can, hoping to manage it using axle stands as I don't have access to a ramp. So really you think I won't be able to tell if the noise is from the steering rack until all the bushes are renewed. It gives me something to work on anyway.
 
I've got the same on my car and it appears that there is a top steering column bush/bearing that causes it. I,m going to take a look one evening this week, so will let you know what I find. Jeff
 
Thanks Jeff. The car has been in for fuel lines this week, and my old Enfield took up the weekend, so I've not progressed this. I think you are right though, that it's a steering column bearing. I had a half-hearted search for the needed part Friday but hope to have a quiet spell at work to hunt properly this week. I did find the workshop manual and it seems to give some good detail about refitting
 
Had a chat with one of my local OPC's this afternoon and there is a needle bearing at the bottom of the column and a bush and collar at the top. Needle bearing is about £40.00 all in from Porsche whereas the bush and collar are about £8.00. I'm hoping that it's just the bush and collar, but deep down I know it's more likely to be the needle bearing [8|][8|] It looks to be a real pain of a job - what with the shear bolts. Anyone else done this and got any tips?? Sorry Chris - I do believe I am guilty of thread hijack [:)][:)]
 
When I did the bulkhead needle bearing last year it was closer to £90 from OPC - perhaps it's come down recently or is cheaper on the early '44s I tried the hammer and chisel, then impact driver on the first attempt at the shear bolts. Next I went in with a dremel and managed to cut a slot in each of the shear bolts, then used a screwdriver bit in a ratchet to undo them, the ratchet giving the torque to untighten. Replaced with standard bolts on reassembly. The rest of it is fairly straight forward providing you can contort yourself into the footwell as required! Oh, the steering shaft UJ on the engine side of the bulkhead can be a bit of a pig to undo. Lots of WD40 and hammer and chisel eventually worked. 944 Blogspot (or similar) has a good write up of this job. The needle bearing itself was very visibly worn on mine and the steering wheel would move from side to side so it's worth checking for the obvious. Other culprits could be steering shaft UJ or the strut mounts or indeed any of the mentioned worn bushes! If you think it's something in the column undo the top steering UJ and if it is a column issue the rattle and vibration should still be evident. Good luck
 
OK, I haven't experienced it to know, but there used to be a common problem mentioned with 944s of vibration through the steering column due to collapsed engine mounts... turning left would shift the engine towards the steering column... I can't remember what the simple check is - something about whether you can get to the screw that holds the distributor cap on past the light lifting bar... or alternatively of course check the length of the engine mounts like the books says you should! Regards, Tref.
 
ORIGINAL: tref OK, I haven't experienced it to know, but there used to be a common problem mentioned with 944s of vibration through the steering column due to collapsed engine mounts... turning left would shift the engine towards the steering column... I can't remember what the simple check is - something about whether you can get to the screw that holds the distributor cap on past the light lifting bar... or alternatively of course check the length of the engine mounts like the books says you should! Regards, Tref.
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Yup. Failed / failing engine mount causes the exhaust manifold to rattle / vibrate against the steering column. Most noticeable when accelerating with some left hand lock on. Took me ages to track down on my one.
 
I had a front wheel bearing on my turbo that gave me some vibrations - felt through whole car, not really the steering column. They were intermittent and seemed to happen with slight steering input at speed. It took ages to track down as we thought initially it was a rear bearing (those were eliminated after spending ££ changing them). My S2 has a worn top joint on the steering column. There is some play in the joint, but very little evident at the wheel. It clunks at low speeds when coming off a large amount of lock. It's on the list for replacement.
 
So the likely culprits will be either the steering joint/bearing or the engine mounts. Is it possible for a trained eye or ear to determine which is likely based on a test drive? Or is it a case of visual engine mount inspection and/or stripping the steering back to inspect the bearing? [link=http://www.clarks-garage.com/pdf-manual/eng-12.pdf]clarks-garage engine mount change[/link] shows engine mount replacement, haven't found anything on clarks for steering. [link=http://www.9ss1.dk/porsche944/garage/manuals/vol3.pdf]Workshop manual[/link] shows the removal of the steering wheel (section 48, page 172) and has a breakdown of where the needle bearing is.
 
Car flew through the MOT today, even though I did half the service on it during the week. They had time to investigate the noise and Tref was exactly right, it's a failed engine mount. The guy was in a bit of a panic about fixing it though, so I'm sending him the Clarks link so he can price it up for me. I'd love to try it myself at home, but lack of space and uncertainty over what I'd be doing makes me a little hesitant.
 
Engine mount is easy to change in theory. But the problem lies with the fact that it is a total nightmare to get at it. You need to use an engine bar and a trolly jack and a load of swearing to do it. I would quite happily pay some one to do it for me,and Ive done it a couple of times now.
 
ORIGINAL: chrisjcoe Car flew through the MOT today, even though I did half the service on it during the week. They had time to investigate the noise and Tref was exactly right, it's a failed engine mount. The guy was in a bit of a panic about fixing it though, so I'm sending him the Clarks link so he can price it up for me. I'd love to try it myself at home, but lack of space and uncertainty over what I'd be doing makes me a little hesitant.
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There was a clear step by step article about 944 engine mount replacement in 911 and Porsche World a few months ago. Might be worth looking for a copy. Mick
 
Despite sending the clarks garage guide, the garage seems reluctant to quote for the job, being wary of working on "old cars" with bolts that sheer off, etc. I almost pointed out that I'd actually be paying for the work, rather than having it done as a favour! If I don't hear back today, I'm just going to pick it up. Does anyone know of any garage (except the expensive Porsche dealer) who would at least quote for this job? I live in Colchester, but can do Essex or Suffolk.
 
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