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[kcl]

I changed the front shocks, shock top mount rubbers and bearings. All went well, pretty straight forward altogether BUT... Now, when turning the top mounts creak like hell. Rubbery creaking if it makes sense. Took them apart again, re-chekced everything but with no luck. Only thing I can not make sure is the exact torque of shock shaft nut but as it is stated to be 70 Nm (IIRC) I just put it "quite tight" with 24mm spanner.

Where did I go wrong, will the creaking "settle" during time or what?

[Auto Addict]

Try tightening up the steering box mounts, it cured my creaking.

[kcl]

Try tightening up the steering box mounts, it cured my creaking.

Did nip them up as I remembered reading you had some issues which were cured by that. It seems to have stopped the "blind spot" in steering I had but this creaking is for sure from top mounts.

[kcl]

just to add, nipping up the box-to-frame-bolts did not help 

So, in short (as I did post about my problem some months ago) I do have a "stiff" spot in steering, only when cold (so heat is somehow affecting something) and only to left. Can feel very tight spot when I start to turn from straight to left. After this stiff point it moves ok and coming back to straight or turning to right is no problems.

Items checked and changed are: both wishbones, shocks with new top mounts and bearings. No play whatsoever in idler, nor in any of the ball joints.

What this could be?! What component(s?) could be affected by heat as this only occurs when cold (making also the fault difficult to find)?

All ideas are welcome and I really hope to have this solved.

[kcl]

Ok, the creaking was cured by putting in the original top mounts, the ebay shite I bought was really worth nothing  Can not tell what was wrong with them, every measure was equal to originals, I suspect material and/or its hardness to be the fault.

Steering still has the blind spot. Only thing left is to slightly loosen the adjustment on the box and see if it makes any difference. I only wonder why it only is stiff when cold? ATF is red as it should be and was more or less changed a year ago. And if it was ATF it would restrict it to both ways?

[feeutfo]

Re stiff spot, I wonder if disconnecting the track rods from hub(as thats easiest ball joint to remove, just remove the top nut and tap/knock through with a hammer) would help isolate the steering box as the fault? Is the stiff spot there with wheels off the floor?

[kcl]

Re stiff spot, I wonder if disconnecting the track rods from hub(as thats easiest ball joint to remove, just remove the top nut and tap/knock through with a hammer) would help isolate the steering box as the fault? Is the stiff spot there with wheels off the floor?

Stiff spot only when wheels are on the floor. And only when cold. Wheels up and it all seems ok so this would point it is NOT the box? And once driven a few kilometers/engine warm I'd say steering is normal. But then what can it be? Lower ball joints are ok, left track rod was renewed last weekend as outer ball joint had play, right hand side is ok. Idler has no play (at least can not feel or see it). Tried even another set of tyres without luck.

Could it be brakes? Pads are ok and nothing is loose (have now disassembled and assembled struts three times re earlier creaking and nothing obvious with brakes).

[feeutfo]

Dunno. odd one, although if I had to guess I'd say that the only temp related aspect would be the hydrolics. The fluid does get hot if the pas is worked hard enough.

[a2reed]

AllGermanparts do top mounts OEM (Boge/ Lemforder) for around £40 per side including bearing .... Jason there tells me they are about to launch a new website with more Omega OEM stuff and are well aware of this forum and very helpful

[kcl]

Having checked everything once again and having thought of possibilities I think only hydraulics are left as a option for this problem. I checked the fluid and it was BROWN. And smelled as very used ATF usually smells, burnt. Had only one litre in garage so had to syringe all I could from reservoir and refill--> did this a few times in a row having engine on for a few minutes in between. This seems to have made some kind of an improvement, still stiff when cold to left but not that heavy and not that clearly any blind spot.

Two more things that I wonder. What may have cooked the ATF? Only 198 000 km on the clock. Never ever have had any issues with any PAS fluid in any car and some of these cars have had half a million on the clock. Second one is: if PAS fluid is the reason why and how it's stiff only to left? No matter if wheels are straight or turned totally to right, whenever left-turn starts the stiff spot is there? If the fluid was bad it would be stiff to both ways and throughout the steering range? If the box was faulty (worn worm shaft or balls) this would be only in certain position; now it is always when starting to turn left. If the pump was faulty it would be stiff allover the range?

[05omegav6]

Hydraulic fluids, and oil for that matter, work better when warm because they thin slightly and therefore flow better

The stiff spot is only one way because it is mechanically easier for the box to work one way than the other. I shall try to explain...

The mechanics of the steering box work with gravity when turning one way but against it the other way. The more the box wears over time, the more noticable this shall become the reason that there is no stiff spot with the wheels off the ground is simply because there is very little load on the steering components

[kcl]

Hydraulic fluids, and oil for that matter, work better when warm because they thin slightly and therefore flow better

The stiff spot is only one way because it is mechanically easier for the box to work one way than the other. I shall try to explain...

The mechanics of the steering box work with gravity when turning one way but against it the other way. The more the box wears over time, the more noticable this shall become the reason that there is no stiff spot with the wheels off the ground is simply because there is very little load on the steering components

Ok, so based on this it would be the box that is worn and should be replaced?

[05omegav6]

Possibly, but wait and see what Chris has to add iirc he had a similar issue that was eventually solved by changing the steering box I think that your symptoms are perhaps alot milder than his were though

[feeutfo]

Kcl, your description sounds very similar to mine. Although to be clear on a minor point, possibly due to language, when you say a stiff "spot" do you mean a small section of the steering movement turning left is stiff, and all other areas are fine, for example;
<................................[stiff]..../\.........................................>

Or turning left is stiff through the whole range as mine was ;

<[stiffer][-----------stiff---------]/\..........................................> 
on mine also add maybe 20% stiffer movement (loss of assistance) across the whole range on both sides

As you say, failing pas pump would give loss of assistance across the whole range at low rpm, or To put another way, less assistance the lower the rpm gets.
A difference accross the range from one side to the other, if there's no problem with a stiff ball joint or similar, can only be the steering box I would think...? No...?

Once again though, I don't know for sure. There is a danger that you could change the box on my say so and it be no different, but if i had to guess, if it was my car, i would change the steering box.
I suppose the only way to know for sure is to change the box, for a known good one if possible.

As for mileage, I purchased my car with 65,000 miles on the clock. The steering was stiff when I got it, and I don't think it changed much by the time I replaced it at 90,000 ish.
I then changed the box from a car I have here with 120,000 miles on the clock, it had perfectly smooth steering.

So mileage doesn't seem to be a deciding factor. Although the car did have a higher ride height, with longer springs fitted when I got it. I wonder if this was deliberate as part of a rough road package or something, and the steering took a battering as a result of driving over rough ground...maybe? who knows.

[feeutfo]

Although if changing some of the pas fluid helps, it may be worth changing it all...?

It is fiddly but the return pipe from the pas reservoir can be removed, then with the engine running and an assistant to turn the steering wheel through its range, the pas pump will pump the fluid out through the return pipe, and be cought in another container, while you fill ther resevoir with new dex2 pas fluid at the same time, untill it runs clear.

You may need to fit another piece of pipe into the return pipe to pump the fluid out, as the return pipe is not long enough iirc.

I would expect the issue to return though if it's the box.


I don't know enough about the steering box to say for sure though. Sorry.