STEERING PROBLEM.

gup160 · Post by **gup160** » Mon Feb 13, 2012 11:05 pm

4thgenphil wrote:check your tyres, i had a funny one in the pug, its was the most terrified i have been driving! sounds like a similar problem to yours!

funny 1 in the pug? im lost,lol. also what im i ment to be checking on the tyres? uneven were?

gup160 · Post by **gup160** » Mon Feb 13, 2012 11:06 pm

Gayno wrote:When you turn the ignition on, you should see an orange light on the dash saying 4WS. When you start the engine this should then go out.

If you don't see it at all, then someone has removed the bulb in the dash to hide a fault.

When the 4WS is inoperable, the rear wheels are held in the straight ahead position by a big spring and nothing more, meaning the rear wheels can steer either way without notice.

thanks for that ill post further info tomo

gup160 · Post by **gup160** » Mon Feb 13, 2012 11:11 pm

[

NafemanNathan wrote:Well if it feels like the back end is going then it could definitely be the 4WS at fault. I've never dabbled with 4WS (Never had it) but over a certain speed the steering changes from turning in opposite directions (to allow you to turn tighter) to turning in the same direction (parallel, so you essentially drift sideways). I'm not sure, so hopefully one of the 4WS experienced members will say, but maybe it's possible for it to loose control if faulty and allow the rear wheels to run free

Alternatively, tomorrow when it's light, get down under your car and check all the suspension arms... Make sure they're all in good order. Give everything a god wobble.

im thinking that its the 4ws aswell due to the back end kicking, but not sure if that wud contribuate to the car pulling really tight to right wen i vent it?

Post by **NafemanNathan** » Mon Feb 13, 2012 11:17 pm

gup160 wrote:but not sure if that wud contribuate to the car pulling really tight to right wen i vent it?

As Gayno said though, if the 4WS is faulty then the only thing keeping the rear wheels straight is a big spring. So if you then turn at a reasonable speed that spring is going to give and next thing you know your wheels are going to be turning the "opposite" direction making you turn a whole lot sharper than you had intended.

gup160 · Post by **gup160** » Mon Feb 13, 2012 11:22 pm

NafemanNathan wrote:
gup160 wrote:but not sure if that wud contribuate to the car pulling really tight to right wen i vent it?
As Gayno said though, if the 4WS is faulty then the only thing keeping the rear wheels straight is a big spring. So if you then turn at a reasonable speed that spring is going to give and next thing you know your wheels are going to be turning the "opposite" direction making you turn a whole lot sharper than you had intended.

ye that makes sense, ill try the suggested things out tomo. an report bc, iv search everywere on the net an theres no other info relating to my problem, so must not be commen, unless the search terms im putting into google are not relating to my problem.

Post by **Ammo** » Mon Feb 13, 2012 11:26 pm

Just out of interest what size wheels are you running and what width/profile tyres?

Do you drive on roads that have a lot of Lorries on them? (Motorways, Dual carriage ways, that have indents where the lorries have sunk the road)

gup160 · Post by **gup160** » Mon Feb 13, 2012 11:33 pm

Ammo wrote:Just out of interest what size wheels are you running and what width/profile tyres?

Do you drive on roads that have a lot of Lorries on them? (Motorways, Dual carriage ways, that have indents where the lorries have sunk the road)

there 225, 45 17" original prelude 1ns i think. i live in alyth perthshire scotland, an the roads about my town arnt great atall, wen driving down a certain part were the road is really uneven, an the car is all over the place. but doesnt do it all the time?

KeithB · Post by **KeithB** » Tue Feb 14, 2012 3:47 am

Have no experience of 4ws but sounds similar to when I changed my cracked adjustable top mounts on the fto.
The caster was well out and it drove like a chopper till all set up again.

Rocky · Post by **Rocky** » Tue Feb 14, 2012 9:56 am

Ammo wrote:Just out of interest what size wheels are you running and what width/profile tyres?

Do you drive on roads that have a lot of Lorries on them? (Motorways, Dual carriage ways, that have indents where the lorries have sunk the road)

I was thinking this.

It could be just tramlining.

Wikipedia wrote:From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Tramline" redirects here. For the rail-borne mode of transport, see Tramway (industrial).
Rain grooved road that can cause tramlining

Tramlining is the tendency of a vehicle's wheels to follow the contours in the surface upon which it runs. The term comes from the tendency of a car's wheels to follow the normally recessed rails of street trams, without driver input in the same way that the train does. The same effect is sometimes called Nibbling.

Tramlining can usually be blamed on tyres, and its incidence depends greatly on the model of tyre and its state of wear. Although not normally dangerous, at very high speeds it can become a source of instability.

Vehicles with large and wide low profile tyres are more prone to the effects as well as vehicles which have wheels fitted that are larger than the manufacturers recommendation or have reinforced sidewalls. People who are relatively inexperienced with driving with this tendency will feel that they have to make continual course corrections and it is very easy to overcompensate the steering, which could potentially lead to veering off the road especially if the road is a narrow track/country road.

The effects of tramlining can be eased by subjecting the vehicle to an inspection and calibration of the wheels (i.e. a full geometry check) or replacing the tyres with non-reinforced (soft sidewall) tyres.

Post by **Donald** » Tue Feb 14, 2012 10:28 am

As above, I noticed that a lot more after lowering, although I'm not sure that's entirely related. I also had a broken drop link that gave a similar feeling sometimes, especially on shitty roads.