what could be wrong with steering?

[macafee2]

my son has hit the kerb with nearside front wheel. Now he is saying to go straight he has to hold the steering wheel 15 to 20 degrees to the left. if he lets steering wheel go it goes 25-35 degrees to the right

what has he damaged?

macafee2

[slovcan]

Originally Posted by macafee2

my son has hit the kerb with nearside front wheel. Now he is saying to go straight he has to hold the steering wheel 15 to 20 degrees to the left. if he lets steering wheel go it goes 25-35 degrees to the right

what has he damaged?

macafee2

My first thought would be a bent tie rod creating excessive toe-in or toe-out. If nearside means left then a bent lower control arm would give opposite reactions to what you described.

[macafee2]

I will have to get under the car. I should have said it's a Rover 25. Parts look quite cheap. Hopefully not to difficult to change.

I may be back over the weekend for more advice but thank you slovcan.

macafee2

[slovcan]

Originally Posted by macafee2

I will have to get under the car. I should have said it's a Rover 25. Parts look quite cheap. Hopefully not to difficult to change.

I may be back over the weekend for more advice but thank you slovcan.

macafee2

You're welcome. When you get under the car spray all the suspension/steering nuts and bolts with a good penetrating oil and give them all a whack with a hammer (don't damage the threads). I find WD-40 to be pretty weak. I think the best is a homebrew of 50/50 ATF/acetone.

Cheers,
Glenn

[macafee2]

Glenn,
I have had a look and can not tell if anything is bent. If tie rod bent, can it be adjusted to straighten the steering out or shall I just replace tie rod and lower arm. yes we are talking left side / near side (UK)


macafee2

[slovcan]

Originally Posted by macafee2

Glenn,
I have had a look and can not tell if anything is bent. If tie rod bent, can it be adjusted to straighten the steering out or shall I just replace tie rod and lower arm. yes we are talking left side / near side (UK)


macafee2

OK, it's time to get out the tape measure and carpenter's level (24") for some basic measurements. Park on level, flat ground with the wheels straight and set the level vertically against each front tire to see if they are equal for camber. They should be nearly perfectly vertical and also the same as each other. That's the wishbone checked. If it was bent, one side would not be as vertical as the other. That cannot be adjusted out.

Now, for the toe, you need a helper. Have him/her hold the tape the tape measure in a specific spot on the tire tread (hooked in a centre groove, for example). On the race car I would bungee strap a straight edge horizontally across the tires to have an exact edge at each tire to measure from. Now, measure across the back of the tire from one side to the other as high up as possible without the tape measure fouling on chassis or exhaust under the car to the same spot on the opposite tire and mark down the number. Then do the same at the same height on the tires at the front of the tires. The difference in these two numbers is your toe-in or toe-out at the front of the tires.

I don't know what the toe spec is but, if your result is not more than 3/8" or 1/2" then you may be able to adjust that out. That will be the bent tie rod, but maybe just not enough to eyeball. Then you will need a proper wheel alignment. This is just a get you going again solution.

Cheers,
Glenn

[macafee2]

Originally Posted by slovcan

OK, it's time to get out the tape measure and carpenter's level (24") for some basic measurements. Park on level, flat ground with the wheels straight and set the level vertically against each front tire to see if they are equal for camber. They should be nearly perfectly vertical and also the same as each other. That's the wishbone checked. If it was bent, one side would not be as vertical as the other. That cannot be adjusted out.

Now, for the toe, you need a helper. Have him/her hold the tape the tape measure in a specific spot on the tire tread (hooked in a centre groove, for example). On the race car I would bungee strap a straight edge horizontally across the tires to have an exact edge at each tire to measure from. Now, measure across the back of the tire from one side to the other as high up as possible without the tape measure fouling on chassis or exhaust under the car to the same spot on the opposite tire and mark down the number. Then do the same at the same height on the tires at the front of the tires. The difference in these two numbers is your toe-in or toe-out at the front of the tires.

I don't know what the toe spec is but, if your result is not more than 3/8" or 1/2" then you may be able to adjust that out. That will be the bent tie rod, but maybe just not enough to eyeball. Then you will need a proper wheel alignment. This is just a get you going again solution.

Cheers,
Glenn

Glenn,
great explanation how to check, thank you. I'll go and do it. Just been spending some time loosening bolts in preparation of changing both


thanks again

macafee2

[macafee2]

Originally Posted by slovcan

OK, it's time to get out the tape measure and carpenter's level (24") for some basic measurements. Park on level, flat ground with the wheels straight and set the level vertically against each front tire to see if they are equal for camber. They should be nearly perfectly vertical and also the same as each other. That's the wishbone checked. If it was bent, one side would not be as vertical as the other. That cannot be adjusted out.

Now, for the toe, you need a helper. Have him/her hold the tape the tape measure in a specific spot on the tire tread (hooked in a centre groove, for example). On the race car I would bungee strap a straight edge horizontally across the tires to have an exact edge at each tire to measure from. Now, measure across the back of the tire from one side to the other as high up as possible without the tape measure fouling on chassis or exhaust under the car to the same spot on the opposite tire and mark down the number. Then do the same at the same height on the tires at the front of the tires. The difference in these two numbers is your toe-in or toe-out at the front of the tires.

I don't know what the toe spec is but, if your result is not more than 3/8" or 1/2" then you may be able to adjust that out. That will be the bent tie rod, but maybe just not enough to eyeball. Then you will need a proper wheel alignment. This is just a get you going again solution.

Cheers,
Glenn

Glenn, it looks like an arm is bent. I'll guess the left side as this is the wheel that hit the kerb. With this in mind I don't think the track rod can be checked as top and bottom of wheels will be different distances apart.

I'll do the arm first then check tie rod.

does that seem reasonable ?

macafee2

[slovcan]

Originally Posted by macafee2

Glenn, it looks like an arm is bent. I'll guess the left side as this is the wheel that hit the kerb. With this in mind I don't think the track rod can be checked as top and bottom of wheels will be different distances apart.

I'll do the arm first then check tie rod.

does that seem reasonable ?

macafee2

Yes, that does seem reasonable. BTW, not sure about terminology on your side of the pond, but here a track rod and a tie rod are two entirely different things. I don't know if the 75 uses track rods. Track rods can also be called tension rods depending on the manufacturer. We are speaking about tie rods.

Cheers,
Glenn

[macafee2]

Originally Posted by slovcan

Yes, that does seem reasonable. BTW, not sure about terminology on your side of the pond, but here a track rod and a tie rod are two entirely different things. I don't know if the 75 uses track rods. Track rods can also be called tension rods depending on the manufacturer. We are speaking about tie rods.

Cheers,
Glenn

cheers Glenn. The rod that does the steering.

I expect this to be ok
https://rimmerbros.com/Item--i-QJB10...RoCu9sQAvD_BwE

but this too could be bent

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-BIRTH...sAAOSwqVBZaQr9

macafee2