Mikey UC Posted March 5, 2003 Share Posted March 5, 2003 I’m having a problem with the steering. With the car stationary, if I ‘waggle’ the wheel slightly I get a very slight clunk from the steering rack either side of the straight ahead position. However if I turn the wheel say half a turn left or right and then waggle the wheel I don’t get the clonking noise. I mentioned this at the Oxford meeting last night and someone else had the same ‘clonk’ with their rack. On the road the steering seems a bit vague in the straight ahead position but firms up on tight bends (once past the ‘clonk’) I’ve checked the pinch bolt at the top of the column, the bushes under the dash and adjusted the grub screw in the top of the rack. Is there anything else worth checking on the rack before I buy a new one? Thanks for any help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter T Posted March 5, 2003 Share Posted March 5, 2003 Have you checked the lower uj, this sometimes wears causing the clonk. Are you sure that it is the steering rack and not any other suspention component, like a ball joint. If i was you i would disconect the rack from any components to assertain whether it is at fault. Power Freak member! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philwaters Posted March 5, 2003 Share Posted March 5, 2003 Hi Mikey, Sounds like the rack needs tightening. They wear and get a little bit of play in from time to time. I assume you have a new Caterham branded rack.... Undo the big locknut on top of the rack (36mm spanner) and then adjust the play out with an allen key. Hold the allen key still while you tighten the lock nut. Otherwise, check you track rod ends for any play and see if your steering column bushes are worn by rocking the wheel up and down/side to side. This can clonk as tension builds up and then releases.. hard to explain... I'm in Reading - Lower Early - you should pop down to the Hartney Whitley meeting next week... Phil Waters You mean you can drive these? I thought it was just there to polish 😬 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevSull Too Posted March 5, 2003 Share Posted March 5, 2003 Phil, was round at Steve's last nigh and he mentioned that you lived in Lower Earley, well bugger me, so do I... 😬You laugh at me because I'm different, I laugh at you because you're all the same. 😬 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevefoster Posted March 5, 2003 Share Posted March 5, 2003 Near Lower Early or drive in that way... The rack can also need lubing. I had track rod end slop (up and down when you waggled it as the scrutineers do from time to time, on the side farthest away from the tensioner... You can get it to take some grease down the big tensioner plug hole but most just goes to the left rod end (looking at the car from the front). To load up the right hand side of the rack I put the gaitor on the track rod end and sealed it with a tiewrap. Loaded the gaitor with grease then popped it over the rack end, tiewrapped it securely and gently moved the steering back and forth to the sound of slurping grease holding the gaitor all the time to support / seal it. Rack full of grease, slight slop eliminated! I do not think these racks are properly greased / serviced most of the time. My racing pics, 7 DIY, race prep. Updated often here Photo's of the year here Hants (North) and Berkshire Area club site here Edited by - stevefoster on 5 Mar 2003 14:49:51 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjwb Posted March 5, 2003 Share Posted March 5, 2003 I posted this a while ago. You may find it useful - especially the last sentence. If I remember correctly the damper button should have 0.002 / 0.004 endfloat. This needs to be measured along the complete used length of the rack in order to avoid preload (binding). The damper spring will keep the contact of the pinion and rack only to alieviate rack knock (not really relevant to a Seven. The bottom line, as correctly mention previously, is to avoid binding. By the way, one of the best rack lubricants is EP140 - yes 140, at about a 1/4 of a pint. Grease is a complete waste of time. Steve B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Perry Posted March 5, 2003 Share Posted March 5, 2003 I had loads of trouble with mine binding and going slack (an early one) and dumped the tensioning spring (bent spring washer would be a better word) for a proper spring that is very powerful and pushes down on the Damper button/slipper (call it what you will). As a result of this it now has more travel/endfloat than standard, and hence it won't bottom out and bind. This solved the 'feel' problem. However I wasn't happy with the geometry on mine, as the rack even after this mod still had 2.5mm of fore and aft movement on the drivers side due to its design.I figured that this wasn't doing the steering geometry angles any good on that side. I have just cured this by having a proper phospher bronze slipper made at great expense that is .5 mm larger in diameter so that it doesn't move about in its mounting hole and has longer legs that straddle the bars of the rack more and hence again reduce fore and aft movement. Rack now seems to finally work properly. A look in the archives will show that people have been complaining about the feel of some of the racks for some time Edited by - Graham Perry on 5 Mar 2003 17:54:12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F355GTS Posted March 5, 2003 Share Posted March 5, 2003 Phil, Kev I reckon we should do the decent thing and meet Mikey at the Red Lion in Mortimer West End, stand around listening to the clunk with sharp intakes of breath and longer intakes of a fine selection of Ales 😬 btw we might even be able to diagnose the fault Mark ps this has nothing to do with the fact my parents live about 300yds from the pub and I can retreat there Edited by - F355GTS on 5 Mar 2003 18:45:02 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey UC Posted March 6, 2003 Author Share Posted March 6, 2003 Many thanks for all the replies, I must admit I had never thought to lubricate the rack in any fashion, although it got a good soaking at Silverstone at the weekend – I don’t suppose that really counts. Will defiantly fill the gators with grease. Phil, I have adjusted the locknut on the top of the rack but that still doesn’t eliminate the ‘clonk’ even when I over tighten it, I might bring it down the Hartney Whitney meeting though. Mark I have heard that the Red Lion at Mortimer is an uncommonly good place to diagnose steering problems on live axle Caterhams with the alley type rack, there’s a pint in it for any one willing to waggle the wheel and make appropriate deliberation noises. Thanks again everyone, racks coming out this evening for a good prod. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clay Head Posted March 7, 2003 Share Posted March 7, 2003 Hi, I'm almost certain that this is actually caused by wear in the bush located at the top of the steering column near where it goes into the cockpit. I had exactly the same problem. I assume this only happens when almost stationary (ie parking or not moving at all). Grab the steering colum near this point and firnmly waggle(oooh!). You should feel the play. Alternatively get someone to listen close to this point with the bonnet off when you move the wheel to locate the noiseamd see if it is this. However if you have a quick rack and you have play in the rack when waggling the wheel when stationary this is probably down to the nylon thrust block used. If this is the case Dave Brooks Engines 01270 661850 in Crewe modified my rack with a nice bronze thrust block and it has been fantastic ever since. Food for thought Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey UC Posted March 7, 2003 Author Share Posted March 7, 2003 Thanks Clay Head, the bushes at the top of the column are new, so it shouldn’t be that. The fact than the clonk is only made either side of the straight ahead position would indicate wear at one point in the rack ?? If it were any other problem with the rack wouldn’t I get clonking noises at other steering positions ie not just the straight ahead position ??? Had the rack out last night, couldn’t see anything obvious, the universal joint at the bottom of the column was fine, more prodding needed at the w/e ! Mikey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ted_7 Posted March 8, 2003 Share Posted March 8, 2003 Have the same problem since last year... Already made 15.000 kms with that clong (including a 6000 kms round trip cross France)...an it's still there, and so am I I think I'll change the rack someday... Se7enly, Ted_7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lennie Posted March 9, 2003 Share Posted March 9, 2003 Bet it's the steering column clamp in front of the scuttle,the pinch bolt wears the inner column. Try undoing it and moving up or down to a different posistion tighten the two bolts first using locktight and then the grub screw also using locktight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey UC Posted March 10, 2003 Author Share Posted March 10, 2003 Lot of prodding and poking at the weekend revealed that the rack tightens up the more it is turned to the left, which as Steve suggested probably indicates a lack of grease at the right end of the rack. Steve B Where do you find ep140 oil, Halfords gungiest was ep80 Thanks Len, the clamp at the top of steering column has been mightily tightened (I’ve checked this a number of times) Mikey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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