What have I bust now?

[James Arnold]

Well we all make mistakes and today mine was going too fast around a slippery bend whilst on an early Sunday morning blast (or shiver - I must get a heater). The car understeered and I put the passenger side wheels onto a grassy bank.

I didn’t feel brutal just a bit bumpy, but the steering wheel is no longer straight and there is a rattle at 2000rmp.

I have just spend an hour under the car. There is no sign of damage to anything. Other than a bit of grass on the exhaust heat shield it doesn’t look like anything touched down.

The only thing I can find wrong is the steering column is rubbing on the oil filter housing (Xflow), which is causing the rattle. It has worn a polished ring around the shaft (no smut please) which looks surprisingly well defined for the 5 mile drive home from the well named Zig-zags where surely there was oil on the road.

I am baffled as to what I have done.

Can anybody tell me how close the steering column should be to the oil filter housing? (1991 Live axle Xflow).

You hear the phase ‘knocked out the tracking’, what actually causes the change to the tracking? I would guess that this is often a symptom of a bent suspension member/mount rather than movement/change in the rack itself.

The only theory I can come up with is that the rack has moved on its mountings slightly, resulting in the change to the straight ahead position in the steering wheel and possibly making a very tight clearance between column and housing close. It sounds a bit weak to me and I can’t see any sign to suggest that the rack has moved. I have never taken apart a steering rack, is there anything inside that could have moved?

Other explanations (bent suspension etc) don’t seem to cover the steering column touching; unless it wsa touching before and the knock was just enough to make it rattle.

Driving home I kept telling myself that I can’t have twisted the chassis. With no sign of damage I can’t believe I could have.

The sump could have touched down (although I can't see any evidence) and moved the engine slightly on the mounts maybe, but that wouldn't affect the tacking.

Any ideas anybody?

 

Thanks

James

 

[Casbar]

James,

 

I have a 91 long cockpit x-flow. I've just had a look at my steering column. There is a good inch clearance from where my column passes the oil filter housing.

 

Hope that helps,

 

Robert

[Swiss_Tony]

James

It is a popular myth that you can "knock your tracking out".

The only way of altering it is either by adjusting something ie track rod ends or suspension or by bending something.

I have not removed the rack on my 7 but it appears as if it located by the alloy mounts. Maybe it has slipped on these?

If you remove the mounting blocks you should be able to see if there has been some movement.

This would be the most likely cause of the column being closer to the engine.

If the engine has grounded out it may be worth looking at the mounts. If it has moved I would imagine it would be obvious by the exhaust-body clearance,g.box-tunnel area gearstick etc

It may be worth checking the rack feels smooth ie no tight spots when you turn it with the wheels off the floor and that it has no play in it or the track rod ends.

 

Good luck James

 

[Swiss_Tony]

Where are the zig-zags?

 

James

 

[James Arnold]

James, I agree with your comments about knocking out the tracking.

The zig-zags come down from Box hill Surrey. I think its called Zig-zag Lane, or something equally descriptive. Given my current frame of mind and self annoyance I dont think Id recommend it.

Despite further crawling under and over the car I remain baffled.

I loosened the steering rack and there is no sign that it has moved. However I twisted the rack a fraction and now the column no longer touches the oil filter housing.

The car now behaves just as before other than the steering wheel is perhaps 5 to 10 degrees off vertical when going straight ahead.

Thanks to the Xflow there is a generous layer of oilly grime under the car. If the body/chassis had touched down it would be easily spotted.

I guess I will get the tracking checked / corrected. Of couse I have no idea whether the tracking was right before.

Correcting the symtoms appears straight forward, but I still want to understand the cause (err, other than missing the road of course).

James

 

[Swiss_Tony]

James

 

I drove up that road this morning very slippery!

Do you visit Boxhill as i have seen a few 7s there?

What colour is your car? Mine is brg/ali

Good luck sorting your car out. If you are worried it may be worth having a 4-wheel alignment check done just to make sure all is well. This will also sort out the tracking etc

 

James

 

[EFA]

James

 

You CAN knock out the tracking on a Seven.

 

The small casting on the front upright to which the track rod end bolts can bend (i did mine at 5mph!!! a few years ago!)

 

Its not immediately obvious, but will throw out the tracking big time.

 

Check the clearence between the hole through which the tr end bolts, and the brake disk.

 

 

Arnie

 

Arnie Webb

Organiser- L7C Le Mans Trip

[Mike Bees]

Check the engine mounts too, the rubber bit can (and will over time) fail allowing the engine to move.

 

Mike

[Dave H]

It would also be worth checking the back end it you gave that a thump. The Ital axle isn't very strong, and you can bend the axle (I know I've done it) You may not be able to feel it, but the wheel will run with a slight wobble.

 

Hope the damage is minimal

 

Dave

 

Edited by - Dave H on 8 Jan 2001 12:58:17

[Andrew Walker]

I was down the Zig Zags on Saturday lunch time, following a mate in another 7 (M7 MOO), and you're right James it was very slippy.

The bikes must have been taking it very cautiously.

[J.R.]

James

 

Look carefully at the rack platform & particularly the bronze welded joints between the 45 degree uprights from the chassis rails & the horizontal platform. A very small whack on the wheel can cause the platform to shift sideways.

 

It sound like the above as you hit the N.S.F. wheel & your column is now touching the oil filter.

 

I concur with Mike Bees re engine mounts, this has happened in the past on my car, both engine mounts sheared & the engine shifted sideways (caused by slicks on a tight circuit) the oil filter then touched the column and the throttle jammed open on right hand bends.

 

 

J.R.

 

Edited by - J.R. on 8 Jan 2001 17:27:49

[James Arnold]

Many thanks for the replies.

Further investigation has lead me to the conclusion that it is the rack platform that has moved slightly. Using that highly scientific and accurate instrument, a spirit level, I have determined that when the front chassis members are exactly horizontal, the rack and platform are up slightly on the passenger (impact!) side. I can see no signs of kinks, cracks, or bends, but it explains why the column is moved (engine mounts are fine).

I had not realized how popular the Zig-zags were that morning. I have decided that the reason why I was the only one who managed to leave the road (unless somebody is keeping quiet), must be due to my ages Pirellis. I got a quote locally for four A021R 185/60-14, fitted, balanced etc for £232, which from a quick scan of the numerous threads on tyres looks quite competitive - unless you know different.

James.

 

 

Edited by - James Arnold on 9 Jan 2001 09:11:57

[Pierre Gillet]

I thought that A021Rs were not available in UK till end of January...

 

Pierre