Stiff Steering - Page 2 - Zilvia.net Forums | Nissan 240SX (Silvia) and Z (Fairlady) Car Forum

overb0ost · 01-06-2006, 05:05 PM

alright well i got my new steering rack in and its smoother and almost back to they way it was but i have to get an alignment before i can tell because i think i have a bit of a toe in. neways, i found out that the aftermarket outer tie rod was so stiff when moving it back and forth compared to stock. my mechanic said that the stiffenss from that could make my steering stiff ontop of a bad steering rack. Could it be that if i just replaced the outer tie rod so the movement would be smooother, would that have fixed my problem earlier? another thing is that my mechanic filled up my power steering with Power steering fluid instead of ATF. I told him what you guys told me but he say's he uses it on SR's as well. Should i get it drained and fill it up with ATF. and i went to a lube shop before and they didn't really bleed my ps. all they did was put some tube in my ps resivour to suck up and then replace it with new fluid. is that also possible? thanks. sorry for all the questions.

Dousan_PG · 01-06-2006, 05:36 PM

as i said before
you mechanic is a fucking idiot.
done.

2 tie rod ends good if urs are blown. otherwise dont replace them.
3 use the ATF
dump it and do it yourself because obviously he doesnt know anything about the car or setup on the 240sx.
4 get an alignment. front end only is cheap
5 how is the caster on y oru car, is it stock tc rods or aftermarket? affects steering too

overb0ost · 01-06-2006, 06:14 PM

ya i know. when i saw him dumping the ps fluid im thinking to my self uh oh...fuck. but on another note my caster isnt that bad (6.7 and 7.22) and my tc rods are stock. the tie rod end actually came with the steering rack i got for $100 CND. I don't know if they're blown but while moving it, it seems to be really stiff and i was wondering since the joint is so stiff, could that have affected my steering and causing it to be stiffer or would that be a rack issue? I replaced the tie rod end because it came with it so why not and it was a lot smoother to move. So i can't pinpoint the problem to be the rack or tie rod end...or a combination of both. BUt ya i will remove the ps fluid asap and replace it with ATF so i dont fuck up my rack or power steering.

Dousan_PG · 01-06-2006, 09:17 PM

stiff
im wondering when u say stiff is it because how YOU feel it is
or because you drove your friends s13/s14whatever and its lighter

or are you basing this off driving another car.

yes change fluids

STOP GOING TO GODDAMN MECHANICS
they are leaching bastards who usually make thigns worse
do things yousrelf
save money
learn something
be knowledgable and self sufficiant.
when u get stuck then go to mechanics and their 50/60 whatever bucks per h our they charge for labor.

overb0ost · 01-07-2006, 08:02 AM

stiff as in...it wasnt how its like before. When sliding in snow i had to use 2 hands because it was so stiff.

overb0ost · 01-07-2006, 01:28 PM

alright well its snowing down here and i was testing the steering out. when i wiggle the steering wheel its nice and loose and not stiff. but if i take a left or right turn..or try to slide in snow it is still fairly stiff. i can say it is not as stiff but not a stock feeling. most people would like this, but if you slide it takes you longer to counter steer thus, u have to let of the gas so you can turn the damn wheel. it feels equally stiff on both sides. could this be a power steering pump problem? or something else like a worn out universal joint? sorry for being a baby about such a small thing but i like a nice loose steering wheel so i can counter as fast as possible. if i was into grip racing i would like it how it is.

developer · 01-08-2006, 04:38 AM

I have a stiff steering response too kinda similar to yours overboost after i had crashed last summer and messed up my front suspension. My cross member was messed up, control arms pushed back, and t/c rods damaged. That's all they said the damage was. The bodyshop said they'd pull the control arms back to spec and i needed a new crossmember and new t/c rods so i bought some adjustable Battleversion t/c rods instead of OEM ones. Everything turned out fine after the repair and alignment.

The car doesn't pull in any direction, just the steering wheel feels a lot more stiffer and it's not loose like it was before...definitely doesn't feel like stock. The wheel doesn't turn back like before...instead i'd have to manually turn it back to position. I assumed this new feel was cuz of the thicker t/c rods so i just got used to it but i've always wondered if it was truly the case. Now i'm starting to think that something is not quite right here after reading this thread.

overb0ost · 01-08-2006, 04:32 PM

does it feel like your almost fighting against power steering? Mine feels as if the power steering is working against me. Like if i make a left or right turn it is really obvious that you can feel the wheel wanting to return to the original striaght position and it takes effort to hold the wheel tight so it doesnt go back to the center.

the things i've read from this site and every "steering" article i found pointed me to these following things:

-ps belt
-steering rack bushing
-power steering pump
-power steering pressure lines
-tc rod bushing? they are both tearing a bit

developer · 01-08-2006, 06:55 PM

Hmm to me it feels like i have no power steering (but i know i still have it cuz i've driven an old car w/o ps and it was hard as hell). Power steering should make steering feel very easy and effortless but mine is just very stiff. My wheel doesn't want to return to the original position cuz i have to do it manually....this is where i think your problem differs from mines.

overb0ost · 01-08-2006, 07:29 PM

i used to have that and then i replaced my steering rack and it came back in a whip. get a used steering rack for $100 and try if that helps.

developer · 01-09-2006, 03:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by overb0ost

i used to have that and then i replaced my steering rack and it came back in a whip. get a used steering rack for $100 and try if that helps.

I'll look around for that and try it out. Thx.

overb0ost · 01-10-2006, 08:28 PM

hey i just remembered that i noticed this stiff steering after 2 events occured:

1) i installed 15" steels with new winter rubber could that cause stiffer steering compared to 16" stock LE rims? i know the 15" steels are almost 2-3 inches thinner than the stock LE rims but would that have any effect on steering?

2) after i got my car back from the alignment shop, i noticed the steering wheel was off a bit so i told them to adjust it. could they have adjusted something a bit too tight which would cause stiff steering?

01-06-2006, 05:36 PM	#32
Dousan_PG Post Whore! Join Date: May 2002 Location: Orange County, California Age: 46 Posts: 16,640 Trader Rating: (23) Rides Gallery: Dousan_PG Feedback Score: 23 reviews	as i said before you mechanic is a fucking idiot. done. 2 tie rod ends good if urs are blown. otherwise dont replace them. 3 use the ATF dump it and do it yourself because obviously he doesnt know anything about the car or setup on the 240sx. 4 get an alignment. front end only is cheap 5 how is the caster on y oru car, is it stock tc rods or aftermarket? affects steering too __________________ Aaron Pink GodziRa www.geocities.com/pink_godzira

01-06-2006, 09:17 PM	#34
Dousan_PG Post Whore! Join Date: May 2002 Location: Orange County, California Age: 46 Posts: 16,640 Trader Rating: (23) Rides Gallery: Dousan_PG Feedback Score: 23 reviews	stiff im wondering when u say stiff is it because how YOU feel it is or because you drove your friends s13/s14whatever and its lighter or are you basing this off driving another car. yes change fluids STOP GOING TO GODDAMN MECHANICS they are leaching bastards who usually make thigns worse do things yousrelf save money learn something be knowledgable and self sufficiant. when u get stuck then go to mechanics and their 50/60 whatever bucks per h our they charge for labor. __________________ Aaron Pink GodziRa www.geocities.com/pink_godzira

01-06-2006, 05:05 PM	#31
overb0ost Zilvia Junkie Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: OH Posts: 393 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	alright well i got my new steering rack in and its smoother and almost back to they way it was but i have to get an alignment before i can tell because i think i have a bit of a toe in. neways, i found out that the aftermarket outer tie rod was so stiff when moving it back and forth compared to stock. my mechanic said that the stiffenss from that could make my steering stiff ontop of a bad steering rack. Could it be that if i just replaced the outer tie rod so the movement would be smooother, would that have fixed my problem earlier? another thing is that my mechanic filled up my power steering with Power steering fluid instead of ATF. I told him what you guys told me but he say's he uses it on SR's as well. Should i get it drained and fill it up with ATF. and i went to a lube shop before and they didn't really bleed my ps. all they did was put some tube in my ps resivour to suck up and then replace it with new fluid. is that also possible? thanks. sorry for all the questions.

01-06-2006, 06:14 PM	#33
overb0ost Zilvia Junkie Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: OH Posts: 393 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	ya i know. when i saw him dumping the ps fluid im thinking to my self uh oh...fuck. but on another note my caster isnt that bad (6.7 and 7.22) and my tc rods are stock. the tie rod end actually came with the steering rack i got for $100 CND. I don't know if they're blown but while moving it, it seems to be really stiff and i was wondering since the joint is so stiff, could that have affected my steering and causing it to be stiffer or would that be a rack issue? I replaced the tie rod end because it came with it so why not and it was a lot smoother to move. So i can't pinpoint the problem to be the rack or tie rod end...or a combination of both. BUt ya i will remove the ps fluid asap and replace it with ATF so i dont fuck up my rack or power steering.

01-07-2006, 08:02 AM	#35
overb0ost Zilvia Junkie Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: OH Posts: 393 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	stiff as in...it wasnt how its like before. When sliding in snow i had to use 2 hands because it was so stiff.

01-07-2006, 01:28 PM	#36
overb0ost Zilvia Junkie Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: OH Posts: 393 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	alright well its snowing down here and i was testing the steering out. when i wiggle the steering wheel its nice and loose and not stiff. but if i take a left or right turn..or try to slide in snow it is still fairly stiff. i can say it is not as stiff but not a stock feeling. most people would like this, but if you slide it takes you longer to counter steer thus, u have to let of the gas so you can turn the damn wheel. it feels equally stiff on both sides. could this be a power steering pump problem? or something else like a worn out universal joint? sorry for being a baby about such a small thing but i like a nice loose steering wheel so i can counter as fast as possible. if i was into grip racing i would like it how it is.

01-08-2006, 04:38 AM	#37
developer Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Vancity Posts: 17 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	I have a stiff steering response too kinda similar to yours overboost after i had crashed last summer and messed up my front suspension. My cross member was messed up, control arms pushed back, and t/c rods damaged. That's all they said the damage was. The bodyshop said they'd pull the control arms back to spec and i needed a new crossmember and new t/c rods so i bought some adjustable Battleversion t/c rods instead of OEM ones. Everything turned out fine after the repair and alignment. The car doesn't pull in any direction, just the steering wheel feels a lot more stiffer and it's not loose like it was before...definitely doesn't feel like stock. The wheel doesn't turn back like before...instead i'd have to manually turn it back to position. I assumed this new feel was cuz of the thicker t/c rods so i just got used to it but i've always wondered if it was truly the case. Now i'm starting to think that something is not quite right here after reading this thread.

01-08-2006, 04:32 PM	#38
overb0ost Zilvia Junkie Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: OH Posts: 393 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	does it feel like your almost fighting against power steering? Mine feels as if the power steering is working against me. Like if i make a left or right turn it is really obvious that you can feel the wheel wanting to return to the original striaght position and it takes effort to hold the wheel tight so it doesnt go back to the center. the things i've read from this site and every "steering" article i found pointed me to these following things: -ps belt -steering rack bushing -power steering pump -power steering pressure lines -tc rod bushing? they are both tearing a bit

01-08-2006, 06:55 PM	#39
developer Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Vancity Posts: 17 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	Hmm to me it feels like i have no power steering (but i know i still have it cuz i've driven an old car w/o ps and it was hard as hell). Power steering should make steering feel very easy and effortless but mine is just very stiff. My wheel doesn't want to return to the original position cuz i have to do it manually....this is where i think your problem differs from mines.

01-08-2006, 07:29 PM	#40
overb0ost Zilvia Junkie Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: OH Posts: 393 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	i used to have that and then i replaced my steering rack and it came back in a whip. get a used steering rack for $100 and try if that helps.

01-10-2006, 08:28 PM	#42
overb0ost Zilvia Junkie Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: OH Posts: 393 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	hey i just remembered that i noticed this stiff steering after 2 events occured: 1) i installed 15" steels with new winter rubber could that cause stiffer steering compared to 16" stock LE rims? i know the 15" steels are almost 2-3 inches thinner than the stock LE rims but would that have any effect on steering? 2) after i got my car back from the alignment shop, i noticed the steering wheel was off a bit so i told them to adjust it. could they have adjusted something a bit too tight which would cause stiff steering?