Worn steering rack bushes

[dtulip8]

Hi all,

My friend is having some issues with his 2007 MK2 Style. As he's driving along, the steering pulls around and gives him an almost torque steering like feel. He's had the alignment checked several times and all is well. It happens on perfectly level pieces of road with no camber, and most of the time its fine but will play up more as it gets faster and there is some play in the rack. So I though maybe his rack bushings were bad? Is this a reasonable assumption, or could it be something else entirely like merely dirty power steering fluid? I'd really like to be able to help him but as I'm crap with mechanics though I'd ask here. Also all 4 tyres are brand new with correct air pressures.

[F0CUE]

I would first check the tie rod ends.

[dtulip8]

Wouldn't something like that get picked up on an MOT? Its had a fresh mot recently, and they couldn't find anything loose or with play in the suspension? 

[F0CUE]

Yep they would notice so guess it's not that then. What about tracking has that been done lately?

[dtulip8]

Yeah this is why we're so confused, it had new tyres just before Christmas and had an alignment done and it was a-ok?

[F0CUE]

That's would be wheel alignment not tracking completely different procedure.

[dtulip8]

Ah fair enough, whats the difference then (like I say I'm hopeless with mechanics)?

EDIT:

Would it perhaps need a 4 wheel alignment as it has independent rear suspension or am I talking rubbish?

[F0CUE]

There is no adjustment in the rear of the focus unless you get it modified with an adjustable screw which is possible. So really just front they will adjust the steering, camber and toe.

[Botus]

bad tyres, bad weather and or low pressures and would be a good place to start

does it do it more if you accelerate hard? could be worn engine mounts, seized CV joints, no oil in the box causing the diff to get upset.... loads of causes.... came up the other day turns out one tyre was low !!!

rack bushes shouldn't cause this sort of issue …. it more likely you'd notice as slop when manoeuvring

[dtulip8]

Don't think its the tyres, like I say they were changed just before Christmas all round. Might just get him to check the pressures, is there a way to narrow down whether its the engine mounts, CV joints etc. He did hit a kerb at about 40mph in it after some plonker overtook someone on a blind and ran him off the road. Allos have been confirmed as not buckled and no obvious suspension damage has been picked up on 2 MOT's but might be relevant.

[F0CUE]

9 hours ago, dtulip8 said:

Don't think its the tyres, like I say they were changed just before Christmas all round. Might just get him to check the pressures, is there a way to narrow down whether its the engine mounts, CV joints etc. He did hit a kerb at about 40mph in it after some plonker overtook someone on a blind and ran him off the road. Allos have been confirmed as not buckled and no obvious suspension damage has been picked up on 2 MOT's but might be relevant.

Definitely tracking then it's easily knocked out of place doing that or a buckle in the wheel if alloys.

[dtulip8]

I’m going to investigate the buckled alloys, as although it’s a Style it does have Zetec alloys on it. This kerb incident happened Christmas 2017 and the problem has been on and off since then and it’s driving him mad as no one seems to be able to find a cause and it’s been to the garage several times to be looked at.

[TomsFocus]

On ‎2‎/‎8‎/‎2019 at 8:21 AM, F0CUE said:

There is no adjustment in the rear of the focus unless you get it modified with an adjustable screw which is possible. So really just front they will adjust the steering, camber and toe.

Sorry but this just isn't true.

Wheel alignment and tracking are the same thing for a start.  Tracking is just the old name for it. 

They can only adjust toe on the front of these (whether wheels point inwards out outwards).  The camber (sideways wheel lean) and caster (front to rear angle) are fixed.

There is rear toe adjustment on the mk2 Focus as well.  It's altered by moving an eccentric washer/bolt in the rear suspension arms.

4 wheel hunter alignment works very well on these.  

 

As for the original question, I'd look very closely at the rear bush on the front wishbones, they're a common fail but often aren't picked up on MOTs until they're really bad.  A buckled alloy won't pull, it'll just cause a wobble, similar to a balancing issue.

[F0CUE]

47 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

Sorry but this just isn't true.

Wheel alignment and tracking are the same thing for a start.  Tracking is just the old name for it. 

They can only adjust toe on the front of these (whether wheels point inwards out outwards).  The camber (sideways wheel lean) and caster (front to rear angle) are fixed.

There is rear toe adjustment on the mk2 Focus as well.  It's altered by moving an eccentric washer/bolt in the rear suspension arms.

4 wheel hunter alignment works very well on these.  

 

As for the original question, I'd look very closely at the rear bush on the front wishbones, they're a common fail but often aren't picked up on MOTs until they're really bad.  A buckled alloy won't pull, it'll just cause a wobble, similar to a balancing issue.

I was told by a mechanic that it couldn't be adjusted so guess he was wrong 🤪 oh and I was thinking of wheel balancing that will be why doe lol I also seen articles about the adjustable bolt to adjust at the back so asumed it had to be modified. I admit when when rear bushes were bad in the front arms the steering was well wobbly you could be right there but mines were noticed.

[TomsFocus]

7 minutes ago, F0CUE said:

I was told by a mechanic that it couldn't be adjusted so guess he was wrong 🤪 I also seen articles about the adjustable bolt to adjust at the back so asumed it had to be modified. I admit when when rear bushes were bad in the front arms the steering was well wobbly you could be right there.

Yep, either wrong or he just didn't want to risk snapping them, the rear bolts rust and seize and are prone to snapping lol.

[F0CUE]

2 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

Yep, either wrong or he just didn't want to risk snapping them, the rear bolts rust and seize and are prone to snapping lol.

Well you learn something new every day thanks for that 😁

[Botus]

re rear tracking - had it done on mine last year ….. I couldn't believe when he said you could do it... most front drives never had adjustment... as Tom says eccentric bolts 

if its always driven a bit odd since smashing in to a kerb.... he's an idiot to wait 2 years to look at it- it might kill him, or worse still others!

[dtulip8]

He hasn’t waited 2 years to get it sorted, just that no one can seem to find the fault. It’s been in various garages about 10 times to try and diagnose the fault but nothing found. Will get him to take it to a 4 wheel alignment place as he says he hasn’t tried that yet.