205 Gtx Steering Problems

[Guest Andy205GTX]

Anybody got any ideas on this one:

 

When cornering (usually with a bit of speed but not a stupid pace) my car hits a point when the steering seems to go from normal weight to really light, this feeling is also accompanied with some extreme understeer, it just seems to loose all grip. I have to go around roundabouts so slowly, sharp corners are also a bother and it can be quite scary at speed.

 

The car has recently (a couple of weeks ago) been to a garage for work on a different problem during which they gave the once over, they commented that the steering rack had 'a bit of play'. So I have pretty much made the assumption that this steering problem is down to the steering rack, unless anyone else is familiar with such a problem and has any other ideas?

 

So... how hard is it the change a steering rack (is this a hardcore job?), I have very little experiance in car mechanics but have a brother with a bit of knowledge, is this task remotely possible, or only suitable for experianced mechanics?

 

...alternatively, at a guess how much would a garage charge for such a proceedure assuming I supplied the new steering rack?

 

Look forward to your replies, help me get my car handling like a true 205 should!

 

Cheers

Andy

[Rippthrough 98]

What tyres are on it?

 

Is the throttle down/neutral/up at the time?

[d-9 0]

When cornering (usually with a bit of speed but not a stupid pace) my car hits a point when the steering seems to go from normal weight to really light, this feeling is also accompanied with some extreme understeer, it just seems to loose all grip.

 

Thats just the point where the front wheels stop gripping and start sliding, of course the steering will go mega light as they arent gripping the road so have very little resistance.

 

As said, what tyres do you have? If theyre nangkang, old or running at the wrong pressure then they could be loosing grip far to easily (and it sounds likely that at least one of these is the problem, as decent tyres at the right pressure usually loose grip proressivly rather than all at once.

 

Also worth getting the tracking checked.

[Guest Andy205GTX]

It happens regardless of what position the throttle is, whether on or off it happens, it doesnt happen progressively just seems to happen all of a sudden like the click of the fingers. it happens regardless of how quickly the steering wheel is turned, even when turning the wheel so gradually it just seems to hit this weird point where the car will just instantly understeer.

 

When I said driving with speed I probably phrased it wrong, I dont mean fast as in 'to the limit', I just mean a little faster than your average granny, lol. But with this problem I am driving like an average granny! to avoid this problem on small, tight inner-city roundabouts I am having to drive slower than the average car if that gives a good indication.

 

As for tyres, they are nothing special, but have good tread depth, pressure etc, although I'm no pro I'm pretty sure its not the tyres.

 

Didnt think about the tracking, when it had the quick once over by the garage they didnt mention anything with regards to tracking problems. But like I previously mentioned they said that the steering rack had some play.