BIG Help needed :S

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Ceirwan

Ceirwan

Ex. Club Member
I'll get one after top gear then, but before my steering was straight when it the wheel was turned a little (only a small amount) to the left, now its straight when turned a little to the right.

Olly, yes if i HAD power steering lol! Its so light, do they normally have dampers on or something, i can imagine seizing up the steering, not making it super light...
On a slightly longer road test, the light steering and pulling to the right a little seems to be the major problem, hopefully the panhard rod will sort the pulling when fixed and maybe the steering?
 

frank

Club Member
ceirwan

it sounds like your f/wheels have now got too much toe in, which could be adjusted but the root cause will be that something is bent.
hopefully a pic will show what it is.
 
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Ceirwan

Ceirwan

Ex. Club Member
Still haven't got picture, sorry, i'll get it later, currently soaking panhard rod bolts in oil, as i picked up a new one for £15 so i'll fit that and see what sort of difference is made.
Would the toe affect the steering to be lighter? or is it more likely i've f##### something on the steering rack?
 

frank

Club Member
cierwan

yes too much toe in could make the steering light, i dont think the rack or track rod will be damaged (because it appears to be toeing in) and a pic might show any hub/leg damage.
btw well done with the panhard rod !
 
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Ceirwan

Ceirwan

Ex. Club Member
I think the back suspension might be twisted downwards slightly on the left, looking at it closely.
Can't get the old bloody panhard rod off, rusted solid, oil, heat from blow torch, nothing seems to faze it!
Well anyway, the mechanic the familys used for the last 30years is looking at it tomorrow, he won't rip me off anyway, so i'll wait for his diagnosis.
(Although it sounds bad, i'm quite like the idea of a getting another car even though ive only had the micra 2 months :glance: how much do 1.3's go for?!!! :) )
 
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Ceirwan

Ceirwan

Ex. Club Member
Update, mechanics had a look at it, the suspension arms have been twisted or bent on three of the wheels, trackings messed up obviously, he thinks the steering has problems as well, panhard rod we already know about...
So yeah i'm well gutted, its not economical for me to repair it, so i'm looking for new car around £500 low insurance, some MOT etc, hopefully another micra, but its gonna be a case of what i can get.

Anyone got any ideas of what to do with the micra? Maybe someone wants to buy it for parts or something? Got an excellent 68,000 mile engine, great gearbox.
Everything else about the car is fine... *sniff*
 
where are you based Ceirwan ? I have a 1.0 that I'm breaking for bits, you're welcome to have some bits if you want them.
 
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Ceirwan

Ceirwan

Ex. Club Member
No i really don't have the time or money to repair this, i have other hobbies, my car is still a hobby just a minor one. I have two sailing dinghys that i need to do up, one to sell, one for me. A small yacht (21foot) i got real cheap because it needed work doing so ive had that a year and still have a lot to do, and i goto martial arts 3 times a week + need the car for work!
No way do i have the time to be messing about with it. :(
 

Ems

Ex. Club Member
Get a second hand panhard from the scrappy's. No point buying a brand new one when there's plenty about waiting to be snapped up!
 
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Ceirwan

Ceirwan

Ex. Club Member
I have a seccond hand panny, but thats not going to fix much...
Thats the cheap part, its the rest that i can't deal with :(.
 
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Ceirwan

Ceirwan

Ex. Club Member
Well tbh, i've had a good mechanic look at it, a trustworthy one as well, the family has been using him for 30years, so i have no reason to distrust his verdict.
We'll see what happens, at the moment i can't really do more than 40mph ish. (Without fearing for my life :p )
 

frank

Club Member
ceirwan

he might be the best engine builder/service engineer in the world but how much accident repair work has he done ?
threre,s a wealth of knowledge availiable from the members on here why not use it !
if the steering wheel now sits to the right a bit it might just be a twist in the cast nuckle/hub where it joins the leg, if so sonic has offered you one.
50 quid for your mechanic to fit the parts and its job done maybe ?
 
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Ceirwan

Ceirwan

Ex. Club Member
I can't afford to repair it unless i know its going to be fine.
I'm not disputing that members on here know a lot.
Thanks for all your help anyway people.
 
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Ceirwan

Ceirwan

Ex. Club Member
###### it!
I am going to repair it! Looking round i'm not going to get anything like as good as the micra for my cash, so i'm gonna get it sorted. Besides i'm attached to that car... don't want to see it go!

Since i couldn't get the old panhard rod of, even with my 'daddy' socket bar which is at least a foot and a half, the mechanics going to fit that, and a (used) suspension arm or somthing or other.
£70 + Vat ish, no doubt after that something else will want sorting but its not likely to use up all my budget...
Micras ftw!
Thanks for all the encouragement!
 
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Ceirwan

Ceirwan

Ex. Club Member
Oh as in off the road! :)
One of those questions i was always to embarassed to ask!
Will get one tomorrow morning!
 

frank

Club Member
ceirwan

or n/s is nearest the kerb !
dont give the bolts too much stick, you might snap them ! as a last resort i have in the past, ground one of the 6 flats of the nut down to almost the thread with a small angle grinder and cutting disc, then clamp some molegrips onto it, then when you turn the grips. the nut should split where you,ve weakened it, so you can get some oil in the crack and spin the nut off.
coz if you snap the nut off the o/s end you,ll be looking for an axle aswell
 
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Ceirwan

Ceirwan

Ex. Club Member
Well panhard rod and suspension arm fitted, much improvement, the wheels gone back to pointing in the correct direction for straight ahead, after the bump the wheel was in a different position to go in a straight line, now its back to before.
Steering does feel better, not sure if its still a bit lighter, did someone mention the toe could do this?

Is the picture of the OS wheel still required? It seems like the steering issue with regards to 'is it bent?' is sorted...
 

frank

Club Member
ceirwan

glad to hear your your back on the road ,no i doubt a pic would help, i always track mine by looking "down" the front wheels, if you get your head by the f/bumper and line up the tyre walls of the f/wheel they should be level with the outer edge of the back wheel, if not adjust the track rods, if you do adjust them you must roll the car back and forth a bit each time (unless you,ve got swivel plates, like the tyrefitters use)
 
I've got a 10' length of 3"x2" timber to assess my tracking, if it is flat against my rear tyre and against the front tyre I can tell how much toe adjustment is needed on the front, most garages around stockport can't get their equipment on my car because of the lowering and wide tyres so I had to improvise.
 
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Ceirwan

Ceirwan

Ex. Club Member
Thanks, the suspension arm that was replaced was the O/S one, which makes sense as thats where the majority of the impact was, i'll probably take it to a garage for tracking, but take my newly acquired torque wrench with me! :)
No more doing wheelnuts up and hoping they're tight enuff!
 
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