Very Heavy Steering (non-PS model)

Hi,

I recently acquired a Micra (M-Reg/1994) in the most basic of trim, no PS no central locking no electric windows etc... however oddly enough it has a sunroof! :)

I purchased it from a trader for a reasonable price and the previous lady owner had owned it for 14 years so I thought goody-good it should have been taken care off.

However the second I drove off the lot I stumbled upon, what I now know as the Kangaroo-ing throttle body problem, which almost killed me when joining a junction followed by the motorway. Anyway, I will be going to a scrappy tomorrow as he has promised me he has a TB in good condition with 90 day warranty for £25 so we'll see what happens with that.

My main problem here is however the ridiculously heavy steering. I know it has no power steering but I have driven non-PS pickup trucks at work and you could still steer them into corners with one hand. However with this Micra anything past 70 degrees feels like the steering lock is engaging or something, you need to stress both arms to make it around a corner or to turn into a street. When in motion everything is good and very light up until you turn the steering 90 degrees either way it begins to feel like your trying to arm wrestle Arnold Schwarzenegger, its very odd.

Any suggestions?
 

skymera

Brutal Honesty
Not sure what to suggest regarding the steering.
There's lots of info about throttle bodies and such, worth a search.

Did you not test drive the car first?
 
OP
OP
N
Hi, thanks for the replies!

When you say the gearing has dried up, what do you mean exactly? Does it require a bit of oil somewhere? Also if a bit of dirt has got in, is it easy to clean up etc? Can you recommend anyone around East London to be able to take a look?

Regarding the TB, a scrappy has given me a price so I will go and pick it up, most people just say replace it so for £25 its not so bad.

And oddly enough I did test drive it but only around the back parking lot as he said I'm not insured to drive on the public roads. Legally speaking I can sue him to the high hills for selling me a car in such a dangerous condition (that literally almost killed me) but I need a cheap to fuel car and this seems to do the job so I'll keep it instead. However once I have done fixing it up I will send the bill to the trader, don't you guys worry about that :)

Thanks guys!
 
The gearing sits in a housing at the centre of the rack, check to see if the seals are ok. Pull the steering around underneath to see if there's any slack, if there is....its bugger'd mate.
Don't know anyone in East London buddy....I'm in Cornwall !!!!
 
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