New clutch now steering out..

[ajcommercial]

Hiya all, I fitted a new clutch ( Quinton Hazel ) and lots of other things such as engine mounts and strut top mounts about 6 weeks and 300 miles ago, all has been fine, except the clutch has been very heavy and like a switch, off and on causing lots of juddering and bouts of bunny hopping so I decided to swap the clutch back to a LUK brand as LUK is the genuine supplier..

  Now I have completed the job and the steering is wildly out, it seems the N/S wheel is pointing towards the kerb. Question is, why is it doing this now ? There wasn't anything wrong with the steering before I replaced the clutch.. I have had to remove both drive shafts I did it by removing the ball joints and leaving the hubs in place.

 Anyone have any ideas ? I have checked the ball joints etc and all seems fine..

[polar]

Sounds like you may have damaged the steering rack when you left the hubs in place - i suspect you did not disconnect the track rod ends? This may have put undue pressure on the rack (it can bend one of the track rods) when trying to remove refit the driveshafts.

I have seen this happen before so may just be one reason.

[ajcommercial]

Hiya Polar..
 Yes I removed the track rod ends from the hub, I just left the hubs attached to the strut.
 Could the strut go out of alignment ?

[polar]

Hiya Polar..
 Yes I removed the track rod ends from the hub, I just left the hubs attached to the strut.
 Could the strut go out of alignment ?

Hi AJ you have me there i cant think why it should be out of line then - are the driveshafts fitted correctly and not forcing the NS wheel out of alignment? 

How does it drive?

[ajcommercial]

Funny you should mention the drive shafts.. I have been looking at the camber of the wheels, The O/S is negative ( top in ) and the N/S is positive ( top out ) so I looked at the drive shafts and the O/S is full home but the N/S has a shiny 2mm ring so I recon the driveshaft seems to be out a touch..
  How does that happen ? What is stopping the driveshaft from going all the way home ?

[polar]

I presume the driveshafts have a snap ring fitted (called this because as you slide the driveshaft back in you hear a snap) this is used to hold the driveshaft fully home and stop it coming back out when you turn the steering.

Sometimes when the driveshafts are fitted back into the gearbox if you doing get things fully square the snap ring will distort and snag (thus damaging the snap ring) the driveshaft wont go fully home. They can be a **** to get back out, then you will need a new snap ring and refit with a good square push you will hear or feel it click.

Speak soon AJ after you have had another bash.

here is one i found for a 1.6hdi to give you an idea of what you need - you will need one for your engine/gearbox

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PEUGEOT-207-27...Sw4bVTns-A

[polar]

I could only find one in a kit for yours so best go to a dealer - not expensive mate
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Citroen-Berlin...SwImRYCjte

Small clip at the bottom

[jj9]

I don't think the splined part of the driveshaft that goes into the gearbox has a snap ring fitted.

The snap rings in the links posted are for the outer end of the driveshaft that goes into the outer CV joint.

I think it's just a case of the driveshaft hasn't been pushed fully home before the rest of the stuff was reassembled and it has somehow jambed.

It may jump into position if the wheels were rotated.

.

[dumdum]

I

Hiya all, I fitted a new clutch ( Quinton Hazel ) and lots of other things such as engine mounts and strut top mounts about 6 weeks and 300 miles ago, all has been fine, except the clutch has been very heavy and like a switch, off and on causing lots of juddering and bouts of bunny hopping so I decided to swap the clutch back to a LUK brand as LUK is the genuine supplier..

  Now I have completed the job and the steering is wildly out, it seems the N/S wheel is pointing towards the kerb. Question is, why is it doing this now ? There wasn't anything wrong with the steering before I replaced the clutch.. I have had to remove both drive shafts I did it by removing the ball joints and leaving the hubs in place.

 Anyone have any ideas ? I have checked the ball joints etc and all seems fine..

TBH you removing and refitting things won’t help as if you’ve put something together wrong once chances are you’ll do it again... not knocking your skills but sometimes a second set of eyes will catch something youve missed!

It’s very hard to bend a damper but if you pulled hard enough you could and it would give symptoms you speak of, but I very much doubt it, if the wheel is physically pointing out it would not be a driveshaft as that would make it exceptionally hard to get the pin anywhere near the right place to the hole in the hub, and also it would be acting on the centre line give or take and would also pull the other side over too, to get excessive toe out it would have to be the ball joint has moved in the hub if it’s bolt in, the rack end has extended somehow, the rack has moved (did you take the subframe down, you don’t have to buy some do!) or the column is on the wrong angle if the fine splined section has come apart if you have dropped the rack down, the strut top would have to move in somehow, doubtful but if we’re looking for stupid stuff now but it’s incredibly doubtful, but if all sensible options are used up and all that...

[dumdum]

I don't think the splined part  of the driveshaft that goes into the gearbox has a snap ring fitted.

The snap rings in the links posted are for the outer end of the driveshaft that goes into the outer CV joint.

I think it's just a case of the driveshaft hasn't been pushed fully home before the rest of the stuff was reassembled and it has somehow jambed.

It may jump into position if the wheels were rotated.

.

The pass side inner does, drivers doesn’t, it’s held in by the support bearing in the Engine mount bracket