[Steering & Suspension] Heavy & 'notchy' steering

[s2airflow]

Over the last week the steering has got heavier and a bit uneven or notchy in feel.The belt appears tight & the reservoir has fluid in it so where do I go with the diagnosis now?Its got 88k on it,a 57 plate 1.6 diesel Multispace.Any help appreciated.Thanks,Dave.

[addo]

Jack the car up at front; rest both sides on chassis stands.

With the motor off, turn the steering wheel from lock to lock and see if the odd feel remains. If not, then it's a supply/control issue (pump, pinion valve, ram in order of probability).

Just "FYI" power steering fluid does degrade over time and should be changed every couple of years in a regularly used car.

[Tomcat3]

Just a thought have a look at the u/j joint at the bottom of the steering column they tend to dry out and become notchy before failing. If you lean over and look down the back of the engine to the left of centre you can see it and get some lube on to it if needed.

[dumdum]

strut top bearings are the most common items on m59 berlingos, if you get someone to lock to lock the steering (with car on the floor not jacked up, altho you can often see them jacked up aswell) and put your hand on the spring while they do (or just watch it if your not confident sticking your fingers in places) you will feel or see it almost coiling up and recoiling as the bearing loads it up and then jumps, it should move very freely and smoothly, its so common ive done two in the last two weeks at work, as they get worse its like a ringing 'doing' noise as they load up and unload from lock to lock, also worth checking you havent got a snapped top of a spring aswell

as said the uj can be an issue (not so common tho from experience of pugs and citroens) but my money would be on strut top bearings...

[The Namele55]

Hi, I have the same problem on my 06 blingo. I've had the strut top mounting and steering rack changed but problem still remains. It's very unnerving going round corners as the kickback is quite strong. I'll be having the pas pump changed next week so will see if that changes anything . . . .

[JohnM]

I had the same problem, it was the lower U/J on the steering column.
Spray loads of penetrating oil on the joint and see if this frees things up. (Didn't stop me fitting new top bearings on the struts first though!)

[The Namele55]

Will try that but I'm not convinced JohnM :/ there's no play in the steering, it's just when I start the engine if I try turn the wheel slowly it pulls back, & when driving round corners/roundabouts etc it really tries to pull back

[JohnM]

The symptoms with mine was just heavy steering and the steering not self centring, so your problem may well be else where. The U/J is the cheapest option to check, mine wasn't worn (no play), the grease had just dried out.
Could still be the best place for s2airflow to check.

[budevan]

This thread is really helpful.

My garage has taken my van for a drive twice, and declared it seems okay! One week later I nearly died as the steering got worse.

The facts:

Starting engine makes steering easier so the power steering pump works.

when driving, turning about 2 degrees left or right is effortless, so lower balljoint and steering gear is okay.

Turning further is very stiff, then suddenly gives with more force on steering wheel.

The stiffness is worse downhill => more weight on front struts.
and easier uphill => less weight on front struts.

From this thread, I reckon the bushes/bearing at the top of one strut is either knackered or dry.

There seems no noise from the problems when going lock to lock with the van stationary.

Many thanks to dumdum fro the explanation. Is it hard to fix, and how much do you charge?

Thanks again.

[mikep1973]

I got strut top mounts and bearings for about £28 and my mechanic charged me 1/2 hour labour per side :-)

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