xantia td steering pulling to the right

pete@co.uk · Post by **pete@co.uk** » 05 Jun 2005, 03:11

hi guys
Well i have a problem with the steering on my xant sometimes when im driving the steering pulls to the right and somtimes its ok ive had the tracking checked and all is fine and there is no wear in any of the suspension or steering links i thought it was the right side brake caliper ive replaced that problem remains and also ive notice,st the steering seems to tramline in the road and when going over a pothole throws the steering right or left wichever wheel hits it all makes the car very uncomftable to drive
any ideas guys
pete.........................

JohnT · Post by **JohnT** » 05 Jun 2005, 05:47

Perhaps you have a hydralic poblem if your steering direction changes? Check your tyres for problems. If your car pulls to the right then the following problems need looking at;
Change rear tyres to the front, this sometimes produces quite an amazing result, and eliminates the tyre problem! Next look to tyre pressures. Look to taking it for a new MOT as it is sometimes easier to let them find out the problem, especially on the rolling road brake test! jack up the car.....do the wheels rotate easily without friction? If your MOT tester is any good they will find the problem straight away.

DoubleChevron · Post by **DoubleChevron** » 05 Jun 2005, 08:07

Given the symptoms decscribed I'd be checking the rear arm bearings. they will cause the car to wander and pull to one side.
My Xantia was pulling strongly (consistantly) to the right when I purchased it. New tires completely fixed this.
seeya,
Shane L.

pete@co.uk · Post by **pete@co.uk** » 05 Jun 2005, 13:53

hi john and shane
well i don,t know if this has anything to do with it but when i first purchased the car the rear suspension was,nt working right the car thats how i got it at a cheaper price the rear stayed on high or low setting nothing in between anyway sorted that problem out turned out that the top anti roll bar link had snapped and and the height corrector linkage had seized now if i put the new link back in slightly the wrong place either to much to the left right could that do it. also ive changed the front tyres put part worns on the front but hav,nt tried changing the front to the rear as yet the the thing that puzzles me is the that somtimes the pull disappears then comes back i can let go of the wheel and it goes in a stright line another time it,ll pull bad to the right gives me the impression it could be the brakes also the car has had a new mot in may this year and all they found was a worn nearside drop link which has now been replaced and talking of brakes the front brakes do tend to bind sometimes im thinking handbrake cable could be at fault or maladjusted becouse when i first had the car the right side pads were worn right down to the metal so i put new pads and discs on also changed the right side caliper and the problem persists just yesterday on approching a set of traffic lights put my foot on the brake and the steering shot to the right although ive tried going down a quiet road doing about 30 mph then putting my foot on the brake and the car stops in a straight line so all this is really puzzling any ideas.
thanks guys
pete.......................

pete@co.uk · Post by **pete@co.uk** » 06 Jun 2005, 22:10

hi guys
nobody has any ideas to my problem well i was thinking to take the the car down to a car body specilist to see if there,s any misalignment in the body and have the car checked out although everything looks ok what do you think guys
pete.............

pete@co.uk · Post by **pete@co.uk** » 07 Jun 2005, 01:34

just another thought guys
could this problem be due to air in the power steering or the hydrulic pump is on the way out
any advice please
pete..............

colzak · Post by **colzak** » 08 Jun 2005, 15:05

I had a slight pull to the right on my Xantia 1.9td not so long ago,,,,,,had the tracking checked to see if this was the problem,,,,,,tracking was fine,,,,,,thought the hand brake was sticking,,,,,,,wheels rotated freely.
Stumped and frustrated I toleratated the symptom for a while,,,,,,,eventually my tyre wore and needed a replacement.
The pulling stopped as soon as 2 new tyres were fitted.......

colzak · Post by **colzak** » 08 Jun 2005, 15:12

Sorry, I hadn,t read the full full post,,,,,,,but I beleive trying new!!tyres is the only way to eliminate this possibility,,,part worns may have a slight camber on the tread as may the back tyres on the xantia

pete@co.uk · Post by **pete@co.uk** » 08 Jun 2005, 22:37

Thanks colzak
well im thinking to try putting the front tyre,s to the rear as the rears are already new tyres to see if it makes any differance as this pulling to the right is doing my head in although as ive said before i can drive down the road and the car is pulling badly another time the problem goes i can let go of the wheel just trying it on a quiet road and she goes in a stright line but there is somthing i hav,nt said here is that the streering wheel is always pointing to the right as though the steering is not centralised so that could be my problem what do you think guys.
pete...................................

colzak · Post by **colzak** » 09 Jun 2005, 02:14

Hi Pete,
I rememer that my Xantia TD seemed to follow inclined bends quite well,
almost on its own sometimes, which was an indication of tracking aparantly, but as previously stated the tracking was fine,,,cant, remember what position the steering wheel pointed in exactly but I know holding it streight level caused the car to vear off onto the middle of the road,,,,,I can understand that you may be thinking the steering rack isn,t central,,,I did,,,,I also thought the off-side suspension sphere was on its way out,,,but all my ''****ged car demons'' were dispelled when I changed the front tyres,,,,,,I still drive the car and its a beaut,,,this is my 1997 xantia TDSX AS OPPOSED TO MY Xantia 2.0i SX, which has a height corrector glitch,,,anyway good luck

pete@co.uk · Post by **pete@co.uk** » 10 Jun 2005, 00:12

thanks colzak
ok ill try changing the wheels round i/e front to rear see if it make any differance
pete........................

FrenchLeave · Post by **FrenchLeave** » 10 Jun 2005, 04:13

By all means change your tyres around, but I fail to see how dodgy tyres can sometimes cause pulling and sometimes not.

PeterMann · Post by **PeterMann** » 10 Jun 2005, 14:25

I've not had this problem, and I've not looked at the servovalve that feeds to the power asst ram, but servovalves can be upset by dirt lodging in strategic orifices or blocking in-valve filters. Pulling steering is something to take seriously, especially when one tends to drive with small margins of error.

broomie · Post by **broomie** » 10 Jun 2005, 19:49

OK simple things can be missed - the car was at the correct height and engine running when tracked?
PaulB

pete@co.uk · Post by **pete@co.uk** » 10 Jun 2005, 22:35

hi broomie & peter
yes it was on the correct height when tracked
peter your post sounds interesting also ive noticed the steering to be slightly heaver compared to other xantias so you could be on the right track tell me more also if anyone else has any ideas or experianced anything like this id apprecite all the help i can get on this.
pete............................