proceedure to identify track rod issues?

[fotobright]

Howdy,

My 98 xantia td estate is extra rattly and a less then presise od steering at the moment. That'll be the farm track no doubt.
I've done the outer track rode ends several times already as mot fails however i've never been taught how to inspect the car to identify the issue. the track rods feel tight but it might not be that. Its definately front end nut the car has a little bit too much roll,w hch may or may not be connected

Whats the proceedure to identify track rod issues?

Thanks

[Mandrake]

If a track rod end is worn you should be able to jack the car up, remove the wheel, then grasping the hub on each side and attempting to rock it back and forth on its pivot will reveal any slack in the joint, its usually pretty obvious.

First suspect if the front end is rattly over harsh surfaces is roll-bar drop links. Some people say that you can find the slack in them by grasping the rod and trying to rock it sideways, I've never had much luck identifying worn drop links, its the sort of thing that you usually prove are faulty by replacing them and having the symptoms go away...

Other possibilities for a rattle are the brake callipers rattling (mine do that sometimes) or the lower ball joint on the hub. I wouldn't have thought worn joints would cause increased body roll, if you really do have unusually large body roll I think you'll find that's unrelated to worn joints.

Lack of precise steering could be wheel tracking set incorrectly, worn lower arm bushes, among other things.

[fotobright]

Thanks, i'll try all those suggestions tomorrow. I'll prob just buy a pair of roll-bar drop links to eliminate that issue. The excess roll has been reduce by pumping up the tyres, bleedin' obvious but it wasnt so clear one at the offside was way down... saying all that the old girl just aint as tight as she used to be (now thats a line straight out of Viz comic)

Just spent the day bypassing the wiring loom and connecting the headlights stalk directly to the battery. In a bizarre scenario I lost full/dipped/side lights and immobilizer pad but kept the brake light, indicators and horn? Never did find the broken wire in the loom so bypassed and now all works on an alt wiring patch. Blimey!

[addo]

The simple test is a side-side wiggle of the wheel with front jacked up.

A more involved assessment is to disconnect the outer end from your hub carrier. The "set" of inner and outer pieces should not droop under its own weight, but hold any position you put it in. The outer balljointed stub should be very stiff to move by hand.

[Mandrake]

The simple test is a side-side wiggle of the wheel with front jacked up.

For some reason I don't find it as easy to tell if there is slack if the wheel is still on. Perhaps partly because I'm looking visually for relative movement between the track rod and hub...

A more involved assessment is to disconnect the outer end from your hub carrier. The "set" of inner and outer pieces should not droop under its own weight, but hold any position you put it in.

Yikes. By that reckoning my inner track rod joints are well and truly stuffed...

[RichardW]

It can be difficult to detect play in a TRE on a Xantia with it on high / jacked up - the angle on the joint jams it. Instead just rock the wheel with it on the ground. If there is play in the TRE you will feel / hear it.

[fotobright]

An interesting range of options, wheel on or off. Thanks.
I''ll try those options, although 'disconnecting the outer end of the hub carrier' might have to wait. What with the headlights, the door hinge re-weld, the in- tank fuel filter cleanout, passenger wing mirror removing itself, veg oil on the back seats, immobilizer defunct. Its been quite a week on planet Citroen!

[c.morewood]

"Lack of precise steering could be /////, worn lower arm bushes, among other things."
From my experience....
2 easy ways to identify front wheel worn lower arm bushes especially the rears. Try the power on and off whilst holding the steering wheel straight. If the car starts to wander at each power change chances are one of the rubbers has started to go.
And with the wheel off, put a right angled bar , like a gorilla bar, in behind the rear joint. the rubber should have 2-3mm of movement any more and its on its way out.

Chris