Xantia II - Knocking from steering

[lancia58]

When turning the steering wheel rapidly left and right I can hear/feel knockings. Both wishbones bushes front and rear are OK. The car is Xantia II 16V Automatic fitted with power steering. Any ideas ?

Thanks
Zohar

[falling-out-with-my-car]

Zohar,

rapid movent of the steering seems to do this on mine anyway I dont think they are designed to be moved rapidly.
just out of interest are you doing this with the car standing still? as this will strain the steering
dragging those big wide tyres across the ground.
My 1998 mk2 had vibration for a while mostly in the summer months
It occurred more when going full lock and turnning right.
I was told that the teflon bushes in the ends of the steering rack loose their teflon coating
and tend to stick, I pumped lithium grease into the steering rack boot after makiing a small slit with a scalpel which stopped the vibration eventually. I sealed the slit with superglue after pumping spray lithium grease into the boot by cutting the cans plastic tube spray tube in half and extending it with 2.5mm yellow/green electrical cable earth insulation.
this gave me a very long nozzell with which to fill the boot with grease.

The vibration stopped and hasnt returned.

[lancia58]

Hi

I am doing this with the car standing still and the engine running

Thanks
Zohar

[falling-out-with-my-car]

I get the same thing on mine if the car is standing still and engine running if it doesnt do it whilst driving the car
dont worry about it.
as I said the steering isnt meant to be moved rapidly especially without the car moving.
Have you ever noticed how easier it is to steer a car without power steering when the car is moving compared
to standing still?
all that extra strain imposed on your power steering rack can't be a good thing.

Zohar,
Try openning the throttle a tadf and doing it again mine stops doing it probably because the LHM pump is pumping
faster.

[lancia58]

Hi

The cause is worn steering ram bushes

Zohar

[lancia58]

Hi

I have a Xantia MK2 with a power steering. The steering ram bushes are worn .When turning the steering wheel rapidly left/right a knocking is heard. I logon to Citroen service and I could only find the steering ram ( part # 4005.A2) but not the bushes. Can the bushes be bought separately or they are integral part of the steering ram ?

Thanks
Zohar

[falling-out-with-my-car]

Yes Pleiades has replaced them before they are apparently Teflon coated bushes and the Teflon wears off of them then they wear and cause the knocking, I made a tiny whole in the steering rack boot with a scalpel and filled the passenger side boot with spray lithium grease , the knocking has stopped, I used thick superglue to re-seal the dust cover boot.
the rack needs to come out to replace the bushes and its a pig of a job because the engine needs rocking forward on its mountings to get the rack in and out. why not try the spray lithium grease it worked for me. you can't get grease into the lhm as there is an oil seal behind the bushes.

[addo]

The rams I've seen, all have been built new with a sleeved rubber bush each end (metal outer "shell", rubber bonded inside that, then a small metal inner "crush tube"). No Teflon.

What really screws things up, are the two sizes I cannot make sense of. It just seems that some rams have one bush and others, the different size.

It's possible to remove the ram alone - I don't advise as it is messy and there's potential for dirt to enter the feed pipes. On a "CAG" car like Zohar has, it's probably easier to remove the rack from the left wheelarch. Important to disconnect the height corrector plastic link first, as one step in removal is undoing the lower suspension arm from the subframe.

The clear gaiter can probably be replaced by a rubber/thermoplastic bellows.

[falling-out-with-my-car]

well I can only go on what I have been told by Pleiades, perhaps different models had different bushes according to the different pressures involved? we already know that the front flexible accumulator pipe from the engine to chassis is designed with different pressures according to the particular model i.e. SX or VSX, perhaps the steering rack designs were also dependant upon the pressures involved and not necessarily standardised across the range.
In trying to replace the flexible supply pipe from the front accumulator on a VSX mk1 we soon found out that a Mk2 SX pipe had a much lower pressure capability than that of the VSX mk1 model, which needs a higher pressure to operate the steering rams.
I note you point out a clear original gaiter on the end of the rack the replacement kit for the clear gaiter is a black rubber convoluted boot.