Very light (dangerous) steering problem rev2 turbo

[djminor]

Since i purchased my car, the steering has felt so light its dangerous!

At 5mph or 155mph (only on track of course), it feels as if the front wheels are floating on air and i have no feedback whats so ever.
It gets extremely dangerous when i need to change lanes and cross the road markings, as it then feels like driving on ice and jerks badly (v/dangerous on the motorway)!

I get the tracking done once a month (so i have some sort of feedback) have cleaned the relay, replaced both front shocks (oem) & drop links, which made a slight improvement but nothing major + have taken her to two garages (one a specialist in mr2's), whom couldnt find the problem!
Can anyone help as its turning into a real nuisance and pocket burner?

HAVE A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

[cvega666]

power steering always on ? does your speedo work ?

[RikH77]

as mentionned, check ps system, maybe bleed and flush?

[going4the1]

I found that the 'floaty' sensation disappeared after I retro-fitted the rev 5 wind-deflectors in front of the front wheels.

[djminor]

Thanks for the quick reply's.
The power steering pump has been proven to work correctly and the speedo is working within the normal range.
Im convinced the extreme lightness couldnt be caused by the power steering system/pump however i will take ur advice and flush the system.

Any further advice would be great!

[cvega666]

I had that problem, but in my case, the speedo sensor in the gearbox was broken, therefore no speedo - no speed signal to the ECU - engine light on above 40mph and power steering always on - not very fun at 80 mph. However, after replacing the sensor, all went back to normal.

[djminor]

The garage i took my car to confirmed that even if the car sensed i was doing 5mph at 70, the steering would still not be that light, leading me to believe its not the pas thats at fault.
However, when coming to a standstill after a long journey at a constant speed, the speedo did stick at 70 (twice), but has only happened once and has worked correctly both before and after.

[Peter Gidden]

Tyre pressures and geometry come to mind way before PAS faults.

[djminor]

Thanks for the advice.
i have experimented with various tyre pressures on both front and rear with differating results. Some worked better than others depending on road conditions, but far from solved the problem.
Doesn't a full wheel alignment require some adjustment the geometry (although i do have aftermarket alloys which i agree will upset the handling some what)?

[dantheman]

i cannot fathom it to be anything other than the power steering. theres a simple check. find a quiet road. drive along at 5 or 10 mph then turn the key to off and try a slalom. now do it again but with the engine on and compare. if it feels different between tests its power steering. if not its something else. however i cant see how it can ever feel light without power steering assistance. bad geometry and low tyre pressures always make steering heavier. Unless you have a lot of play in your steering system be it the column the rack or the rack mounting its got to be power steering.

[djminor]

Thanks, didnt think of trying that to test the pas, but i did try it to test out my turbo timer & in the process almost crashed into some parked cars as the steering became extremely heavy

[Peter Gidden]

I get the tracking done once a month!

What?

And does it need adjusting each time?

+ have taken her to two garages (one a specialist in mr2's), whom couldnt find the problem!

And did either garage, especially the "specialist", agree there was a problem, even if thay could find nothing wrong?

I doubt very much it's the PAS. You appear to have a basic fault in either a component or set-up.

[djpkins]

castor, camber and toe mate.
before....floaty and snappy


after...pukka and sweet

[Super_red]

I'd say PAS aswell as I've had this on mine, if no speed signal gets to the PAS then it will assume you are parking all the time, the speed signal could be broken even if the speedo is still working.

I would suggest a safer method to test would be simply remove the PAS fuse or unplug the electric motor and go for a drive.

[djminor]

Thanks everyone for your help.
Yes, everytime i get the alignment checked it does require adjustment and both garages did agree there was a problem, but neither could locate it & just said i would have to wait for the problem to get worse before it could be diagnosed!

Think ill take her down the industrial estate, remove the pas fuse and see what happens.
As Peter mentioned, i do think its most likely due to to component(s), but im not a mechanic and dont want to spend out more money without being able to narrow down the possibilities some what

[dantheman]

alignment needs adjusting once a month? Sounds like the alignment is never really 'set' in the first place.

another experiment for you should you go get another alignment.

Get them to set the car properly. drive off the ramp, once round the car park or block and back onto the ramp then get them to check the settings. If they are different from 5 minutes ago theres got to be an element of free play somewhere.

[bobhatton]

If you can do 155 mph then the speed cut has been removed. If that has not been done correctly the pas will not reduce as your speed increases. This will make the front end feel very light.
Remove the PAS fuse and take it for a high speed run, you will soon tell if that has got rid of the problem

[djminor]

You're correct in noting the original 180kph limiter has been removed (upon importation and required UK conversion).
I was advised by my garage that even if the power steering pump was always on, the steering would still not be as light as it is, however, I do have a small amount movement in the steering wheel (ie a few + & - cm lock), but i can't call it play exactly, as the wheels do move & respond to input within this range, but provide absolutely no feedback.

[bobhatton]

Try it without the PAS on, take the fuse out, you will soon know then.
My son had the same problem with his first MR2, removed the PAS rack and been racing it for the last two years

[djminor]

Ok, i have removed the pas fuse and it did make a huge difference, however, the steering still feels lighter than it should and still provides minimal feedback.
Can anyone please advise?

Ps.
Good luck Bob "South West Toyota MR2 specialist" and your son Stephen (i believe, but could wrong), regarding your hill climb trials.