Can you overtighten the clamps that hold the steering rack on?
Turbo Mini Forums

Had a problem with the mini yesterday on the way home it developed loads of play in the steering, about half a turn before the steering reacted to the steering wheel!!!

got it home, and jacked it up, there is no play in the wheels!

On the way home, sometimes the steering wheel would be central sometimes it would be half a turn out, when going in a straight line!!

I tightened up the rack bolts under the carpet on the floorpan, not until they wouldnt tighten anymore, but a fair bit they were really loose, and now theres alot less play, but its hard to steer!!

The steering has gone really stiff, im wondering if you can overtighten them?

thanks alot! James

Previous Engine: 1040cc Morespeed engine, 1275 turbo head T2 Turbo Mirage Manifolds Megajolt
Previous engine: STD metro turbo, megajolt
Drives: 399bananahp (flywheel) Honda Civic Vtec b18c4 T28 Turbo 1968 Mini

Megajolt maps to download: http://www.jamesfawcett.co.uk/cms/index.ph...&gid=3&Itemid=3

Have you over tightened them with ure rack not centralised? So the splines that go through the rack into the car are touching the outside of the hole?

IS your tracking bolloxed and making the steering harder?

hi james

the symptoms you explained would lead me to this conclusion....

for reasons like maintenance or just plain worn out parts

i seems.... that some part of your streering has seized say the ball joints have no lubrication or are seized or....

the steering rack is seized placing great stress on your steering colum SPLINES. partially stripping the splines.

this is why your steering became free and you could turn the steering wheel halfe a turn without no wheel movement!

untill you tightend up nut up!

i bet the splines are naffed up!

what you need to do is dont drive the car untill you have fixed the problem as this could be very dangerouse

jack the car up and disconnect the track rod ends, now does the steering wheel feel normal ?

if so the problem lies within the ball joints or track rod ends as mentioned!

if not the problem lies within the rack.

test the rod ends to see if they are free to eliminate these!

you need to remove the colum to inspect the splines to see that these are not naffed up like a said.

this should place you in the ball park keep us posted

Edited by BENROSS on 25th Jul, 2005.

Yes agree with Ben 100%

I have seen this happen on customers cars when I used to work at a Mini centre NUMEROUS times. The steering column inner shaft splines strip off. You usually will find that the rack splines are OK still as the material is harder.
You need to change your steering column ASAP do not drive the car until you fix this.