Pug 306 steering rack ??? - solara
Hi,

My Pugs a 306XTDT (1993) with 132K on the clock.
I'm still investigating the slight steering pull my car has to the right. Car has new wishbones, and new tie rod ball joints, 4-wheels aligned and has just passed its annual MOT.

My suspicion regarding the steering pull is currently on the steering rack. I notice that when I rock the steering with engine turned off (car has power steering) I get a slight knock-knock sound (as if there is some play). I dont know whether this is normal or its just me getting paranoid. Im sure if it was bad, it would have failed the MOT as the MOT garage is quite fussy. Fellow Pug306 owners try it out and let me know.

I had a look at the Peugeot CD parts catalogue, and it appears the steering rack ram piston has a clip-on washer between the piston ram and the connecting rod (in the rubber gaiter).
Do these wear?Has anyone ever had to change these? Also the connecting rods must have some sort of ball joint at the ram end. Again, do these wear, has anyone had to change these (the connecting rods)?

Your thoughts appreciated.

Regards
Solara
Pug 306 steering rack ??? - Civic8
Its passed an MOT so would expect rack to be ok. Your point about 4 wheel alignment. it depends on who does it. personaly I would think tracking has only been adjusted on one side (that is if it has been adjusted) Tracking is or should be adjusted equally between both wheels. if not ie one side only. tyre is pulling off centre which may explain your prob. just a thought and may be wrong?
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Was mech1
Pug 306 steering rack ??? - solara
I am reluctant to spend another £35 quid getting the wheel alignment checked to find it makes no difference. I would like to atleast change a few things before getting it laser checked/adjusted. I'm even tempted to have a go at manually adjusting my wheel alignment using a makeshift adjustment caliper.

Anyone rocked their steering on a pug306+pas yet?
Pug 306 steering rack ??? - dieselhead
rocked the steering on my peugeot 306 diesel turbo and i didn't notice any knocking noises. it's done 82k miles and had the steering ram replaced at 70k miles because it was dripping fluid.
Would be cheapest having it put on a garage ramp to diagnose rather than changing bits until it goes away, should be easy then to hear/see where the noise is coming from either the column UJ to rack, bottom swivel joints, worn/loose rack mounts etc.
Pug 306 steering rack ??? - solara
Thanks for trying it out. Sounds like the inner bushes on the steering rack connecting rods may be causing the play, and soft knocking noise. Will open the gaiters and take a peek, next time I have it on the pit. I am not loosing an steering fluid, so my ram should be okay.

Its not the noise that concerns me, its more the steering veer and its likely cause.

Nothing else has been specifically changed to rectify this problem (apart from track/tie rod ends which had some play). The other bits that were changed were part of routine maintenance.
Pug 306 steering rack ??? - dieselhead
Just a thought can you feel any play when you rock the road wheel with the car safely supported on an approved axle stand ? ..also the steering veer problem could be caused by a problem with the rear axle. theyre mounted on some metalistic bushes that weaken with age and allow the axle to move about. Don't want to sound like a merchant of doom but could check for the back wheels toeing out indicating problems with the axle bearings. Just my 2p worth.
Pug 306 steering rack ??? - dieselhead
Re steering pull problem..I replaced the wishbone bushes and swapped the OSF and NSF tyres over on my 306 last night as the NS was wearing badly on the outide edge. This caused the steering to pull to the right. Replacing the tyres in their origonal position has totally cured the problem. Just need to get the tracking done now.
Just thought yours could be a similar problem, if one tyres worn more than the other and you swapped them over after working on the car, suggest swapping fronts over to see if it makes any difference.