Hi,
I was wondering if anyone could maybe give me an answer on the tracking on my vectra.
It is a Y reg 1.8 LS petrol and has done 165000 miles.
I changed two tyres last year and asked them to put the new ones on the back and move the two old back ones to the front and check the tracking at the same time. After they had finished the steering wheel was off centre. So I took it back and the guy adjusted it again but when I drove it, it was still off to the left but not as much. Couldn't be done with the grief and lived with it.
This year I have done the same thing with the tyres because the front ones needed changing. I thought i'd ask them to do the tracking again. He said it was out and adjusted it. Now the steering wheel is out pointing to the right!
I don't want to sound picky but its just annoying.
What can you say when you ask for the tracking to be done and not sound awkward?
Moreover, Is there anything wrong with the car that could make the tracking difficult to allign correctly?
At the M.O.T. they said that there was slight free play in the steering. Could this be related?
Or, are the fitters that are doing the work just having a laugh?
These were two different garages by the way.
Someone said the steering rack might need changing. How can I tell if this is the case?
Thanks any help you can give us.
Mark
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The Vectra has always had a reputation for slack developing in the universal joint (UJ) at the bottom of the steering column connecting it to the rack. The chances are that any slack will be due to this.
You can be easily check by sticking your head down in the drivers footwell and watching the UJ while gently wagling the steering wheel.
Regards.
Brian
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Cheers Brian.
I'll check that today.
Is the UJ expensive/difficult to replace?
Just rang Vauxhall about tracking. Turns out the steering wheel is on a spline so it only fits five ways which means they havn't done the tracking properly either.
Thanks mate.
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they havn't done the tracking properly either.
Correct. Sounds like they've only ajusted one track rod arm, instead of both and therefore not centralising the steering rack in the process.
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I imagine that replacing the UJ would be relatively cheap and straight forward to do.
As this would also affect the alignment of the steering wheel and the rack, it would probably be a good time to get the tracking adjustment problem sorted all at the same time.
All the best
Brian
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Many years ago I was having my wife's Nova tracking done & they used a metal thingy sat on the driver's seat & locked to the steering wheel to keep the steering wheel in the straight ahead position before they started work.
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Thanks for the advice guys.
Ive looked at the UJ but it appears to in pretty good nick.
My mate reckons that the steering rack might need changing to get rid of the free play.
Is it worth doing this? Sounds like an expensive job to me. Could your average JO like me attempt it?
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You're getting to the extent of my knowledge on such things regarding changing steering racks. It may be that the pinion can be adjusted to reduce the play in the rack if this is the problem.
However it always used to be that steering racks wore more around the straight ahead driving position and less towards the extremes of lock. You could try this and see if the play is different in different positions of the rack.
Another possible source of play, other than a loose steering rack, is track rod ends but I think this normally gives tyre wear problems.
Anybody else out there with any knowledge/experience of this sort of problem?
Brian
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