Hi all, got an issue I’m struggling to diagnose and would appreciate your thoughts.

Since I bought the P38 it’s steering wheel has to be held about 10 degrees/1 o’clock to drive in a straight line. If I let go, it centres and therefore pulls slightly to the left.

I’ve put up with it for a couple of years, blaming bad (massive) tyres, bad bushes, ball joints, poor height calibration etc. Ive fixed all of these.

I’ve just taken it to have the tracking/alignment done, figuring it must be that. However they said it was not out of line...

So now I’m stumped. The only bushes didn’t do were the rear radius arms but they looked new.

Any ideas? It’s not a problem but I’m a bit of a perfectionist!!

Thanks

There's multiple splined joints between steering wheel and steering box, so the column and wheel can be set just about anywhere you want. The steering box needs to be centralised (lug on the input shaft) and the column and wheel then set straight with respect to that. Then you adjust the centering on the drag link. If you set the wheels in straight ahead, adjust the drag link so the box is centralised, then adjust the wheel to that.

Thanks, guessing I need some alignment tools to do this??

Not necessarily but you will need a flat straight piece of road to check it on. Drive the car so it is tracking straight ahead, then with the steering lock off (key in), check the steering box and see if the marks are aligned. There's a lug on a plastic ring around the input shaft and a matching lug cast into the steering box body. If they aren't, there's your problem so you need to adjust the drag link. With the wheels on the ground and the steering lock off, as you adjust the drag link (you'll probably need lots of Plus Gas and a big pair of Stilsons and the suspension on high to give you more room to swing on it), it will turn the input shaft rather than the wheels. Once the box is centralised with the wheels straight ahead, you can adjust the steering wheel on the splines either at the intermediate steering shaft or the steering wheel itself. Don't forget that any adjustment of the upper column will affect the indicator cancelling. If that is keener to cancel when turning one way than the other, the upper shaft isn't centralised, so adjusting at the intermediate shaft is where you want to make any changes. If it appears to be central, it is the wheel that needs moving on the column.

Thanks, I’ll get a top up of plus gas and plan to sort this during lockdown 2.0...

That abs fault went away!!

amazing well made explanation!

Update on this... it pulls slightly left when I let go of the steering wheel, but the wheel is central at that point. When the steering wheel is centre (and car pull left) the notches are aligned. When the car is steered straight, the plastic notch is about 5mm more clockwise than the notch on box.

Not adjusted anything yet as don’t want to make it worse!!

Does the adjustment have to happen on the ground? I have access to a 2 post lift.

You need the wheels setting straight and the drag link adjusting so the notches on the steering box are aligned and the steering wheel are straight. With it in the air will make adjusting the drag link easier (more room to swing on it) but there won't be any resistance to stop the wheels from turning rather than the steering box moving in relation to the wheels. It's probably best to free off the drag link with it in the air, then do the adjustments with the wheels on the ground.

Ah, makes sense that it uses the ground resistance. Will pluck up the enthusiasm at some point to have a go.....

Thank you for your advice as always...

Also, make sure that your alignment is done with the vehicle at standard suspension height - the steering geometry changes as the suspension is raised/lowered and the wheel will be offset a bit in one direction or the other (which is normal) if the suspension isn't at standard.

I'm pretty sure there's a note about it in either the owners manual or RAVE mentioning that the alignment should be done at normal suspension height.