Advice wanted - Lumpy steering issue

[Boost All The Dollys]

Hi all

After my usual run-about failed it’s MOT, I’ve been driving my dolomite around while I wait for parts and I’ve noticed something that I can’t get to the bottom off…

My steering is strangely lumpy.

Like going from lock to lock, it kind of goes stiff for a quarter turn, loosens up for the next quarter, then repeats. It also as a odd dead zone when changing directions and at dead straight where there is very little steering feel and the car does turn slightly but only the smallest amount that you wouldn’t even call it steering. Under normal driving, this stiffness will even hold the wheels in place if I let go of the steering wheel.


My assumption would be that it’s something in the steering rack but it would be stiff all the time. Maybe the track rods are also worn which is giving me the dead zone but wouldn’t explain the lumpy steering. I’ve tried looking it up online and it just leads me to modern cars having power steering problems

Anyway, any help would be greatly appreciated

[cliftyhanger]

Sounds like a steering UJ to me. Tight/loose/tight/loose.
Try jacking the front of teh car, spray teh UJ (or both if you have a solid lower UJ) with WD40 and spin the steering wheel back and forward. See if that works some crud out of the UJ. May take a few goes. I tend to then use engine oil from my squirty can, work that in, then flush out with WD40 again. Then finally a couple of drops of engine oil.

[Carledo]

What he said! ^^^^^^^

It's almost a raging certainty that the upper UJ on the intermediate steering shaft (nearest the bulkhead) has partially seized.

This happens a lot on cars that are used infrequently. Unfortunately there's no way to grease them.

Freeing them off with WD and oil works, but, IME, not always for long.

Steve

[Boost All The Dollys]

Sounds like a steering UJ to me. Tight/loose/tight/loose.
Try jacking the front of teh car, spray teh UJ (or both if you have a solid lower UJ) with WD40 and spin the steering wheel back and forward. See if that works some crud out of the UJ. May take a few goes. I tend to then use engine oil from my squirty can, work that in, then flush out with WD40 again. Then finally a couple of drops of engine oil.

What he said! ^^^^^^^

It's almost a raging certainty that the upper UJ on the intermediate steering shaft (nearest the bulkhead) has partially seized.

This happens a lot on cars that are used infrequently. Unfortunately there's no way to grease them.

Freeing them off with WD and oil works, but, IME, not always for long.

Steve

Cheers to you both, I’ve done what you said Clifty and got the car in the air and even with the wheels off the ground, it was still needed one full hand pull to turn the wheel so definitely was the UJs. I’ve sprayed them with brake cleaner in the hopes of removing all the old greasy crap out of them and ran it from lock to lock for about 10 full minutes and it’s entirely freed up to the point I can go lock to lock with one finger. I’ve then tried to push some grease back in with great difficulty so I poured some oil over them and worked wheel a bit to try and move it into the bearings and displace any remaining crap.

It would make sense seeing as I haven’t used the car since 2015 so I’d say that’s pretty infrequently . I had a spare one that I’d have to my brother annoyingly, but seeing as I can’t get the old one out without removing some engine parts, I’ll wait till I next tear the car down to fit a new one along with some new tie rods