Confusion over tracking adjustment

[yaverland]

Had the front wheel toe in adjusted recently in the local garage and they were confused on how the adjustment is done, my car is a Mk2 3.4 with the older burman power steering but it has replacement adjustable outer tie rods. They made the adjustments using the outer tie rods but of course the manual says the adjustment should be made using the centre tie rod as of course when my car left the factory it would have had fixed length outer tie rods. The only strange thing is that when the steering is in the straight ahead position the steering box drop arm is a few mm off the centre position which means there is a slight difference between the amount of RH and LH steering lock. Would appreciate any advice on this from our experts - Alan

[piman]

Hello Alan,

I would say it's usual to centre the steering mechanism, be it box or rack before setting the toe in. As you say it alters the amount of lock available with it set that way. I don't think that it is critical and possibly the only irritation may be if the indicator striker is not in it's neutral position when the wheels are straight ahead. It's a while since I have had a steering wheel off a MK 2 so can't remember if the indicator reset striker is fixed on the column or on the wheel. That can be rectified by disconnecting the column and rotating it to the neutral position then re set the steering wheel.

Alec

[ptjs1]

Alan,

I remember this issue from many years ago. One of our members had written:

"On cars with PAS the centre tie-rod should be set to a length of 41.7 mm between centres and the toe-in adjusted with the outer tie-rods after centering the steering box."

It seems to be that it's always important to set up the steering box / rack first on a PAS system as otherwise the system will be "powering" when the wheels are straight ahead rather than being in a neutral state. That's certainly true on later models with steering racks but not sure if equally true on your Burman system?

Good luck

Paul

[yaverland]

Hi sorry about delay in getting back on this many thanks for the replies. The measurement of 41.7 mm is that meant to be cm as the centre tie rod is near 41.7cm between centres. I think you have hit the nail on the head as steering box is not centralised when the wheels are in the straight ahead position, I can correct that I think by adjusting the centre tie rod to 41.7cm and then have to reset the tracking with the outer tie rods.
This was a manual steering car and ive gone to a lot of trouble in order to keep it as original as possible by sourcing and overhauling the correct parts to add power steering to it but im a little disappointed in the lack of power assistance obtained. I used to have a Daimler V8 250 with much the same system except the pump was driven directly from the fan belt and the steering was very light so not sure if this is a pump or steering box problem or if its normal. - Alan

[yaverland]

Just an update on this, I fitted a 2000psi oil damped pressure gauge in the feed from the pump to the steering box and found virtually no pressure is being developed (manual quotes 850 - 1000psi with the steering under load). I do have another pump which has had all the seals renewed which im going to fit today so have to see how it works out. Its very disappointing and im beginning to think about other options such as a modern upgrade but would appreciate expert opinions. - Alan

[davidcmaggs217]

Hi Alan
I am also really interested in replies to this.
I rebuilt my Burman box and have largely fixed the leaks. It did not seem to be in bad condition, just all the rubber seals were dried out and flat, hence the leaks. Since refitting I have been unable to get the steering assistance to be the same in both directions. Like you I have adjustable out tie rods which I have tried my best to make the same length. I did not touch the central tie rod so it should be the same as before this all started. I have very good power assistance turning left, but very little self centering. I have very poor - maybe zero assistance turning right, but on the move it comes back to center well. I also think I have a small pull to the left, but is hard to judge as I am driving a LHD car in the UK?
My understanding is that the box should be kind of self centering and toe in should be adjusted only on the central tie rod - as originally the outer tie rods or track rods were fixed. My toe in was pretty close when I had it checked. So far I have tried to move the pitman arm one spline on the output shaft from the steering box, but this does not seem to have made a difference. I am thinking of tearing down the box again, a new set of seals is cheap, and seeing if I did anything wrong there?

Regards
David

PS - Many years ago I replaced the original system with a modern rack - due to the leaks, but I hated the rack, the steering feel was terrible and the turning circle was very limited. I kept the original parts and refitted after the box rebuild.