Having a bit of a handling problem with my Saph. The steering feels very imprecise at motorway speeds, the car wanders a lot side to side, and feels quite unstable - you can really feel the tramlines in the outside lane. It makes it quite horrible to drive at anything over 60 ish.

The rack was leaking a week ago, I thought that was causing it, so put a new rack on, and tracking done and its still the same. The rubber donut in the steering joint looked fine when I checked, and the rest of the suspension has been done fairly recently (new arms, polybushes, tracking, etc). I've tried different wheels, with different pressures. No difference.
What can I try next?

 

check you strut top bushes

 

Strut top bearings, change the top bush aswell
My car does the same and i've put it down to them so will change next week.

 

Just been out to check them, one side had started to pop through the hole in the chassis, the lip had managed to get on to the top part. They're Flo Flex poly bushes, so maybe not a perfect fit.

Will take it out a spin tomorrow to see if that sorted it, many thanks for your help!

 

Flowflex????? say no more if you have any more flowflex bushes CHANGE them!!

 

If they do it again I will. Never had any problems with them otherwise.

 

Bud flowflex were cheap for a good reason everyone I know who has bought them binned them after few months use!

 

Another bad Flo-flex review.

These are going on ebay!

 

I did tell you before bud... lol

 

I know. Powerflex black series it is.

 

Well if anyones got any better top mounts, let us know

 

Use standard ford ones.

 

have you tried changing the arb itself?

has it always done this or is it a recent thing?

the 2wd 28mm arb would be worth fitting, just measure yours first to see if it's not the same though, the granada 24v used a 29.3mm arb which is a direct replacement fit if you can get one, improves the front end on even standard setups so worth investigating if you can get one for cheap enough

 

I've not changed the arb itself, although it has polybushes (powerflex though).
It has a very big arb - 29mm from memory - as it's a very late car, so I've been told it was probably just a parts bin special from the end of the Sierra run.

It's a fairly recent thing - definitely wasn't doing this before. I thought the leaking PAS rack was the cause, so was really pissed off when it was just the same after getting a new rack.

 

if it's the one in your sig then it'll be a 92 spec gls with abs and the 28mm arb but no rear arb

have you considered that your issues may not be coming from the front but from the rear?

 

Yep that's it Need to get a recent pic up, looks very different now.
Haven't thought about that, could be possible. Will give it a check over, anything to look out for, other than bushes/wheel bearings?

 

rear beam bushes would be the first port of call, just jack the car up and see if the beam bushes are shot or not, very very simple check

also, when you changed stuff on the front, did you do up the nuts and bolts on the arb and inner tca's while it was on the deck or while it was in the air?

you need to do them up when it's on the deck with normal weight on them so that they are located properly when they are driven, if you have tightened everything up in the air then the 3 or 4 inches worth of movement from when they are on the deck winds up the bushes and this can also give you issues

 

Will give it a good look over in the morning.

Not sure about tightening the bolts, can't remember how we did them. Would it help if I slackened them off, then tightened them again when the car is on the ground? How are you supposed to get to the arb mounts with the car on the ground, can't be more than a few inches under it.
Many thanks, Dojj

 

turn the steering wheel full to one side and you can get to the nut with a few extensions

 

or if you have a mate with a pit in the workshop

 

Dojj your the man.Top info again.