Peugeot Re: checking front end

From: Skip Sorvillo (skipsorvillo@yahoo.com)
Date: Sun 17 Feb 2002 - 19:56:57 EST

  • Next message: Robert Jensen: "leather interiors"

    Hi Anup,

    I'm not so sure about the steering shimmy at all
    speeds but loss of steering feel or tracking on turns
    definitely sounds like a bad ball joint to me. I had
    a bad one a few years ago and most of the time it was
    fine....no symptoms. But on cornering, the ball joint
    would occasionally move and it felt like the car had
    jumped track.

    Testing the front suspension is best done on a hoist
    but it can be done with a jack. Put the car on a
    hoist or jack up one side. Grab the jacked up wheel
    at 9 and 3 o'clock and wiggle back and forth. Any
    movement of that wheel without a corresponding and
    equal movement of the opposite wheel indicates
    looseness in either the suspension or the wheel
    bearing.

    Then, keeping your hands in the same place, rotate the
    wheel so that your hands are at 12 and 6 o'clock and
    repeat the wiggle test. If you now have NO movement
    then you have a suspension problem. If you still have
    movement, you may have both a suspension and wheel
    bearing problem.

    Repeat the above tests on the other side.

    To test the ball joint, pry with a pry bar or similar
    tool between the lower control arm and the ball
    joint...there should be NO movement.

    To test the outer tie rod end, try to compress the TRE
    with a large channel lock while pulling on the tie rod
    in the opposite direction...there should be NO
    movement.

    For the inner TRE either remove the boot and watch it
    as you wiggle the wheel or have an assistant "feel"
    the TRE through the boot as you wiggle the
    wheel...there should be NO movement.

    I have seen rack mounting problems/looseness on other
    cars but never on a Peugeot. There are only 2
    mounting bolts, check them for tightness and wear.

    Also, check the sway bar mountings for tightness and
    wear.

    If the wheel bearing is loose enough, you should be
    able to see the movement by wiggling the wheel while
    looking at the wheel/hub area from the inboard side of
    the wheel.

    Regards, Skip

    __________________________________________________
    Do You Yahoo!?
    Yahoo! Sports - Coverage of the 2002 Olympic Games
    http://sports.yahoo.com

    This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.4 : Sun 17 Feb 2002 - 19:57:39 EST