[Kim]

Need some help here guys.



Took my car into the Porsche shop for the annual spring review, needed inner tie rod ends both sides. So I got that done. Got it aligned, steering wheel seemed off-centre so I complained and got it realigned. Car came back and seemed no better but then I paid more attention and noted an odd issue with steering wheel. Sometimes, the wheel is straight (12:00) when the car goes straight. Then, for no obvious reason, the wheel moves to a position of about 11:30, the car still goes straight. No pull to the side noted. Almost like there is a "washer" or "bushing" missing that lets the rack move around a bit.



Took it back, another alighment, same thing. Was told that the strut mounts were cracked, causing flexing, and that was the issue. Got them replaced and car re-aligned. Alignment specs as per factory standard specs, car has no upper or lower braces and is not M030. Steering wheel still in same 11:30 position, occasionally moving to 12:00 with no obvious reason. It does seem, however, that when I make a sharp right turn followed by driving straight (ie pulling out of a driveway) the wheel has a better chance to be straight for a few miles.



Went to airport on Thursday with a business partner and parked to let him out. Pulled handbrake on as I did not shut the engine off. Drove away with brake on by mistake - only about 10 feet and brake was barely engaged anyway - and then pulled it back off. Steeing wheel was now straight. That is the only thing that I have noticed that actually seemed to be related.



Ideas? Front tires show NO wear to suggest that the alignment itself is incorrect.



This happened once previously a long time ago and supposedly a bushing or something had been left off during a steering rack replacement. That problem was fixed.

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[jaap]

The steering rack is connected to the car by (I think) only two clamps which have a rubber bush with two raised edges. These bushes/edges wear out and can then not hold the rack in the correct place. On one of our Dutch 968 DIY days someone had the excact same problem which was fix by installing two new bushes.



Jaap

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[Kim]

So what fastens to the steering rack? Going from rack to wheel what is the order of the parts? The inner tie rods? And where are these bushings? holding the rack to the car or between the rack and the next parts? would the rack need to be removed or loosened to install new inner tie rods?

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[jaap]

The clamps hold the bush and steering rack to the car, see image. If the bushes fail the rack can shift slightly from side to side affecting the steering wheel position. The rack does not have to be removed to replace the bushes.

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[TonD]

I remember that Jaap, next time my car was in the shop I had them replaced as well. I thought "Just in case", but they were pretty much gone as well.



Should solve the problem.

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[Kim]

You are all just too kind. Thank you.

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[tamathumper]

I notice this too, Kim, as well as a clunk in the steering wheel when braking more than gently. I had already made a note to inspect these the next time the car is in the air.

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[TonD]

Tama, not to discourage but.. I have the occasional clunk too (luckily already there before I started messing about with the brakes...), and this hasn't changed with the new rubbers. Still wondering what that might be as well.

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[tamathumper]

Poop.

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[Kim]

Really, isn't it all.

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[Kim]

So......



1. Bolts holding rack u-clamps to subframe wouldn't tighten - holes are stripped. Need new subframe.

2. U-joint in steering shaft (wheel to rack) shot. Need new steering shaft.



Did I really need to new tie rods or strut mounts? Hmm .... who really knows.

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[tamathumper]

Poop.

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[Ryan]

Kim, I would think that the subframe would be Very expensive and you could drill out the holes and put in a heilicoil or some kind of anchor that would work.



The dealer just wants to throw money at the problem.

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[mbardeen]

More to the point, the dealer wants to throw your money at the problem. I would think Ryan's suggestion is the cheapest way to go. But if you really want to get a new sub-frame, I would think a three piece cross member would likely save you money in the long run (depending on how long you wanted to keep the car).

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[flash]

i would not do a 3 piece on a cab though. i just had the opportunity to do that, and thought about it long and hard. the resultant twisting would not be good for the car.



on a hardtop, you would probably be fine in street applications

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[banditsc]

If the dealer is willing to put in used, they are pretty cheap. Only $100 from DCAuto as opposed to $675 from Porsche. But if it were me, I would probably just go the helicoil route first.

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[bombfactory]

Chances are your inner tie rods are fine - there's really not much that can go wrong there unless you've been running with torn or missing accordion boots for quite some time. Which is not likely.



968 steering shaft is NLA. You'll have to pick up a used one, and might as well grab a cross-member while you're at it.



Strut mounts? I think most of us are in the 'I refuse to pay that much for that part' club and hoping a more sane solution will eventually present itself...

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[flash]

i don't think you will find anything that will do what the OEM unit does for under $300 each. it's a pretty complicated design. you can give some things up and get away cheaper, but to get it all, prepare to pay.



that is the only reason i bailed on the project.

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[Kim]

so, I ordered all the parts. Steering shaft is about $300, no mention of it being NLA. I might find out tomorrow on that. Yes, they can drill out the cross member and bolt right through it - they did that as a temporary repair. New part is about $1100. May as well fix it right. Flash - not the cab, it is the coupe. I already had the tie rods and strut mounts installed. The cab is getting "another treatment".

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[bombfactory]

Hm I was told last year when I needed one that the steering shaft was NLA (don't remember where I was looking tho), so I picked up a used one from OK Foreign. If you find a new one, let me know and I'll get one too - thanks!

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