Hello everyone

Please have a look at video below (click on photo and raise volume) and share your thoughts about what could cause that steering noise.

It is a Felicia without power steering. The car is stationary, engine stopped. The sound is some sort of low pitch, muffled metallic clunk. I can feel it if I put my hand on steering column below dashboard.

Edited 21 October, 201213 yr by adurer

Are you sure it's one without power steering, I thought they all have that.

Don't know where the sound comes from, does the steering lock work correctly?

If it is manual steering the system is extremely simple. There are a series of knuckles on the steering column. This goes to the steering rack, when then gets to the track rod ends at the wheels. I'm wondering if the bit under the steering wheel that holds the steering column is in tact and firmly bolted on. It could be that someone has attempted to steal it in the past, by forcibly twisting the steering wheel, in an attempt to break the steering lock.

Are you sure it's one without power steering, I thought they all have that.

You mean if I am sure I somehow didn't miss the steering pump, reservoir, serpentine belt, delivery and return pipes, and, most of all, steering easiness ? Well... I didn't. It has no power steering. And yes, there was a huge market for Felicia cars with no comfort options and fitted with carburetor engines / no cat. That was Felicia 1.3 LX sold in most ex-communist countries (Poland included).

does the steering lock work correctly?

Yes, it does.

I'm wondering if the bit under the steering wheel that holds the steering column is in tact and firmly bolted on.

Yes, it is.

It could be that someone has attempted to steal it in the past, by forcibly twisting the steering wheel, in an attempt to break the steering lock.

Nobody tried to steal the car. I would have know it.

Edited 21 October, 201213 yr by adurer

Update

I thought initially the noise is coming from column steering, but in fact the clunk is louder in engine bay and resonates inside through it. So I asked a friend to wiggle the steering wheel and listened carefully. If I squeeze by hand one of the steering rubber boots, the noise almost disappears.

Can I definitely assume that I have to change both inner tie rods?

If yes, I plan to take out the whole steering assembly (rack + rods) to change easily both boots and rubber mountings which are cooked. Is it ok?

If all you're doing is replacing the two horseshoe type rubber mounts that hold the rack to the front subframe, and the track rod ends, I would leave it in place as otherwise you'll be spending most of your time trying to get the end of the steering column back onto the rack, and get the steering wheel straight again. Otherwise the rack does come out quite easily.

Thank you for advice.

I will replace: 2 inner tie rods, 2 rubber boots, 2 rubber mounts.

My greatest concern is that space is very tight and inner tie rod doesn't have a decent exterior hexagonal shape to tighten it at 80 Nm easily. I know there is a special steel tube with a U clamp at one end and a 1/2" square at the other (in USA it's called "crow foot") that goes over tie rod, but I don't have it. Not to mention you need to lock the tie rod from spinning (?? why??) by chiseling in place the lip of the tie rod nut in a groove afterwards.

That's why I was thinking to take it all out and work freely at a bench vise.

Is it such a nightmare to fit the column into the rack?

Edited 23 October, 201213 yr by adurer

you need to drop the sub frame to get to the bolts as i had to do this even with no engine in when i converted to 1.6 and having air con makes even topping up gear box hard only way to get to speedo drive cable is under neth

@uma1998

Excuse me, is it so hard to use capital letters, commas, dots to end sentences, etc.?

Your comments are the least human readable and encrypted on this part of the forum.

I struggle a lot, as a foreigner (from Poland), to improve my spelling and enrich my vocabulary so I don't make mistakes when I post.

You're British, yet you're murdering English language with every post.

Since this forum is not a private chat room, I believe it's common courtesy to make yourself easy to understand.

Please forgive my rant, but I had to say it. Who knows? Maybe your reply has some value behind its lack of form...

Edited 24 October, 201213 yr by adurer

@uma1998

Excuse me, is it so hard to use capital letters, commas, dots to end sentences, etc.?

Your comments are the least human readable and encrypted on this part of the forum.

I struggle a lot, as a foreigner (from Poland), to improve my spelling and enrich my vocabulary so I don't make mistakes when I post.

You're British, yet you're murdering English language with every post.

Since this forum is not a private chat room, I believe it's common courtesy to make yourself easy to understand.

Please forgive my rant, but I had to say it. Who knows? Maybe your reply has some value behind its lack of form...

Wow you ask for help and when you get it, rant instead of thanking... Could have gone to PM in my opinion instead of everyone to see?

Lee.

I can't thank something unreadable.

I learned another kind of English in school.

See many of my previous posts and topics and you'll see I thanked all because their replies were clear.

As I said before, I believe there should be a rule that makes mandatory using literary English, or what's left of it.

This is not Yahoo chat.

I am sorry you didn't read or didn't care about my arguments. By the way, you don't have to quote a message if you reply just underneath (under neth?).

I can't thank something unreadable.

I learned another kind of English in school.

See many of my previous posts and topics and you'll see I thanked all because their replies were clear.

As I said before, I believe there should be a rule that makes mandatory using literary English, or what's left of it.

This is not Yahoo chat.

I am sorry you didn't read or didn't care about my arguments. By the way, you don't have to quote a message if you reply just underneath (under neth?).

I understand where you're coming from but for some it isn't easy. What about dyslexic users?

Quoting is designed to make it obvious to whomever they are talking to and not others, regardless of any other replies

Lee

^ For a variety of reasons people use different styles & approaches to convey information. In some the spelling can be questionable with less focus on grammatical emphasis but, they're all folks who take the time and effort to think about someone else's problem and then offer some of their own ideas to help and guide & bless em (sorry them) for it

I suppose you have to appreciate this from the perspective of someone who learned a language other than English as their first. They may have expended a great deal of effort into learning English, due to its unquestionable prominence on the planet Earth (even though it is not the language with the most speakers). It may seem unusual to them that someone from a country where the primary language is English, does not have perfect English skills. They may have the mistaken belief that they should be the epitome of excellent English skills, and otherwise disappointed when they are not.

I know people tend to have unusual expectations like these. I remember when I went to Germany and did not know the language beyond a handful of words I quickly learned before going. With the help of someone else translating - I understood one of the Germans was particularly perplexed - he knew that the majority of Germans learnt English at school as a foreign language. He, therefore, made the reverse assumption that British people *must* be learning the German language at school. It's also worthwhile being mindful of cultural differences. I know some people say that the French are very proud of their language, and expect that you speak it when in their country - more so than some other countries.

For what it's worth, I feel such posts about language skills are largely unhelpful. They do not help the person thought to be in error to learn these skills, or as previously highlighted - they may have a disability which makes these skills particularly difficult. As someone with Aspergers, the negative way people can behave towards you due to aspects about yourself that you cannot change, is something I can particularly empathise with. If you have difficulty understanding something, it's far more constructive to politely request clarification - rather than to attack someone, who is actually trying to be helpful, for their poor language skills.

Edited 25 October, 201213 yr by anewman

I took the chance and solved the steering noise issue as I suggested, although nobody confirmed it in time.

So I took out the steering rack, inner tie rods and tie rod ends as one piece after disconnecting the column.

I replaced both inner tie rods, put some Loctite on threads and torqued to 80 Nm.

Then I put new boots and clamped them with special plastic straps (don't know the English term)

Then I mounted tie rod ends, measured the distance between them to be 1221 mm and tighten lock nuts to 55 Nm.

I bolted the steering assembly to subframe with 2 clips and 4 bolts torqued to 55 Nm. I changed also the 2 rubber bushes underneath those clips. Then torqued tie rod end castle nuts to 55 Nm and put new split pins.

Then I took the car to a local car shop for checking toe angles by computer. All was OK so they didn't have to make any adjustment. I only had to center the steering wheel, but that's peanuts.

PS

When I joined this forum I thought this will be more open towards foreign members that happen to be Felicia owners too. But I've learned you don't have to touch even with one finger any British sensitivity, such as pointing one's English is rubbish or God forbid, criticize anyone. No matter if his message is in slang or cockney or whatever, he wanted to help and he's British.

If that's the case, there's only one conclusion: this is not an international Skoda forum and foreign members are not welcome because the only international thing (English language) that should unite us and make us understand each other well is lacking basic rules.

I am the first one to admit I make spelling or grammar errors, but if somebody should point that to me, it wouldn't be the end of the world, after all we learn from mistakes. But when I see how 3-4 British people are jumping at me like a pack of hungry lawyers to defend their criticized fellow... yeah, that's xenophobia all right.

Edited 26 October, 201213 yr by adurer

Balance & perspective Adurer, a useful ingredient in life

Glad to hear you progressed your issues

Balance & perspective Adurer, a useful ingredient in life

I sincerely hope everybody reads that.

There are many excellent mechanics over the entire Europe, from Gibraltar to Russia.

Some of them are English proficient and their suggestions might be useful for everybody.

One day we'll have to be able to understand each other, and English language will have to be literary at least in writing. Isn't it funny a Polish guy has to make lobby for your language?

Thanks robk1, my steering is now spot on.

Edited 26 October, 201213 yr by adurer

Well done with sorting the problem out.

With reference to the complaint regarding grammar, spelling and punctuation of a post, typed with the sole intention of providing some assistance or advice, much has actually been ignored in the attempt to quite simply , denigrate another's efforts.

Ignored, particularly, is the possibility that the post in question may have been initiated via something like a mobile phone?

I have noticed on other forums that posters who happen to use a mobile to post, have real problems with spelling and punctuation.....maybe down to the simple lack of size of the keypad?

Also ignored [but raised subsequently] is the possibility that the poster concerned may not possess the language skills necessary..even if they are a native of the UK.

To denigrate someone's well-meant efforts on the grounds of a lack of education really isn't a nice thing to do.

Then, of course, the third level of ignorance is to assume the poster doesn't have some sort of learning difficulty such as autism or asperger's syndrome. [Although I seriously hesitate to call either a 'learning difficulty'....my son is autistic, and has no difficulty learning anything.....however, being able to communicate lucidly is a problem which afflicts us all. {ask any UK resident about Asian call centres?}

Finally, I wish to draw the OP's attention to the title of this entire website and forum?

I am absolutely sure there is no intention of limiting foreign access, in fact, as a point-of-contact, non-UK contributions are more than welcome.

I am absolutely positive I would struggle to interpet advice given on a Czech or Polish Skoda enthusiasts' forum!

But I sure hope I would have the sensitivity to not critique another's communication skills.

I think it's great to have a blend of UK & foreign members within Brisky & it follows that from time to time there will be difficulties arising in translation & understanding. That's why the intention of my earlier comment was more global - fair balance & reasonable perspective.

"mental note" don't help any one. that ask for help let them struggle at the task but thanks lee i will help any one but i am dyslexic and struggle to write what i need

^ Hence my first post on this thread uma 1998, keep on doing what you're doing

@uma1998

You can avoid further spelling rants by simply stating in your signature "I am dyslexic." We can't guess it.

It's not a shame making it public, dyslexia is not a STD and from what I've read it has nothing to do with a low IQ.

In real life, 99.99% of people writing like you do on forums are either drunk, lazy or plain stupid.

Hence the confusion.

Edited 27 October, 201213 yr by adurer

@uma1998

You can avoid further spelling rants by simply stating in your signature "I am dyslexic." We can't guess it.

It's not a shame making it public, dyslexia is not a STD and from what I've read it has nothing to do with a low IQ.

In real life, 99.99% of people writing like you do on forums are either drunk, lazy or plain stupid.

Hence the confusion.

Lol can't believe what I just read. Why should anyone have to put something like that In a signature? Also assumption is the mother of all f"""" ups . You shouldn't tarnish everyone with the same brush!

Lee.

@lee Arnold

Your contribution to this topic is zero. You had nothing to say about solutions for getting rid of that steering noise.

I looked at your posts and your experience doesn't go further than putting ornaments on your car.

What are you? Do you study at university to become uma's lawyer? Why do you feel yourself again obligated to respond in his place? He is dyslexic, not helpless.

Are you the speaker of Briskoda Royal Committee for Ethics? Please feel free to not reply to any of my topics. In fact you should learn to shut up because you are only looking for trouble and stir argues then enjoy the show.

I smell your kind from a distance.