General Suggestions and info on steering/wheels problem

[unogirl45]

Hi,
My lovely, reliable uno has a problem, big problem I think. She's an Uno 45 1litre H reg. Suddenly whilst driving she wouldn't steer the way I wanted to go, resisted me and almost had me off the road. As she made the turn the whole car shook like the wheel had stuck and then jumped in the direction I was turning it. I've had suggestions of drive shaft, CV joint and ball joint. There is no play in the wheel although I haven't put her up on the jack yet, the tyre has worn unevenly on the inside edge and it was a decent tyre 2 months ago. I don't do a lot of mileage maybe 20 a week.
I'd really appreciate any thought on what it is and the cost of any parts you think I'd need.
Many thanks Nell

 

[circolo]

Is it possible that you picked up something, (like a branch/stick/stone) in the road, which caused this?

If not the first thing I'd do is get the car jacked up at the front, so that both wheels are off the ground, and get someone to steer the wheels, left and right to see if there's any resistance, knocking, or anything that seems out of the ordinary. Have a good look at all the moving parts to see if there's any undue movements.

If all is okay, then lower the car of jack, and do the same thing. Steer left and right, stationary and look out for the same things.

The front steering and suspension on the Uno, is very simple. So there are that many parts that need to be checked.

Parts that do wear quite often are:

Front Wishbones (ball joints) - but these don't affect steering to that drastic effect.

Front Shocks - but these will just lead to a bouncy ride

Front bearings - but these tend to just groan/drone

One other thing to check, looking at your car from the front, do the the wheels look correct and straight.

Something like:-
|----|

Clearly, if it's:-
/----|


/----\


|----\

.....then this would indicate a problem with the support brackets holding the suspension components together.

 

[unogirl45]

Thank you, that is very useful. Both wheels look straight so I guess it's got to be bearings or ball joints.
I will jack it up now that it's stopped raining
Nell

 

[Chas Uno]

Check the ball joint end of the lower suspension arms. They can crack or even break off leading to similar symptoms to those that you describe. The car will also be very dangerous and should NOT be driven if that is the case

 

[unogirl45]

Uno is dead. It turns out that the gear box has had it so I guess I will have to let her go to the crusher. I don't suppose it's worth selling off her headlamps, mirrors and odd bits first is it? I've bought something else, won't even mention the make as I'm ashamed and grieving.
Thanks for all the help and suggestions.
Nell

 

[distortionrockets]

The car will also be very dangerous and should NOT be driven if that is the case

one of my ball joints was cracked! i have no idea how long id been driving it like that until i had it lowered and the mechanic noticed...

and yes its definitly worth stripping the car. i made £350 out of stripping mine (bearing in mind it was quite highly modified)

real shame tho. i know how it feels to loose an uno

 

[Jai]

I don't suppose it's worth selling off her headlamps, mirrors and odd bits first is it?

sorry to hear that, but like distortion says, always worth a strip down of the car for universal bits, i've never let one go to the scrapper without taking parts that i know are hard to get, or will need replacing at some stage, and if you're not getting another mk2, someone out there, is sure to want them

 

[unogirl45]

I'd love another uno but they are getting really hard to come by. I had a mark one before this one and it's pretty bad moving on to anything else.
We have a D reg Panda (mot failure), I did wonder if it's possible to put the engine and gearbox in to an uno?
thanks, Nell.