Mind you, we've got it easy compared to folk with a MK1 Jazz. If you want a car which is an absolute pain on the motorway due to "wandery" steering then try one of those!
Technical Weird Steering
- Thread starter martinthefirst
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Technical Weird Steering
Many thanks for the information I do appreciate you taking the time to point me in the right direction. I will be ordering a Haynes Manual on Monday, I am taking it back on Monday to the selling garage as the clutch squeaks ( sounds like a chamois leather squeaking on a window ) as the pedal is lifted. Put some silicon grease on the clutch pivots however no difference but from reading on this forum the hydraulic cylinders are prone to squeaking , probably the master cylinder as it sounds very close to foot pedal. Hopefully they will honour a repair as only did 20 miles before it was driving me nuts ! I appreciate that it has 107K so don’t think I can complain about the steering / bush wear to be fair.
One of my sisters has had a couple of those from new and Dealer serviced and she is not one to hang around on the Motorway.
The only thing she mentioned to me was Dealer kept fitting expensive coil packs until I got them to replace the spark plugs more frequently, inspite of their protests.
Surely that depends on whether they were changed after the earlier Mots that pointed them out.
The Panda Nut
Nutty about Pandas Infected by Panda virus and OPD
I have bought a set from a Norfolk supplier and some of the joins dont lock properly. Result often rods stuck up the pipe! Out with the ladder, off with the cowl and down from the top with my home made brush retriever, a brake pipe cork screw on a set of drain rods, All in all 2 hours work, The rods have a nylon flail and are powered by my battery drill. They do a good job but are poorly made. A decent set will cost a LOT more money.... Im saving up, well I was when I wasnt being bankrupted by the bungalow.You do know you don't have to stand on the roof and push the rods down?
Mine are the old type bamboo poles if one of then breaks off I am stuffed.
I believe the later Haynes manual is only online
If your engine is a 1.1, 1.2 or 1.3 then the earlier 169 should be close enough
I normally just borrow from the library
Or
Online here
As koalar says above, I'm pretty sure the printed Haynes manuals stop with the 169 model (up to year 2011) although there are many similarities on the later model so much of the info in the earlier manual will be useful.
Which engine do you have? I've experienced the problem with the clutch squeak in the past - Becky suffered from it, she has the 4 cylinder 1.2 petrol FIRE engine - and it was the slave not the master, which was the problem. It's the piston itself which makes the squeak. You can easily isolate where it's coming from by spraying a little silicon spray under the dust rubber and seeing if the noise, temporarily, goes away. We had a similar, but subtly different, noise from my boy's Punto but that turned out to be pressure plate - due to the previous owner having been a "pedal rider".
There seem to be more posts regarding issues with the steering on the 169 model than the newer 319 model? but maybe that's just because the later model is newer so not so "knackered"?
Did you ever cure “Becky” ? From the steering issue. I am thinking from the past MOT saying possible wear on wishbone rear bushes. From my limited research it appears that this job is actually replacing the complete wishbone as a whole unit ? As special tools to actually get bushes in and out of original arm. Probably a lot easier to change complete arms ?
I change either the bush
Or
The complete arm
Depending on price, some cars the arms are over £100 each, pandas are cheap and not worth the effort in my opinion
Changing the arm is about 10 minutes a side on a drive including jacking the car, no special tools except a torque wrench
Changing the bush is an hour or more without an hydraulic press or some kind of puller
Bush is £10 both sides
Shopping around I payed £35 a pair last time, that includes the other bush and ball joints thrown in, plus got a bit Back by cashing in the old arms for scrap metal
Or
The complete arm
Depending on price, some cars the arms are over £100 each, pandas are cheap and not worth the effort in my opinion
Changing the arm is about 10 minutes a side on a drive including jacking the car, no special tools except a torque wrench
Changing the bush is an hour or more without an hydraulic press or some kind of puller
Bush is £10 both sides
Shopping around I payed £35 a pair last time, that includes the other bush and ball joints thrown in, plus got a bit Back by cashing in the old arms for scrap metal
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Never completely cured it and can't find anything wrong - In fact, because the shocks were shot and the top mounts past their best, I rebuilt most of the front suspension, new top mounts, shocks, springs, in fact everything except the front arms which were in excellent condition - I suspect they'd been replaced shortly before we bought her. The only thing I do think is that the arms are not from the same manufacturer and one is probably a little newer than the other. I've spent hours checking and the only thing I can think is that there's a slight difference between them? The pull to the N/S is very slight and I just live with it.
Replacing bushes or complete arms? without a press it can be a pain. I'd burn the rubber out and carefully cut a slot in the steel sleeve then chase out with a punch or chisel. However I've wasted hours on some vehicles trying to get the bushes out, so, if I'm doing one at home, I'd go for a replacement arm every time unless the arm was a "silly" price. If I had to do bushes I'd be tempted to go with Poly bushes.
Sometimes replacement wishbones are so cheap it can be good value to have new bushes and suspension ball joint in one go to save the hassle of pressing bushes out, fortunately I still have my hydraulic garage press, which has paid for it's self many times over, so I have both choices.
Another tool that although gathering dust I was able to use yesterday was my hydraulic spring compressor as one of my daughters cars needed a new shock absorber, also a CV boot which meant using a tool I had done without for many years before buying , a CV joint puller. It saved the effort of a big swing with the copper mallet, which I am less able to do these days
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Mine had an annoying clunk that appeared to be from the back end. It turned out to be the LH front hub carrier (aka knuckle). The ball joint pin was a loose fit in the clamp. I could not fully separate but it messed up the steering tracking made that annoying cluck and failed an MOT.
I had the suspension apart and never found the problem. Embarrassingly, the MOT uncovered it. I assume it's a lot easier to get a pry-bar onto the job when the car is on a garage lift. It took me an hour to replicate the movement.
I had the suspension apart and never found the problem. Embarrassingly, the MOT uncovered it. I assume it's a lot easier to get a pry-bar onto the job when the car is on a garage lift. It took me an hour to replicate the movement.
MOT testers spend all day, every day looking for worn suspension parts. And they've got all the necessary lifting gear and supporting tools to find them. So don't feel too bad about having missed this.
That's also why I sometimes suggest finding an MOT tester if you've an annoying clunk or rattle that's proving difficult to track down.
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Think I will take mine to my MOT garage , good small family business , I got the Panda from a local garage and they put full MOT as part of deal but when I took it back for squeaky clutch and weird steering they kept it for 3 days and did fix squeaky clutch but nothing on weird steering , feels even more pronounced as I have done more miles :-( I went down a potholed road very slowly and I heard the clunking from what appeared to be behind me , but nothing on normal roads
The Panda Nut
Nutty about Pandas Infected by Panda virus and OPD
My Panda 100 pulled left. It was so bad I thought something was badly bent. The guys at Tyre pros in Norwich got the stering and wheel straight and tracked from scratch, after which it was perfect. I think poor tracking operators can end up with the car tracked right, but the steering column a little of centred which the steering then tries to correct, resulting in it pulling. This may not wear the tyres but wont do the steering motor any favours. The joys of electric steering. The apparent lack of feel in the straight ahead position seems to be a feature. I think the 319 steering is better, less irritating, but not somehow quite as joyous as the 169. We like the 319 and it is better in many ways than the 169. The older car is however happier when it looks in the mirror and notably smaller. Its also better put together.
PS. if the wheel has not bee put on straight in the first place straightening and tracking may buils in a pull. Tyre Pros staff seemed 100% on the ball. I think one was an ex Panda man.
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The Panda Nut
Nutty about Pandas Infected by Panda virus and OPD
There is not much at the back to rattle. The only thin Ive had was loose bump stops rattling around in the springs , and damper bushes which can also be seen. As DaveMcT says its very hard to tell. Daffo had a loose air con condenser. It took me a year to pin the noises in that. A temporary fix was achived wedging it withpipe lagging foam.
