Steering rack

[Grale1]

Hi, can you get the steering rack adjusted on vagcom? My steering feels light and I personally like it a little heavier than what it as at the moment, I've changed wishbones drop links ball joints and track rod ends but I can only describe it as being light and feel I'm having to correct the steering whilst driving.

a3 AGU

 

[Grale1]

Nothing to do with my first post above from months ago, but how can you tell if the steering rack is knackered or on its way out?

 

[sportquattro]

You can not adjust your steering rack with VAG-COM. VAG-COM is a diagnostic too that tacks to the electroninc brains in your car yhour steering a is a hydro-mechanical system and has no electronic adjustment whatsoever.

If steering feels overly light check your tyre pressure have not been way over-inflated. failing which have a geomentry check done.

A Knackered rack will usually be leaking fluid and sounding awful and possibly geeeling very heavy.

 

[Grale1]

Thanks matey, well its none of the above,

 

[Prawn]

Ello Grale.

Steering rack on the way out is a tough one, most typically, they start to leak fluid. I did have one which developed pretty serious play in the mechanism, but it was a high mileage rack and this happened after some pretty extreme track abuse.

To go back to your original post, if you wanted heavier steering, you could fit a TT/S3 steering rack, it's a quicker rack with 2.7 turns lock to lock instead of 3.4 on the stock A3 rack. It makes the steering quicker, feeling sharper, and also heavier due to the decreased leverage in the gearing.

It's a fantastic upgrade on an AGU A3 with really no downsides, and won't cost much more than a replacement standard rack if you do find yours is failling.

it's also a direct straight fit to your car

 

[Grale1]

Hi prawn, thanks for that, I was thinking of a tt/s3 one if I had to replace, I can feel something slightly when I'm stationary. And move the steering wheel side to to side but I wouldn't say its really bad but its getting near 160k on the clock,

cheers for the advice with the coilovers this morning worked a treat.

simon

 

[Prawn]

you feel a little play when you wobble the wheel when stationary?

given the list of what you've described above, I'd say it's almost certainly the inner joints on the track control arms.

the control arms are not part of the rack, although they look like it at first glance.

If you pull back the gaitor, you'll see that the track control arms actually screw into the rack on each side. These are ball joints, and often wear out and give that small play when moving the wheel. Could also account for the left hand pull you've described in the past.

A3 track control arms are pretty cheap too, about £20 each, and dead easy to change, although it would need alignment afterwards.

jack up the front, and grab hold of the wheel, and see if you can wobble either of them left to right at all.

 

[Grale1]

Ah ok cheers that sounds promising, I need to get new track rod ends anyway as I replaced my ball joints at weekend, I must say I'm in that bracket of bought cheap ( very cheap ) parts so got to buy twice lol, but I will def get some of the track arms also makes sense, on the off chance are wheel bearings easy to do or just best to get garage to do them as there'd need to be pressed out/ and back in

 

[Grale1]

Is it fairly straight forward to take the inner tie rod off using spanners? A few places I've read seem to use a certain tool to undo them

 

[markyR]

yes it is fairly easy but normally pretttty tight, Quite a big spanner size I think too.

 

[Grale1]

Guys I still have play in my steering wheel, I've had new wishbones x2 ball joints x2 track rod ends x2 and inner tie arms x2 4 wheel alignment but still play in the wheel and if the car is on stands and get hold of the wheel at say quarter two three you can hear a noise coming from under the car around where the inner tie arms screw into, would that suggest I have a worn steering rack? I can never get a straight steering wheel.

simon

 

[Grale1]

Car is booked into an independent audi specialist next Friday to see if there is a problem with the rack, he had a very quick look at the pinion?? In drivers footwell the othe day and he said it felt ok, but booked it in so he can take for a drive and have a look at what he can find wrong, got a feeling track rod ends are not good also,

and does any body know the size bolt used to screw the drop link into the wishbone? The last garage I took it to have put to different bolts in and the also to short.

thanks simon