Do worn struts cause steering issues?

I have a 99 Solara 5spd v6 at 101k with some play in the steering wheel
and won't stay aligned. Its not excessive, but its like its got 2
wheel positions. With one, the steering wheel is straight and the car
drives straight, then when I'm in a turn or a curve, its like the wheel
will "click" over and when I start driving straight again, the wheel is
almost at a 45 degree angle. Also, if I'm just sitting at a stop, or
driving, I can just jerk the wheel kinda hard and change it to either
position. I took it to a garage for an oil change a while back and I
had the mechanic there check it out, because I thought my steering rack
was bad. He said that my rack was still good, but my struts were
completely worn, which I suspected anyway, because the ride is entirely
too rough for this car. Personally I still think the rack is bad. Can
anyone help with this?

"boogywoogy" <john.michael.fiallos@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1147694518.519125.227780@j55g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...[color=blue]
>I have a 99 Solara 5spd v6 at 101k with some play in the steering wheel
> and won't stay aligned. Its not excessive, but its like its got 2
> wheel positions. With one, the steering wheel is straight and the car
> drives straight, then when I'm in a turn or a curve, its like the wheel
> will "click" over and when I start driving straight again, the wheel is
> almost at a 45 degree angle. Also, if I'm just sitting at a stop, or
> driving, I can just jerk the wheel kinda hard and change it to either
> position. I took it to a garage for an oil change a while back and I
> had the mechanic there check it out, because I thought my steering rack
> was bad. He said that my rack was still good, but my struts were
> completely worn, which I suspected anyway, because the ride is entirely
> too rough for this car. Personally I still think the rack is bad. Can
> anyone help with this?
>[/color]

If the steering wheel has 45 degrees of play, the rack may not be secured to
the frame. If this is the case, get it taken care of ASAP as this is a
major safety issue.

Worn struts will not cause the problem you're describing although it is
possible that a loose control arm might.

get it checked by a competent technician ASAP!
--

Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)

I don't remember the specifics offhand, but there is a TSB out there for
early Solaras concerning one or more front springs not indexed in the
strut assembly properly, resulting in a wheel that would not return to its
normal position without the coaxing you are describing. This may not apply
to your car, but checking service bulletins is always a critical step when
diagnosing anything.

I think your rack is about to fall off.

Your description makes me wonder if the steering rack is moving from side to
side.




"boogywoogy" <john.michael.fiallos@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1147694518.519125.227780@j55g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...[color=blue]
>I have a 99 Solara 5spd v6 at 101k with some play in the steering wheel
> and won't stay aligned. Its not excessive, but its like its got 2
> wheel positions. With one, the steering wheel is straight and the car
> drives straight, then when I'm in a turn or a curve, its like the wheel
> will "click" over and when I start driving straight again, the wheel is
> almost at a 45 degree angle. Also, if I'm just sitting at a stop, or
> driving, I can just jerk the wheel kinda hard and change it to either
> position. I took it to a garage for an oil change a while back and I
> had the mechanic there check it out, because I thought my steering rack
> was bad. He said that my rack was still good, but my struts were
> completely worn, which I suspected anyway, because the ride is entirely
> too rough for this car. Personally I still think the rack is bad. Can
> anyone help with this?
>[/color]

Can it really be that serious? I've been driving it like that for
about 2 years now and it has yet to get any worse.

"boogywoogy" <john.michael.fiallos@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1147694518.519125.227780@j55g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...[color=blue]
>...like the wheel will "click" over and when I start driving straight
>again, the wheel is
> almost at a 45 degree angle.[/color]

Its not the rack, Its what's called spring wind-up, and it occurs because
the spring is not rotating freely with the strut. When you turn the steering
wheel, the spring winds up and jams there, causing the 45 degree effect you
report. The usual cause is the top spring cap binding on the strut
insulator bearing. The cure is to pull the strut out and reassemble it,
ensuring the strut can rotate freely on the shaft.

Since the struts are apparently worn out, its time to replace them. If
there's ANY slop/rattle in the strut insulator bearings, or the rubber looks
cracked, replace them too. Have the rear shocks looked at too. You may find
that the rear is adequate now, but will be too soft with new struts in the
front.

Stewart DIBBS