Car required constant steering run out of ideas.

[Spinner]

My Mgf vvc. Requires constant adjustment to steering wheel when driving . Even in a straight line. Full alignment check done , shocks changed, fuse removed from steering no change, no play at all in bushes, etc, ride height front 365 rear 320 , so horrible to drive . Tyres Avon rear Continent front. Could steering rack be bent but would this not be picked up by full alignment? Could chassis be bent or Sub frames? Would this show up on full alignment or not?
Really running out of ideas and money spent on car. Any ideas anyone!

[BodgeItAndScarper]

Afaik bent frame ought to show up on an alignment check. Have you tried jacking up th front so the wheels are free to steer, and starting the engine?

[Steve White]

After checking all the bushes and wheels bearings for play, my next suspect would be the tyres, as the F (and TF) can be very sensitive to tyre choice.
May be worth seeing if a fellow owner local to you can lend you a set for wheels fitted with matched (& preferably recommended) tyres to see if it cures the issue before splashing out.

[talkingcars]

I would say it's either wear on a joint or bush or dodgy tyres.

What happens if you go back wards?

What happens when going forwards slowly with no effort applied to the steering?
Does it go in just one direction or does it wander?

What happens if you raise the front wheels off the ground and switch on the ignition?
Does it self steer?
https://www.the-t-bar.com/forum/21-davi ... to-cure-it

[Mike H]

Is this something that's happened recently (or perhaps a recent purchase), or something that's getting worse?

Is the 'constant adjustment' a fixed input or is it a continuous but varying input? Is it required at all speeds or worse at eg higher speeds. If you were to let go of the steering wheel does it steer a fixed (but not straight?) course or is it all over the place?

In the Full Alignment, are all the primary and secondary angles, individually and cumulatively, within spec? Any chassis issues should show themselves up here. If these are all OK, then after checking the bearings etc I'd be spending my money on putting the same tyres on both axles (and probably not those you've already got ).

[Rob Bell]

What happens if you left the front of the car with the engine running: do the front wheels turn by themselves? If so, the EPAS position sensors need re-alignment

[Spinner]

Adjusted EPAS sensor so when lifted wheels do not turn by themselves. As you drive it constantly needs minor inputs to steering wheel to keep straight ,really weird feeling. Car was spun in wet weather and damaged sills and front rear sub frame bracket. Bracket replaced and alignment done. What would be symptoms of bent steering rack?

[CubMG]

The steering rack will not bend without the whole front end being pushed in . You say the car spun ,that is the problem.The alignment is not right ,can you get a friend to follow you down a road to see if the car is crabbing ?

[Tipper]

The rear end on an F/TF can affect the handling/steering.
If not done so then check the rear end carefully including wheel bearings for wear.

[RobboMC]

I'm no expert but going back to the original post, why is the ride height so different front to rear?

Most cars are 5-10 different depending on how it's been driven, but 45???
I would be fixing this first as it's going to play havoc with any setting of the suspension.

[BodgeItAndScarper]

When I got mine the suspension needed pumping up by several cm; before being done the handling was terrifyingly twitchy. I don't understand how cold weather doesn't cause the same thing, since the ride height drops so much.

Correcting for current UK temps, isn't the OP's car sitting too high? But it's still no higher than it should be in summer, so it's not an obvious direct cause of geometry changes.

[RobboMC]

I was commenting more on the front to rear difference than the actual height. The front seems pretty close to the specified height,
why is the back so much lower?

[Rob Bell]

Lots of things to speculate upon here - time to get some measurements done.

My thoughts:
1. Mixed tyres - never ever a good idea on an MGF. They should be the same brand/type all round, and preferably the same age
2. Tyre pressures - an MGF feels good on 28psi all round on the majority of road-focused tyres I've tried.
3. Geometry - get a pro 4-wheel alignment, to include toe, caster, camber and thrust angles.
4. Although you've re-set the EPAS sensors, it is still conceivable that there is still a small offset that is insufficient to drive a visible movement of the front wheels with the front of the car raised from the ground. The gold-standard approach is to measure the sensors' resistances and ensure that they're adequately balanced at the straight-ahead. More here: http://mgf.ultimatemg.com/group2/common ... /index.htm
5. Check the condition of all the bushes, and ensure that all the suspension bolts etc are tight: standard rubber bushes do fail - there are number in the MGF suspension to check. Also, if someone else has worked on your car, have they re-tightened everything properly? I've seen people report loose road wheels in the past!!! Also check to see whether anything has been broken (front drop links have been known to shear) and consider whether the Hydragas units need pumping up or reconditioning.

Get through that list, and I think you'll find and solve the problem