Tony
Member
Registered: 20th Jul 00
Location: South Africa
User status: Offline
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Hey guys.
Here's the problem. My corsa B GSi has been handling terribly lately. It is lowered 40mm. Thought it was my shocks since I had about 100000 kms on and the shocks weren't replaced. I replaced them and had my tracking done. The car came back and felt better, but I noticed that when I drive straight, my steering wheel sits off centre. Took it back almost 5 times for the same thing. They ended up welding the shock's camber bolts with washers, cause they thought my suspension could be cause and my camber will knock out cause of this. The car's wheel is still off centre and I took it back the guys that fitted my shocks. Closer inspection showed that my steering rack moves when I turn the steering wheel left and right! As if it is loose from the body itself. The guys told me that's why my steering wheel doesn't centre and why my car handles like crap. I checked to see whether the rack is fastened and it is. Another thing I noticed over the weekend while a friend tried to look at the problem with me is that it's not the steering rack moving, it's the whole firewall! Even the battery moves slightly! Now something tells me my chassis needs welding somewhere. But where? My car has never been in a accident, although it rides on 40mm lowering springs and 17s. Anyone experienced something like this? Will I have to remove the motor? What can I do? The car feels unstable on the road. When I brake, it tends to go all over the place. It handles like crap and it feels like the tracking is out, but the tracking has been set so many times! Where can look? Has the firewall torn off the chassis?
Please advise....
Tony
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CorsAsh
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Registered: 19th Apr 02
Location: Munich
User status: Offline
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sounds like you had some major structural fault for some reason... would prob cost more than car's worth to repair...
[Edited on 23-05-2005 by CorsAsh]
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Tony
Member
Registered: 20th Jul 00
Location: South Africa
User status: Offline
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The tie rack ends, shock mountings, ball joints and the rack itself has been checked and there's no play and no problems with it. I don't drive like an idiot. How could this have happened? I've got the car lowered on 40mm with standard shocks, but surely it should have knackered my suspension components before I get problems with the chassis?
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Tony
Member
Registered: 20th Jul 00
Location: South Africa
User status: Offline
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Anyone else? 
Someone must have had this experience somewhere?
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matt etches
Member
Registered: 16th Sep 01
Location: rotherham.. drives: nova 14sr turbo
User status: Offline
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when u say its moving, is it a lot or just slightly, and is that when the cars jacked up or the car is sat on the road? if its just slight movement when its not jacked up then ur worrying about nowt. u will find all cars have movement like that or similar. thats why people fit strut braces or reinforce certain parts...............
ur best bet is to find somewhere that do 4 wheel alignment and get it checked cos its either a camber fault or the front wheels just need squareing up with the rears,infact swap ur front wheels with ur rear wheels first incase its just down to a bit of uneven tyre wear
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Rick Draper
Member
Registered: 10th Feb 01
Location: Cheshire
User status: Offline
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Old astra gte's steering rackes used to break away from the shell. Strip the carpet out and check for cracks, then have it welded up and plated.
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Tony
Member
Registered: 20th Jul 00
Location: South Africa
User status: Offline
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Nothing is cracked, guys. Carpet has been stripped. The front firewall moves! And it moves quite a bit. The panelbeater told me that the steering rack is fastened good and there's no cracks in front either. However, he thinks the reinforcing undernearth the firewall between the two plates has come loose and will have to be rewelded. Kind of like a block section that's reinforced with four studs that the rack bolts onto. He thinks the block came off the front firewall and that's why my firewall moves and hence why me steering wheel has that little play in it.
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