Omega Owners Forum
Omega Help Area => Omega General Help => Topic started by: SP_3.2 on 09 June 2008, 12:24:04
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What does this part do and do they tend to wear out.
Thank
Steve.
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It is part of the steering mechanism on the near side and yes they do wear out. My elite needed a new one at MOT last year.
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just seen some new ones on ebay for about £12 +p+p bargain they are £65 + vat from stealers :o
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Wow . Sound good by the way what happen when they start to good can you feel the diff when driving.
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Most obvious symptom is a vagueness in the steering, it seems to wander a lot causing you to make constant adjustment to keep it going straight. Also very prone to 'tramlining' ie gets pulled into the slight ruts caused by HGVs on the the slowlane of the motorway. If you jack up the front of the car (and support on axle stand) with the wheel still on and grasp the road wheel at the 'quarter to three' position you should be able to feel play in the joint when you apply force to one side then the other. If you put some RH lock onto the steering so you can see the idler, and get someone else to rock it you should be able to see or (if you hold the joint) feel the movement. If it has gone replacement makes a huge difference.
Jon
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FYI The guide written by Ron Mc worked perfectly when I changed mine.
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Thanks for the help guys that,s great. :y
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In my case it also caused wear on both edges of the tyre as though it had been under inflated. Not sure who the manufacturer of the joint is that you are looking at but I bought one from Autovaux which they told me was manufactured by Lemforder who make them for Vauxhall (ie are the OEM manufacturer) no markings to confirm this but I did buy a pair of wishbones at the same time which do have the Lemforder logo on the ball joint boot. IIRC the idler was about half the Vx price.
Jon
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just seen some new ones on ebay for about £12 +p+p bargain they are £65 + vat from stealers :o
just ordered one thanks m8
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just seen some new ones on ebay for about £12 +p+p bargain they are £65 + vat from stealers :o
just ordered one thanks m8
no worries andy at that price i think i will get one for a spare !! :o
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Is it ok to use aftermarket ones or do i need to get vau one.
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Is it ok to use aftermarket ones or do i need to get vau one.
I think aftermarket should be fine. Possibly may not last as long, but so easy to change, it doesn't really matter.
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Is it ok to use aftermarket ones or do i need to get vau one.
they will be fine bud only the rubber bush that wears on them !! :y
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Thanks guys will get one for the weekend.
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at that price you could get 3 for the price of a vauxhall unit so if they last 2yrs prob outlive the car
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Thanks guys will get one for the weekend.
oo-err mrs ;)
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;D ;D that i wish
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Is wheel alignment altered when steering idler is changed? Getting tired of visiting the local shop for wheel alignment >:( Tie rod end -> alignment, shocks and wishbones -> alignment, again both outer tie rod ends -> alignment.... The only thing not changed within last 50 000 km is the idler
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Is wheel alignment altered when steering idler is changed? Getting tired of visiting the local shop for wheel alignment >:( Tie rod end -> alignment, shocks and wishbones -> alignment, again both outer tie rod ends -> alignment.... The only thing not changed within last 50 000 km is the idler
Exactly my question too. I will be getting WIM to do the wishbones and rear track rod end arms at some point, so is it worth changing anything else such as the steering idler or any other parts of the front suspension at the same time?
Mark
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I guess that depends on whether there was play in the idler when you last had the steering geometry checked and adjusted. If there was and it was set when the idler is at either extreme of its play (likely) then changing it could mean that the toe would be out even if there is no longer any play. As long as the camber bolts are not moved when you replace the idler (which there is no reason why they should be) then there will be no change to camber settings, at least as far as I understand it. So the bottom line answer is if there is any chance that the idler was worn when you last had the toe adjusted you should get it checked again unless you can afford to ruin a tyre.
Jon
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I guess that depends on whether there was play in the idler when you last had the steering geometry checked and adjusted. If there was and it was set when the idler is at either extreme of its play (likely) then changing it could mean that the toe would be out even if there is no longer any play. As long as the camber bolts are not moved when you replace the idler (which there is no reason why they should be) then there will be no change to camber settings, at least as far as I understand it. So the bottom line answer is if there is any chance that the idler was worn when you last had the toe adjusted you should get it checked again unless you can afford to ruin a tyre.
Jon
Well it was Tony @ WIM who diagnosed that the wishbones were shot so I guess he didn't notice any issue with the steering idler. When I get WIM to replace the wishbones and rear track rod end arms it will go through the geometry setup again anyway.
Mark
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Just replaced mine and both wishbones (having pervously replaced only the bushes) at 113K miles, the movement in the idler was scary. If it has not been replaced before and you are at similar mileage would suggest you bear this in mind. You are probably on borrowed time. However if there is no play now you can probably replace it later without worrying about the alignment.