Hi guys, first of all its very nice to be a part of this forum since it looks very helpfull.
My name is Can and im 18 years old.
I live in Amsterdam and im a proud owner of a 2000 S type 4.0 V8
I recently discovered that my Jag doesnt center the steeringwheel to *true* after a corner... so lets say if i turn my steeringwheel all the way to the left and leave the steeringwheel i would just be making donuts.. also it feels slighty to strong the powersteering...
I already aligned the car and putted new front tyres.. It got a little bit better but still definitly not how it should be... at my local shop they couldnt really find the problem so i thaught i give it a shot from here..
I hope there is someone out there who could know what the problem might be...

The powersteeringfluid is good and there are no signs of leaks. Tyrepressure is also good..

 

There is a post on another forum (link below) with similar steering self centering problems.

After reading through the post. It appears that in this owner's case. The coolant reservoir, that is positioned above the steering knuckle, on our early model cars, had leaked onto the knuckle causing it to seize. The coolant tanks do deteriorate and leak and it is difficult to find the problem if you are unaware of this. So it is possible that coolant could leak down in this way for some time and the coolant tank been replaced before you bought your car.

However unlikely this seized steering knuckle post seems to be. It might be worth checking the coolant tank for leaks (or leaks in the past) to see if it could have caused the knuckle to seize prior to looking at the steering rack.

Notchy Steering - Wont self centre

 

18 years old and you have a Jag? Good for you. I have the same model. Steering return can also be from collapsed hoses, a pump not functioning correctly, and suspension wear as well as a damaged joint.


About the coolant recovery tank: Change it if it is the original. You DO NOT want to overheat a 4.0 engine. There is an exact instruction on that on the forum. Pretty easy job except for connecting the water tube. it is tight.


Enjoy your new car.

 

Hi, thanks for your reply i directly went to check the coolant reservoir but unfortunatly this is not the problem... ive been thinking about the steeringrack but since this is a major repair cost i would like to be sure if its the rack or not, any specifik signs maybe that the rack is the problem...

 

Welcome to the forum!

Another possibility for the heavy non-centering steering is the variable assist not functioning. Have this problem with my S-Type. I changed out the solenoid but the problem is still there, so I'm down to wiring or a fault in the General Electronic Module which controls that solenoid.

If you have the codes read there is a code for variable assist failing. If you've got that code then it's somewhere to start.

 

Hi guys, thanks for the info!
Yes a jag on 18 i hear you dont see it alot mostly because people of my age chose for a pimped golf bmw or audi but i find those cars non caracteristic and i always loved Jags!

What do you mean with codes Cambo you mean like error codes of the ECU by diagnosing the car?

 

ECU diagnose codes?

 

They are diagnostic trouble codes, but for the chassis, not powertrain.

You can only read them with the dealer IDS diagnostic system, but maybe another device like the i930 can read them too.

Have a look here https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/s...2/#post1135364

Codes C1924 & C1925, related to the Variable Assist Steering Actuator.

 

When you get a chance be sure to grab at least the (OBD) codes PDF, Electrical Guide or better still JTIS (has both those and more as it's the workshop manual) - free downloads.

Near the end of the Elec Guide is info on the computer modules so you can grasp what does what & what talks to what.

Be sure to Search this site on
chain tensioners

 

Let's do the easy stuff first.

As was posted above you have a set of universal (knuckle) joints between the steering column and the rack.

It is very easy to undo the connection from the (In Ford speak it's called the intermediate steering shaft) flex joint to the rack. In fact if you are interested the entire shaft can be removed without taking anything else off.

These knuckles can and do get stiff and can seize solid if they get too bad.

I think you key symptom that the car is steering hard leads me to this part.

But jack up the driver's side and see if you can find out anything about the knuckle joints.

Here is a detailed discussion on the Lincoln LS forum that might help?

intermediate shaft
.
.
.

 

Hi tbird6 ! Yes actually i would rather say my key symptom is that the steering is hard, its not like fully locked in position it returns slowly and when the road is wet it steers lighter and the wheel comes back easyer, does this sound furmiliar to you ?

 

Question for the OP - if you let go of the wheel with the car running, does the steering wheel auto-rotate one way or the other?

 

After taking a turn it goes back to center very poorly mostly i must to stimulate it alot i dont know if that is what you mean...

 

I mean if you find an open parking lot, drive along at ten mph with your hands off the steering wheel, does the car start turning by itself, in a tighter arc the farther you go?

 

No it doesnt steer in deeper, it stays or sometimes slightly returns a few degrees

 

Guys i founded out that my pump makes a small wining noise while turning the steering wheel plus the powersteerfluid is a little bit darkish with a slightly burned smell on it...

Can this has to do something with it

 

Anyone ... ?

 

That sounds fairly normal.

Get the codes read by someone who has an IDS/SDD, i930, autoenginuity, etc that can see the Chassis codes.

Jaguar &/or Land Rover dealership or specialist workshop should be able to do this for you. Takes 20 minutes at the most.

 

Hi guys is it also possible that my strudbearings are broken, ive noticed that the steering noise comes from the suspension because it comes from each front corner and i read that sound plus heavy steering and not auto returning are symptoms on that, only i cant find anything about strudbearings on a s type, do they have it?