Death of a steering damper?

[Obli]

I've got a Stabilus 6784HX on standby for my 90 20v. Paid £48 from Autodoc for the RHD version.

Reading this thread has given me the impetus to fit it. I had a hunch it would need doing so chucked it on an order.

I get the groan/hum at very low speed steering, in one direction only iirc. Always thought / assumed it might be the hydraulic system under load. Recent inspection and the damper shaft looks pitted and the body of the damper appears to be oily. Presumably (was) oil filled. I can't remember replacing it in my 120,000 miles of ownership so might be original... car now at 208,000 miles and 32 years old.

Currently, steering feels solid, weighty and smooth but car pulls towards the nearside kerb when aquaplaning and steering can feel a bit skittish on a straight. It feels direct, though, no dead zone or delay. Car feels like it's tracking straight but definitely drifts/pulls to the left with hands off the wheel. With hands on the wheel, even lightly, there's no noticeable pulling on a decent road surface. Thinking back, even when the track rods, wishbone bushes, shocks, springs and top mounts were done, as well as alignment, it had these same characteristics.

Only one way to find out if it needs doing...

[K Simmonds]

Just a quick note on cars tending to pull left, assuming the the car is aligned correctly this is due to the roads camber, all roads (in the UK) are built so water runs off to the left, even most motorways. Hence gravity take's hold and the mass of the car is naturally pulled slightly to the left if the steering is left unattended or when aquaplaning.

The only way to check if the car is actually pulling left is to drive the car on a perfectly flat surface, which is nearly impossible to find, so the closest one can do is find a dead straight stretch of well made A road and straddle the white line so you are driving in the dead center with the same amount (or at least very close to) of camber each side. Obviously this is not an easy test to perform as it's hard to find a suitable bit of road and then it has to be totally free of other road users, both on coming and behind you for safety reasons.

I do have a near one mile straight close to where I live that can be used for this test, my S2 which I got set up perfectly by a motorsport specialist would still drift slightly to the left if I was on my side of the road, straddle the white line and I could go pretty much the entire length of the straight without correcting the steering.

Anyway, sorry for the thread drift, Obli it sounds like your current steering damper is knackered if it's wet with oil, they're not much fun to change on cars with a battery tray... I seem to recall the bolt/nut that holds it to the body has 15mm heads and is best tackled with a normal and ratchet spanner, the nut is a nylock so it's a bit fiddly and time consuming.

[Obli]

Thanks Kit, always useful info and appreciated. I had thought about the road camber but my Golf doesn't pull left anything like the Audi. Running straight, in lane and on a decent, dry A-road, once I take my hands off the wheel the Audi will need a steering correction within a second or two to avoid hitting the kerb. Basically it deviates much quicker than other cars I have driven recently (Golf mkIV, Skoda Octavia, Mazda 2).

Anyway, will change the steering damper (stabiliser) and let you all know how that fares

[K Simmonds]

No problem, always happy to try and pass on info I've learnt over the years..

I suspect your knackered damper may be sticky and pulling the steering slightly to the left if the car pulls noticeably harder than your Golf and other cars you've driven. You can do it with two 15mm spanners but be prepared to get annoyed.