Very Stiff Steering on S2

[Specky]

You could nip along to Hens and chickens tomorrow.

A bit of comparrison stuff.

I don't know who's going, where is that thread.

TTFN

[Specky]

viewtopic.php?f=75&t=5046&start=1140#p225522

hopefully some one will be going, better tell the old duffers it's now June...

TTFN

[martylemoo]

You have a car which should be 'known' by some on here.

You obviously bought it from a LEC member, Martylemoo, on the Isle of Wight, but he can only have had it for a year or less, as it was previously on sale by another LEC member, Tom Toms, in Cornwall (asking price starting at £9,250, eventually reducing to £6,250).

I wonder whether either of them can give a perspective on steering issues, or about previous damage?

Was there some conversation about mileage having apparently gone down between adverts, or am I thinking of a different Medina car?

If it were me, I'd run it up the M4 to J8/9 and pop it into Steve Williams and his lads to take a look at.

(Monty/Specky: It is an S2 anyway..... so the S2 rack would be appropriate).

Hi Guys,

Not sure where the whole mileage thing has come from? This car has so much documented history the chance of mileage discrepancies are nil.

I had the car for a very short period, it was a way for me to shift a stubborn RX8 that was difficult to sell in the current market and release cash as Elans are more sought after and rarer. When Robin bought the car he commented on the steering, being an Elise man I am used to no PAS so had not really noticed an issue plus I have never ever driven another Elan so could not compare.

As regards damage I would not know for certain but the front end was extremely straight and original looking, I had it on my ramp and the underneath shows no sign of repair to damage.

Maybe a call to SJ sportscars to ask why they replaced everything, the steering was done under the ownership of Tommy who I believe used to be a member on here. They maybe able to shed some light on it, I think the car has only done ~500 miles since all the work.

Robin if you have any questions just ask mate, I can also give you Tomas Toms details if you would like so you could have a chat with him.

Cheers

Martyn

[speed-demon]

No-one has confirmed whether it's still running on the daft after-market wheels it was sold with...

[RayD]

No-one has confirmed whether it's still running on the daft after-market wheels it was sold with...

... and it was the first question asked

Ray

[Monty]

Is the steering turning to center by it`s own power after turning a corner/bend?


It is possible that someone has removed the steering wheel by hitting the shaft which has collapsed the column


Don`t forget the M100 steering is heavyer than standard road cars, i`ve fitted an S2 rack on my SE and it only slightly improved and now i`ve got an Elise steering wheel fitted it`s even heavyer now. Just have to flex the mussels more lol

[martylemoo]

The car was sold to me with standard 16” S2 Alloys.

[M100_DMM]

No-one has confirmed whether it's still running on the daft after-market wheels it was sold with...

You're thinking of a different Medina S2 that Lotus used as a press car (it was featured in Car magazine and Autocar back in '94) and which was sold on Ebay a few weeks ago. That car, number 038, was on aftermarket alloys.

Robin's car seems also to have been used by Lotus. I was watching a Top Marques programme from the mid-90s about Lotus on one of the Discovery channels yesterday. Although the programme didn't mention the Elan M100, there was a brief clip of an S2 - this very car - performing a standing start on what seemed to be a runway.

The steering is normally pretty heavy, especially consdering that it has PAS. Also, in my experience, the steering on S2s is heavier than on the SE.

[Robin Bevan]

No-one has confirmed whether it's still running on the daft after-market wheels it was sold with...

... and it was the first question asked

Ray

The car is running on standard 16” S2 Alloys. Sorry for being slow

[Robin Bevan]

Is the steering turning to center by it`s own power after turning a corner/bend?


It is possible that someone has removed the steering wheel by hitting the shaft which has collapsed the column


Don`t forget the M100 steering is heavyer than standard road cars, i`ve fitted an S2 rack on my SE and it only slightly improved and now i`ve got an Elise steering wheel fitted it`s even heavyer now. Just have to flex the mussels more lol

The steering does not auto centre

[lotuska]

A couple of other ideas to consider...

Is there any fluid in the reservior?

Does the steering make the normal elan hissing when turning the steering wheel?

If someone sits in the car with the engine running and turning the wheel from lock to lock can you see fluid movement in the reservoir with the cap removed?

(I'm thinking that if the original rack was replaced due to a leak that the system may have been run dry and damaged the pump).

When I originally had problems with my steering (which eventually turned out to be a partially siezed UJ - which is when I discovered that a Landie one matched) I first tried playing with the adjustment on the rack which caused the steering to become really heavy and I lost the self centering.

Just a thought that maybe the rack hasn't been adjusted correctly, the adjustment is hard to reach it's an allen key and bolt job on the rack itself, from memory its in the workshop manual.

And my final thought is whether any of the pipe work has been damaged, the rubber hoses kinked or the metal pipes squashed.