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The What's Wrong With My Car Thread.


Max Power

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The steering on my car has, over the last few days suddenly become extremely sensitive. Every time I touch the wheel, the car jerks to the side - kind of the like the first time I ever played Ridge Racer with a steering wheel and was shunting from left to right all day.

 

Anyway, I've just pumped up all four tyres to their optimum pressure, could this effect it? Or is there something wrong with my steering column/wheel axis? I know its tough to tell, but I'm a tight Northerner who could do without getting stitched up by a mechanic.

 

Also, the dials on my dashboard have also ceased working - the mileage counter. The rest of the lights work fine - the handbrake sign etc.

 

Could the two be connected?

 

Many thanks.

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The steering on my car has, over the last few days suddenly become extremely sensitive. Every time I touch the wheel, the car jerks to the side - kind of the like the first time I ever played Ridge Racer with a steering wheel and was shunting from left to right all day.

 

Anyway, I've just pumped up all four tyres to their optimum pressure, could this effect it? Or is there something wrong with my steering column/wheel axis? I know its tough to tell, but I'm a tight Northerner who could do without getting stitched up by a mechanic.

 

Also, the dials on my dashboard have also ceased working - the mileage counter. The rest of the lights work fine - the handbrake sign etc.

 

Could the two be connected?

 

Many thanks.

 

That will be an MOT fail anyway so you'll have to see a mechanic anyway. You can always go to a mechanic and ask what's wrong but not actually get them to do the work.

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The steering on my car has, over the last few days suddenly become extremely sensitive. Every time I touch the wheel, the car jerks to the side - kind of the like the first time I ever played Ridge Racer with a steering wheel and was shunting from left to right all day.

 

Anyway, I've just pumped up all four tyres to their optimum pressure, could this effect it? Or is there something wrong with my steering column/wheel axis? I know its tough to tell, but I'm a tight Northerner who could do without getting stitched up by a mechanic.

 

Also, the dials on my dashboard have also ceased working - the mileage counter. The rest of the lights work fine - the handbrake sign etc.

 

Could the two be connected?

 

Many thanks.

 

That will be an MOT fail anyway so you'll have to see a mechanic anyway. You can always go to a mechanic and ask what's wrong but not actually get them to do the work.

 

I don't think the MOT covers that.

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The steering on my car has, over the last few days suddenly become extremely sensitive. Every time I touch the wheel, the car jerks to the side - kind of the like the first time I ever played Ridge Racer with a steering wheel and was shunting from left to right all day.

 

Anyway, I've just pumped up all four tyres to their optimum pressure, could this effect it? Or is there something wrong with my steering column/wheel axis? I know its tough to tell, but I'm a tight Northerner who could do without getting stitched up by a mechanic.

 

Also, the dials on my dashboard have also ceased working - the mileage counter. The rest of the lights work fine - the handbrake sign etc.

 

Could the two be connected?

 

Many thanks.

 

That will be an MOT fail anyway so you'll have to see a mechanic anyway. You can always go to a mechanic and ask what's wrong but not actually get them to do the work.

 

I don't think the MOT covers that.

 

Ahh, I misread and thought he meant about the speedometer not working. Im sure you still need a working mileage counter too, as its effectively now a clocked car, which is illegal.

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I don't know whether its not working per se, its just that I can't see the dials (they're digital). For all I know, a bulb might have gone, and the mileage counter is still running, but just not showing.

 

It was about 83000 miles IIRC, so it'll be interesting to see what happens when/if it does decide to show again.

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I don't know whether its not working per se, its just that I can't see the dials (they're digital). For all I know, a bulb might have gone, and the mileage counter is still running, but just not showing.

 

It was about 83000 miles IIRC, so it'll be interesting to see what happens when/if it does decide to show again.

It will still be counting. Otherwise clocking a car would be way too easy.

 

Dunno about the steering, does it need power steering fluid?

 

I thought you still had horses and carts in Barnsley?

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I don't know whether its not working per se, its just that I can't see the dials (they're digital). For all I know, a bulb might have gone, and the mileage counter is still running, but just not showing.

 

It was about 83000 miles IIRC, so it'll be interesting to see what happens when/if it does decide to show again.

It will still be counting. Otherwise clocking a car would be way too easy.

 

Dunno about the steering, does it need power steering fluid?

 

I thought you still had horses and carts in Barnsley?

 

Could be a little battery lightbulb then.

 

Its only a Model T Ford, they've just been introduced in our parts. I've only got one because my 6 fingered sister saw one on our cobbled streets whilst out walking her Whippet, and recommended it.

 

My dad seems to have recently discovered an orangery/red substance too, which he has called "fire".

 

True Story.

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I agree with Rick that you should check if there is enough Power Steering Fluid in your car, failing that your tracking might be out of sync. Something similar happened to my girlfriend's car a couple of years ago when she drove over a pothole too quickly. I would definitely send it to a garage and get a quote on the work.

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Dashboard is likely to be something piss easy like a fuse which you can swap out, normally be in the engine compartment. Once you pop off the lid underneath it should have a diagram telling you what does what and normally colour coded also. There will be one for each set of lights on each side, wiper motors, horn, etc.

 

Wee example from online:

 

FogLight-001_small.jpg

 

Failing that it could be a loose solenoid in the wiring which needs re-soldered. Another easy job but very figety as it would probably need removing the dash facia from around the dials to re-solder.

 

Had to do both on my last two cars which were Jap imports, daunting at the time but in hindsight pretty straight forward just need a lot of patience.

 

As for the steering it sounds like you tyres were probably just very soft and long in need of inflation. Steering will be sluggish and heavier with tyres being softer and needs more effort to turn. If you've just pumped them up again then the steering becoming sharper and less of an effort is normally one of first things you'll notice. If there wasn't enough power steering fluid in the reservoir then you'd have the opposite knock on effect and it would be like a tank to turn so i don't think it's that but no harm in checking.

 

EDIT: For internals like the fag lighter, radio and courtesy lights (dash lights in your case) the fuse box will probably be inside the car. Same idea as the picture above but obviously darker and harder to get into so you'll need a torch and skinny fingers :-)

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