The rack is subject to load due to crossmember distortion - does the
steering effort change if you put the car on the ground (or at least,
with the suspension loaded) and then loosen and retighten the rack
mounting bolts? Are the steering arms reversed or mounted inside out
somehow? If the Ackerman was really messed up (I mean REALLY badly, not
just what the designers did) then it could cause a lack of
self-centering.
It is also necessary to have the U-joints in phase, i.e. the flanges on
each end of the middle link have to be aligned. I don't think that
having this wrong would cause as severe an effect as you're describing
though.
Are you using reasonably close to stock wheels and tires? Again, I don't
think that this is something that can cause the behaviour you're
describing unless you go way outside the normal envelope. I've only ever
encountered a lack of self-centering on my race Corolla when I was using
1 1/4" wheel spacers, lower-offset-than-stock (and 3 inches wider)
wheels, race slicks, shortened steering arms, and THEN tossed the car
sideways through a corner. And yes, with 9" slicks and 2 turns lock to
lock on the steering, the steering effort was brutal. I ended up having
to go to a larger diameter steering wheel and spacing it towards me to
prevent forearm cramps.
Theo
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