hey there

checked the basics, like tyre pressures?
is the steering hard to turn?
Manual or power steering?

 

ive checked the tyre pressure its at 32psi
it doesnt have power steering (wish it did)

if i turn and take my hands off the wheel it will just keep turning

isit possible im being stupid and it is a power steering model but i dont know what im looking for? :/

 

Behind the left hand side headlamp do you have a black bottle? If so it has pas if not it doesnt mate, my pas model does seft center.

 

if it has power steering you will have a tank for it close to the passenger side headlight.

is your car a mk1 or mk2?

Beaten to the punch by MK1SAM!

both power steering and manual should self-center

working the steering, is it heavy?

 

Hello Reece, I take it your the Dude that pulled up at my drive asking about my wheels.
Anyway just wanted to ask why you have your tyre pressures at 32, I've just dropped mine from 28 to 26 as my steering was to easy, Feels just right now.

 

Sounds as if you might have as mentioned uneven tyre pressures or non-standard front suspension geometry if your car has
been used extensively on tracks it used to be practice to reduce the toe in to reduce drag (ancient days) clipping a kerb can also have a similar effect.

explanation here http://www.ozebiz.co...eory/align.html

 

ive always ran 32 psi in all my tyres on every car, and yes that was me justsomebloke.

ill have a look in the morning guys its way too cold to be coming off this heated blanket!

Its very possible it has been clipped on a curb etc, the guy i had it off claimed he never used the car for drifting etc

but im not so sure.

it will just make it a hell of alot easier to drift with the self centering steering as my hands have to be very quick when switching skids

 

I would be looking at front geometry, paying attention to caster angle.

 

Seized balljoint?
Bernard

 

Get an alignment, all 5's benefit from this, as you don't have power steering, Caster is a bit of a compromise.. normally with a power-steered car you'd want as much front Caster as possible, around 6 degrees.

A previous owner might have wanted the car to have slightly 'lighter' steering by having this figure much lower i.e. 4 degrees or below. Without an alignment at a proper shop you'll not know.

As long as nothing else is worn/seized in the steering and the car is aligned well, it'll self-centre at 6 degrees no problem.

The compromise bit is how 'heavy' the steering will be at lower speeds..

 

hi check the uj at the bottom of column if thats seized it will cause those symptoms

 

Did you ever figure out what was causing this? Mine is doing it and i can't sort it out!

 

My MK2 has 26psi for the tyre pressures.
I've never run them as high as 32 (which seems a lot to me) as I want the car to feel as near to what the manufacturer intended as possible.
Try dropping them to 26 (with a good quality pressure gauge) and see what happens.

In any case it won't self centre as much as some front wheel drive cars.

 

There is a rack-friction bolt on the rack. If this is done up too tight, the rack will have too much resistance for the car to overcome. I had this issue with mine when I got it. The very last picture in the Flying Miata Depower guide shows you which bolt and how to adjust it.

https://www.flyinmiata.com/tech/depower.php

Edit, I run 3.5 deg with my depowered rack, and self centering works.

Edit 2, my thread from when I had the same problem:

http://www.mx5nutz.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=175209

 

There is a rack-friction bolt on the rack. If this is done up too tight, the rack will have too much resistance for the car to overcome. I had this issue with mine when I got it. The very last picture in the Flying Miata Depower guide shows you which bolt and how to adjust it.

https://www.flyinmiata.com/tech/depower.php

Edit, I run 3.5 deg with my depowered rack, and self centering works.

Edit 2, my thread from when I had the same problem:

http://www.mx5nutz.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=175209

Cheers but this was fiddled with a few weeks ago. Didnt matter how much i loosened the lash adjustment it didnt help. I have Track rod ends and lower ball joints to change at the weekend so i hope its them. Oh and had alignment that didnt help either.