Club126UK
Fiat 126 Chat => Fiat 126 Mechanical Problem Solving => Topic started by: scotty on May 23, 2014, 10:38:48 AM
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I've noticed my steering is becoming gradually more and more stiff.
I'm going to jack up the front to take a look but I wondered if there's anything I should be checking first?
I read a while ago on another post that as part of regular maintenance that something under there should be greased and I can't find the thread.
Could anyone shed any light?
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Possibly the kingpins need greasing or may be starting to seize? It's best to disconnect the steering track rod ends and check if the king pins are rotating freely..
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Cheers Chris.
I'll give that a whirl mate! :)
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Look for two grease nipples. One is on the front side of the drivers kingpin, the other is on the rearward side of the passenger kingpin. Clean the nipple before you attach your grease gun.
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Cheers Bambino!
Off to the grease gun shop! YEE-HAW! ;D
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my car did that and in the end it was the king pin snaped and changed the KPI and thats what mae the steering heavy. but it could just be what everyone else has said. so just make sure u check for any top bottom movement.
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Now my steering has become stiff too! :(
So I tried to grease the kingpins..... On one side it works fine and the grease came out the bottom, but on the other side the kingpin refused to take any grease, it just shot back out at the nipple.
So then I unscrewed the nipple completely, threw it away, and fitted a brand new one. Same problem, it just refused the grease.
The steering is still stiff so what shall I do now? ???
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if you take the king pin out then you should be able clean it because i expect some dirt has clogged the little channels/groves around the king pin. the only other way I can think of, without taking the kinpin out is if you take the everything off the main kingpin assembally and if you soak it in wd-40 or similar products to loosen the dirt then try regereasing the king pin.
Hope fully that works and that helps.
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Ok thanks, I'll try that.
Does the kingpin come out quite easily?
Once out, is it straightforward to strip it down?
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Not an easy job to remove a king pin and you would need to remove the whole assembly from the car to have any chance. Your best bet would be to keep trying to get some lube in there perhaps while the steering is going lock to lock.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
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Also a bit of heat can help, but take care because of the rubber bushes..
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Just in case it would help any of you guys I have just removed the perfectly good front suspension from my car asi replaced the whole lot along with a disc brake conversion :)
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Rusty is that gone independent
Ralph
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Now my steering has become stiff too! :(
So I tried to grease the kingpins..... On one side it works fine and the grease came out the bottom, but on the other side the kingpin refused to take any grease, it just shot back out at the nipple.
So then I unscrewed the nipple completely, threw it away, and fitted a brand new one. Same problem, it just refused the grease.
The steering is still stiff so what shall I do now? ???
Same here.
One side took some grease and on the other it came out the bottom (not sure if this should happen).
Gadge suggested the bush may have gone which makes sense.
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Oh really? I thought the grease squirting out the bottom of the kingpin was good? I thought that means that it's full up with grease?
I have it being rejected by the grease nipple on the bad side of my car.
Did you get an improvement Scotty when you did yours?
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If the grease just falls out of the bottom then it probably means that the bottom plug has fallen out and you will not be getting any grease to the bushes.
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The grease shouldn't just pour out the bottom. If that's the case then it's like rusty says the cap may be missing. When you pump them full of grease it usually oozes out from the middle part where the two parts swivel or where the roll pin is then after that it will start to come out of the bottom where the cap is but by that time it would be minimal as the centre part is where the pressure relive is for the new grease going in and should be letting a lot of the old grease out.
I bought and fitted recon kingpins to mine about 1000 miles ago and I use an air powered grease gun and even with all that pressure behind it it doesn't pour out the bottom much. Old grease just gums up over time and as the pins and bushes deteriorate you end up with a metallic gum kind of substance which just aids the wearing process hence why it's really REALLY important to keep you pins greased ;D - the manual says every 1000 miles but I'ld go for every 500 myself. You don't need to remove the wheel and it only takes a quick blast from a hand held one (two or three pumps) just to push the old stuff out.
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Rusty is that gone independent
Ralph
No I meant from the leaf spring out :)