The Safrane.Info Forum!

I'm back with more questions.

I'm still trying to sort my Safrane out in time for its mot and also so I can start using it again on a regular basis.

I've got a wobble coming from the near side front wheel, at times it feels as if the wheel is about to come off, but other times it's fine. Seems to disappear when braking and cornering, mostly just running straight and is most evident at speeds up to around 60 mph.

I've jacked car up and there is some side to side play, when gripping wheel. It's hard to tell for certain but from what I can tell it is coming from the steering arm, but at the rack end.

On last years mot, there was an advisory for excessive play in steering, but I didn't have this wheel wobble at that time, but I did have then and still now, the same wobble feeling through the steering wheel.

I've noticed looking for parts that an inner track rod often pops up, do you think wear in this item is a likely culprit and a replacement would possibly sort it? Or is it likely to be a more serious fault with the steering rack itself?

Grateful for any insights.

John

I would suggest going for a steering arm kit first with a new track rod end,don,t go down the route of a rack,i doubt it will need one,they mostly get replaced due to leaks rather than play.The steering kits are cheap enough so go that route first.

Thanks for the advice, you have certainly made me feel calmer about the Safrane. I had over a year of trouble free motoring, apart from the constant carbon monoxide poisoning. I hope to have at least the important things sorted by then end of the month.

These are normally very reliable cars. The fumes.. it must be leaking somewhere and the only thing I'm thionking of is the downpipe.

As for the steering.. I've not known it to play up (unless you have the engine out, reinstall and then leave the car standing for 3 years). The safrane isn't like other renaults, they're reasonably solid and (for renault) pretty well built.

Stick with it, they're good motors once you get the niggles sorted!

I intend sticking with this Safrane. I started out with. 25 TXE back in 1995, kept that for four years. Then a gap until 2003 when I bought my first Safrane a 2.5 TD, which I ran for two years. Another gap until 2011 when I purchase a phase II 2.0 RTE Exec, which I kept for just over a year and covered 20,000 miles. Then a short lived 2.5 20v which was heavily modified with lowered suspension, huge wheels, noisy exhaust. It proved too much to take and too expensive to return to normal.
So my current one I bought some seventeen months ago and until February of this year ran faultlessly, well almost.
I have a thing for these large French saloons and this one is as good as I'm likely to find so I will be sticking with it.