Lubricant for steering? (Potential solutions for Mirage's lack of self-centering)

[foama]

As the thread starter, I would like to point out a few findings:

I had both front wheels lifted off the ground, the car resting on stands. Then removed the front tyres and took off both ball joints. Then I took hold of the left bearing plate and turned it. It was easily possible, with practically no force required. Same for the other side. Just like on other comparable size small cars with any decent steering.

Then I examined the opposite part. I turned the key so the steeringwheel could be turned without it locking. Then I grabbed a balljoint and pushed it inwards towards the steering gear, then I pulled it outwards. I found out you need to push really very hard indeed to make it move even the slightest. The force needed by the Mirage is very much higher than on any other similar size car. This points to the problem.

That told me the stickiness (stickiness in the sense it resists moving, not in the sense it sticks like chewing gum on your soles) obviously comes from the steering gear or perhaps maybe from the motion sensor of the assisting electric. However, these motion sensors are usually electronic on modern cars, and thus require zero force.

Next step. I got under the car and loosened the nut that pushes on the back of the toothed bar within the steering gear, which pushes the bar onto the little gear that is turned by the steering wheel. You can see this nut by looking onto the steering gear from under the car and from behind, looking forward. It is partly covered by the front sway bar, and has a 40mm locking nut around it.

Much of the "stickiness" was now now gone, and there was, for the first time a little bit of self-centering noticable in curves. No self-centering on the highway yet, and a far cry from the much better steering of my tiny little Fiat, or from my old Metro, but it was definitly better.
Now I have retightened that nut again exactly as it was before, and will do some more examination of this matter when the terribly cold weather gets a bit warmer. Its just too cold in an unheated garage right now.

I know that some manufactures use this adjustment as a steering-damper. Too much torqe causes too much damping and the steering sticks in place. Probably thats exactly what's wrong in our cars, too much dampening because it was adjusted to an impractical and too high torque...

When the weather gets warmer so I can crawl under the car without freezing my extremities and the family jewels off, I will look into this matter further and let others know.

Next Episode:

Today it was warmer, so I decided to continue looking for the reason for the excessive stickiness.

First I loosened the adjustment-nut on the steering gear so far, that it has the least possible tightness without being too loose. I checked if the steering gear was lubricated (greased) sufficiently, which it was.

Then I disconnected the mechanical connection between the end of the steering column and the actual steering gear.
With the key inserted to prevent the wheel locking, I then turned the steering wheel without it turning the steering gear.

Findings:
The same stickiness prevailed! The stickiness can therefore only come either from the column itself, which is highly unlikely, or from the electric power steering system.
Since I don't know enough about that unit, I must leave it as it is. This is especially so, because the unit is made of three different assemblies that are intended not to be opened. (Thanks for the link to the very informative steering video!)

In a different post, someone said "I don't know what ppl are complaining about..."
The reason for me complaining is, I have gotten several cases of tendonitis from driving this car for long distances on the highway. Meanwhile, a tendon in my right lower arm has become fragmented because of this. I have no ambition at all to become an invalid because of the crappy steering! If this issue can not be resolved, I see myself forced to get rid of this car to prevent suffering further physical damage.

Btw, At work I drive several different vehicles including a few heavy trucks, and usually for very long distances too. My second car is a tiny 16 year old Fiat with no power steering at all, and is a pleasure to drive on highways with perfect steering.
However, in the past 42 years I have never come across any vehicle with such horrible steering as my Mirage!


Please, if anyone has further information about the Mirage sort of electric steering, please let me and others know!
Thanks!

[SPEvo112]

Does anyone know what the alignment specs are for the Mirage?

I wonder if the car runs very little caster which would lead to poor self-centering?

You can get more caster out of top-mounts with an offset bearing. Here's a pic of the R4 top mounts for the Evo X, you can see how the spherical bearing isn't centered, you align the bearing so it's near the firewall to gain caster. Another advantage of increased caster is it should make the car more stable at speed.

[MetroMPG]

SPEvo112...

You know, I don't think we have any active Mitsubishi dealership employees on the forum. That would be pretty easy to find out from the service department. That bearing plate is an interesting idea.

Welcome to the forum!

[3dplane]

SPEvo112...

You know, I don't think we have any active Mitsubishi dealership employees on the forum...

You do Not an official mitsu tech though. We got three guys that received mitsu training that makes it official,and fortunately I'm not one of them!

The caster specs are pretty normal: 3.3°-4.8° if I read it right from a crappy photo I took of the alignment machine monitor when I did the alignment on my mirage.

I suspect the 'stickines' mainly in the tight gear mesh design between the pinion gear and the rack inside the rack assembly.

In combination with the removal of assist at a relative low vehicle speed.(so now the EPS motor is a dead mass to spin at a high gear ratio backdriven by steering wheel movements)

That said I LOVE this characteristic of my mirage and really miss it when I'm driving something else!

I think it makes it track better, it goes where you told it to go last, less affected by ruts or bumps in the road,I can be lazy and put my seatbelt on using both hands WHILE making a slow turn in the parking lot before getting out on the road,or just play the game of can I set the steering wheel, let it go and take this bend without having to make a correction? Etc. (some of this is not recommended unless you are a professional)

One thing makes me wonder..when someone has a serious problem with the way the steering is on a mirage. Was it not noticable on the test drive before purchasing the car?

[MetroMPG]

You do Not an official mitsu tech though. We got three guys that received mitsu training that makes it official, and fortunately I'm not one of them!

Haha! Well, now you're probably going to get bugged more.

One thing makes me wonder..when someone has a serious problem with the way the steering is on a mirage. Was it not noticable on the test drive before purchasing the car?

Valid question.

It was immediately noticeable to me. And having said that, while I'm not a fan of either the steering or suspension tuning, they woudn't keep me from getting one of these cars.

[m4v3r1ck]

That said I LOVE this characteristic of my mirage and really miss it when I'm driving something else!

I think it makes it track better, it goes where you told it to go last, less affected by ruts or bumps in the road,I can be lazy and put my seatbelt on using both hands WHILE making a slow turn in the parking lot before getting out on the road,or just play the game of can I set the steering wheel, let it go and take this bend without having to make a correction? Etc. (some of this is not recommended unless you are a professional)

One thing makes me wonder..when someone has a serious problem with the way the steering is on a mirage. Was it not noticable on the test drive before purchasing the car?

Hahaha I'm exactly the same! I tend to use it to my advantages. Especially on slow turns I even put my hands behind my back and love getting surprised looks from other cars LOL .... I have to correct more on my Galant than in the Mirage ....

I don't agree though to ppl that addresses this as safety issue, I would then say .... learn to control your vehicle.

This is NOT an issue, it's an improvement.

Oh and now that someone said it, it's indeed less prone to shakes caused by potholes.

To those with health issue, is it not caused by how you hold the steering wheel? maybe you want to try holding it other way? I hold my steering wheels with my thumb and index finger (just one hand mostly) on the lower side while my arms rested on my right foot (on highway), so only my hand moves a bit while driving. Almost no muscle used here, love the steering wheel of this Mirage.

[ThreePot]

Hahaha I'm exactly the same! I tend to use it to my advantages. Especially on slow turns I even put my hands behind my back and love getting surprised looks from other cars LOL .... I have to correct more on my Galant than in the Mirage ....

I don't agree though to ppl that addresses this as safety issue, I would then say .... learn to control your vehicle.

This is NOT an issue, it's an improvement.

Oh and now that someone said it, it's indeed less prone to shakes caused by potholes.

To those with health issue, is it not caused by how you hold the steering wheel? maybe you want to try holding it other way? I hold my steering wheels with my thumb and index finger (just one hand mostly) on the lower side while my arms rested on my right foot (on highway), so only my hand moves a bit while driving. Almost no muscle used here, love the steering wheel of this Mirage.

Can anyone really judge others opinions on handling unless you tried their car first(?)
I would be surprised if the USA spec cars have the same EPS programming.

[m4v3r1ck]

Can anyone really judge others opinions on handling unless you tried their car first(?)
I would be surprised if the USA spec cars have the same EPS programming.

True, although on this matter I seriously don't think that Mitsubishi have other programming on steering wheel. All of the cars delivered from the same factory, although differs in some specs like the gear ratio, but steering?

[lourie]

I am a mechanic and mirage owner from new Zealand
I have noticed the lack of self centering which is a characteristic of electronic power assist
most of the other new cars are going to electronic power assist as you gain an extra one mile per gallon instead of hydraulic power assist
they have the same questions being asked of there steering

[MiMi]

Now that foama (Post #30) has shown that the lack of self centering is due to the electric power steering assembly, the question is "How"? I can't envision how the power assist can cause this characteristic.