Second Mustang With Steering Problem: Totally Depressed

[Stever1960]

Just to recap, to get to a goal of three working EVOS, I have had 7 cars in my hands and still only have two working EVOs:

1 Firebird - worked great out of the box
3 Lancers - the third one is a keeper
1 Hummer - returned
2 Mustangs - about to retun the second one, this time for a refund

Soon to own a Mini-Z

Both Mustangs have the exact same problem. Oversteering when turning left. You do a 180 degree turn and release the steering wheel and the car keeps turning. Once in a while it will do 3-4 complete circles. Turning to the right it is perfect.

It does it with the body off.
It does it if I change radio units.
It does it if I swap wheel assemblies in the front (Axles, bearings, tires - everything).
It does it worse if I loosen the plate that covers the tie rod or use metal bearings.

On my track with tight turns my Firebird and Lancer both complete 5 laps in 35-40 seconds. I have yet to manage a sub 50 second run with Mustang #2 because I have to countersteer to correct the problem that occurs after a 180 to the left. On my oval track with 4' lanes I cannot complete 3 straight laps without crashing due to a locked left turning position.

I have two local Radio Shacks. One couldn't believe it when I returned my third car and made me feel horrible. So I returned my first Mustang to the other RS and the guy there wouldn't exchange it until he played with the car for 10 minutes to reproduce the issue. His attitude was basically - I can't believe what you are telling me. BTW - the second Mustang came with a bum controller. Fortunately I checked the knuckles and the controller before I left. He was a little more humble after seeing one of the two things I checked actually had failed. Only if he knew why I returned all those other cars.

Conclusion, I'm just worn out.

Steve

[Stever1960]

Update:

I stopped going to the RS in my town with the unknowledgeable folks and returned both Mustangs to the other one with a knowledgable person. He ran both cars and after his initial skepticism on #1, was totally understanding today when I returned #2 and his strong guess was the servo as in the first one. He was stunned he could release thesteering wheel and it would continue in circles when going left. After discussing my issues with so many duds he said he would take personal ownership to insure I had a third working one or XMAS. We assembled togther a G35 in shop and it was great. I confirmed with a 45 minute session at home tonight and am supposed to give him a buzz to know all is well.

I inquired about the freak nature of what I have had to deal with and he assurred me there was one worse case in his experience.

One thing is for sure, I will be giving his store the spare parts and upgrade business.

Steve

[Btman]

I have not experienced any steering problems so far with my mustang. However, it seems more radio interference prone compared to my gen 1 xmods. I also get the feeling that the differential gears will not last as long as my gen 1 xmods. I have owned a gen 1 RSX and a Supra since they first came out 2 years ago and both have worked flawlessly. As good as the gen 2 cars are spec wise, I am having reservations about the long term reliability. Also, I am always scraping the battery cover on the mustang because of the ground clearance. The stock setup is good for carpet/mat racing i guess but can be an issue if using a slighly uneven surface. I just purchased another gen 1 xmods since it was on sale because I still like the design better. I know the gen 2 cars are better, this is just a personal preference.