Hiya, I have a 1994 Mazda MX5 Eunos 1.8 with power steering.
When motorway driving the car drives straight and true. However, when the clutch is pushed down to make a gear change the car pulls to the left. Then, when in the new gear and the rev’s are raised the car pulls to the right. So effectively each gear change requires two corrections from myself. The problem is only really noticeable at higher (motorway) speeds.
Any ideas folks because i’m at a loss ? The only other possible symptom is a squeak coming from the rear off side every now and then but although I haven’t looked I just assumed was the exhaust.
Does the car have an LSD, if so check the circumference of the rear tyres. If the circumferences are slightly different and you have an LSD then this is exactly what will happen.
I would have the chassis geometory checked out the car could be crabbing, the rear axle is out of line with the car, check the suspension mountings/bushes and coil springs are not broken.
I would agree with this. Sounds like a rear wishbone moving about as drive is taken up. Check for deteriorated bushes at both ends of the wishbones and also for loose/stretched aligment bolts.
Mazda designed a certain amount of self-steering into the rear suspension with two different durometers for the front/rear bushes in the rear wishbones, this was to promote toe-in when lateral loads are applied during hard cornering. If one of the softer bushes is completely shot at one side then the car would crab in the way that you have described.