Steering Play

Bruceynz

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Hi Guys,

Watch here first

Ok I think I have excessive play in my steering in the straight ahead position, car has a rebuilt steering gear with heavier reaction springs, they picked the best balls to make sure it was tight in the worm gear, car has had FF top A arms, new ball joints and tie rods, addco front sway bar, solid pucks. I am thinking I need to adjust the steering gear.

Thanks
Bruce
 

80mirada

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Seems fairly typical. I wound put the car up on ramps and have some one wiggle the wheel while looking at the tie rod ends, the pitman arm, and the idler arm. Next I would then watch for play at the steering coupler and the rag joint. My rag joint gave me about that much play, unfortunately a new one doesn't eliminate all of the play. If everything is tight then I would try adjusting the steering box play.

Who rebuilt the steering box?
 

Oldiron440

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I have seen just recently seen a rag joint replacement that's a borgonsen joint and a bolt in. I have no idea if spelled that correctly.
 

Bruceynz

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idler and pitman arm new, Tie rods new, ball joints new, top A arms new, solid pucks, addco from and rear bars, KYB gas shocks, steering box built in chch where I live, heavier springs fitted, housing machined and bearings fitted to sector shaft, the best fitting balls were installed. Rag joint and coupler seems ok to me, car done 74,000miles


Seems fairly typical. I wound put the car up on ramps and have some one wiggle the wheel while looking at the tie rod ends, the pitman arm, and the idler arm. Next I would then watch for play at the steering coupler and the rag joint. My rag joint gave me about that much play, unfortunately a new one doesn't eliminate all of the play. If everything is tight then I would try adjusting the steering box play.

Who rebuilt the steering box?
 

Aspen500

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I'm with the others, that's about normal for on center play with a Mopar power steering gear, even a "hot rodded" one. I've got a Firm Feel Stage II and it's 1,000 times better than stock but there is still that on center dead spot roughly the same amount as you have. It's the design of the steering gear. It has to have some play either side of center to make the power assist work. It's hard to explain, you'd almost have to see a gear apart to know what I'm trying to say. Tightening the preload won't help much, unless it's WAY too loose to begin with. That only adjusts the preload on the recirculating balls and does very little for actual free play. If too tight, you'll be forever correcting to keep the car going straight ahead from the loss of self centering. It's best to adjust that per the service manual.
 

Oldiron440

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I have one on my Volare, I have a manual box and mine was made from a streetrod kit. I needed header clearance thirty years ago.
 

Bruceynz

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Ok there is a rag joint and a coupler

the rag joint by the fire wall and the coupler by the box, which one gives troube?

Before I took my gear out I turn the input shaft with a coupler on it and I found that is was tight! the smallest movement and the sector shaft was moving, when I took the old gear out and checked it there was play in it, I thought this is going to work well but I have never been happy! I wonder if the coupler or the rag is rooted!
 

Oldiron440

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I used on both ends, I have a buddy that builds streetrods and I was lucky to find the parts in his leftovers.
 

AJ/FormS

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Before anything I would adjust the sector shaft, per the manual.
But, even before that, you gotta see something.
With the car off,and a cold exhaust, pop the hood. Reach down and rotate the steering shaft coming down from the column. Just wiggle it back and forth like you did in the video. You will see the input shaft in the box move in and out just a tiny bit. That movement signals the spool valve to begin boosting. You cannot eliminate it, or it won't boost. After the car is running the box is somewhat pressurized, and the play is lessened, but it cannot be eliminated.
If you try to take up too much slack in the sector adjustment, the steering will stick on center, and you will end up chasing the car all over the road. If you adjust the sector, with the box not centered,it will be too tight. Centered is not with the steering wheel straight ahead. You must turn the steering wheel all the way to one side, and index the perimeter of the wheel to some fixed point in the car using masking tape or something . Then turn the wheel all the way to the otherside, counting the turns as you go. Then reset the steering wheel exactly half way. This will center the box on the highpoint. If your steering wheel is not centered, that is a job for the alignment guy. He will take some tierod adjustment from one side, and give an equal amount to the other side, until it is centered. You have to get this done, else the box will boost sooner and possibly more, in one direction than the other. For a city car, try to get the caster set equally between the two sides.And also if your hiways have zero crown.
 

Bruceynz

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Ok I G clamped the coupler and then cabled tied it to my exhausts, I then went into the car and wiggled the wheel and its got hardly any play in it, have a look at the pics and the video, I am thinking the box may need some adjustment.

IMG_20180217_144545[1].jpg




The bang at the start is the side door on my garage slamming in the wind, don't think I have smashed my steering gear :)
 
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Bruceynz

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Ok this maybe left field, I dunno, but here we go, my boss use to have a JK jeep wranger, it had RB power steering, I drove it a few times and it had no play in the center position, felt like R&P but with less feedback, how hard would it be to make an adapter plate up that allowed the jeep steering gear to bolt into a J body, looks like to me the jeep mounts on the side and the J body on the K member, so some sort of L bracket might do the trick, really have no idea if possible, just a way out of it idea. Maybe it will mount on the side with some how, anything is possible :)

gears.jpg
 

Oldiron440

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Remember you have got to use a pitman arm the same length with the same swing as the one you have now, before doing something like this look at a rack and pinion set up.
 
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jasperjacko

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It will NEVER EVER be as good as a rack and pinion like most cars have. There is just too much going on with the old style steering.
 
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