and more steering problems...

[ATLMonte88]

Ran into some more steering problems recently when i pulled the MC out of the shed. a few months back it was running pretty straight with slight amounts of slack.. now, Basically im getting a tone of slack in the wheel and have to "see-saw" the wheel even when going 35mph to keep it on the road, even worse when on the interstate...

what has been replaced: New steering box (less than 20K miles ago), new upper steering shaft from Mikes's Montes, all bushings ect have been replaced with ploy's, the ball joints, control arms, ect are in great shape, front sway bar is attached, wheels/ tires are balanced, alignment is fine, shocks and springs are fairly new. im wondering if i need to adjust the screws on the steering box? my mechanic suggested replacing the Pitman arm.. any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

 

[pontiacgp]

mine did the same thing....it' was the rag joint near the box that cause the slack in mine. It was ok before I parked it for the winter

 

[ATLMonte88]

rag joint is new, came preassembled with the upper steering shaft i bought (old one was rivited on, sorry but im not messing with rivits lol) thanks though.

 

[pontiacgp]

are you sure the mech suggested the pitman arm and not the idler arm? The arm can be checked, I don't agree with changing parts unless needed. Can you get someone to turn the wheel while you look at the components?

 

[ATLMonte88]

im 99% sure he said pitman arm, but I didnt consdier the idler arm. i'll try to get someone to give a helping hand this weekend. at this point im so frustrated that i'm willing to change parts just to see if it helps, we have a second 88 mc so wouldnt hurt to have some spares laying around. thanks for the suggestions, btw love your pic of the rocket dog lol

 

[othtim]

Did you check the rag joint? Iknow you said it was new with the steering shaft, but imo that doesn't mean anything.

disconnect the lower steering shaft from the box
get someone to hold the steering wheel
turn the lower steering shaft. if there's play in the shaft, its the rag joint.

If there' sno play, the brace the pitman arm in place somehow, and reconnect the lower steering shaft, and turn the steering wheel. if there's play, it's in the box.

this is how i've always done it. its not very scientific but if tehre's a major problem it shows.

also hows your alignment? dece or pretty wack?
edit: saw you said it was good 🙂

do you get the slack when you're parked or only when you're moving?

just some thoughts, not gospel.

I've never adjusted the screwd on the box. not even sure how to do it, really. what does it accomplish? :S

 

[pontiacgp]

the pitman arm has no parts that wear so unless it's bent it never needs changing. The idler arm however are notorious for wear. When I checked my rag joint I just stood outside the car while it was running and jiggled the steering wheel back and forth, I could watch the rag joint since I don't have the plastic cover

and that picture was the last one I have of my dog, when that wick burnt down he was gone and never seen again.. 😢

 

[ATLMonte88]

Did you check the rag joint? Iknow you said it was new with the steering shaft, but imo that doesn't mean anything.

disconnect the lower steering shaft from the box
get someone to hold the steering wheel
turn the lower steering shaft. if there's play in the shaft, its the rag joint.

If there' sno play, the brace the pitman arm in place somehow, and reconnect the lower steering shaft, and turn the steering wheel. if there's play, it's in the box.

this is how i've always done it. its not very scientific but if tehre's a major problem it shows.

also hows your alignment? dece or pretty wack?
edit: saw you said it was good 🙂

do you get the slack when you're parked or only when you're moving?

just some thoughts, not gospel.

I've never adjusted the screwd on the box. not even sure how to do it, really. what does it accomplish? :S

rag joint is in great shape, esp compared to the original lol.. i'm leaning torwards the idler arm being the issue since it was stated that the pitman arm cant "wear out" i replaced idler arm along with the rest of the front end assembly but now that i think about it, could have been over 80k miles ago and they were OEM GM factory replacements. thanks for the help yall. hopefully i can figure this out, have a 92 vett LT1 being rebuilt rite now and cant imagine the extra HP with lack of control.

 

[ATLMonte88]

and that picture was the last one I have of my dog, when that wick burnt down he was gone and never seen again.. 😢

LOL i seriously just fell out of my chair, sorry to hear he never came back!

 

[79malibubbctt]

The only thing the screw on the gear box does is puts a little more tension on the box which makes it a little harder to turn and drive. You still have all the play in the steering.