How Do You Know When Your Steering System Needs Rebuilding?
 

Well, my 1973.5T has been acting funny lately in that the front end tends to wonder a bid and feel even wobbly. I just had new Dunlop 5000 Sports installed on the rears but did not change the fronts yet because I am far from the wear indicators. Driving down the interstate the other day the front was drifting and felt slightly unsteady in the turns. No looseness in the steering wheel, however.

How do I know when my ball joints or tie-rods need replacement?
I know the front end bushings could use replacement. Can that have that much of a sudden inpact on handling? This is strange and too sudden.

Thanks
Bob

Sometimes its just new tires...especially if only on one end like the rears. I had the same floatiness when I installed "same type" newer rear tires. Required 1000 miles before all went back to normal.

---Wil Ferch

Wil.
Thanks. I find that fascinating, because I never expereinced that before. I had a feeling it might have been the tires, but can not understand the dynamic at hand that made the front feel sloppy.

I would be interested in knowing what causes that to happen. New tires making a front end sloppy?!

Bob

My guess is that as the rear tip-toes on higher and squirmier tread blocks...you "feel" and "correct" to that facet by making small , corrective, steering inputs...

Don't really know....


---Wil Ferch

Make sense..............

Sure is weird though......my driving habits have drastically changed over this for now.

Thanks
Bob

sometimes when you go over a bump you feel the st. wheel move -- new bearing.

also put it in the air and push and pull on the tires -- vert & horiz'ly -- see if there is any movement -- could be ball joints

I just did a tire change, tie rod upgrade, torsion bar upgrade, suspension bushings, and new steering rack basically one item at a time. From my experience, the wandering you're experiencing is from the tie rods. Perhaps the new rubber has emphasized the issue. Bad rack may cause pull to either side or difficulty in turning but not exactly what you described. I was amazed at the increase in control with the tie rods. Suspension bushings may also impact the issue if they have flowed so far that the t-bar is rubbing, though it wouldn't suddenly change.

So my advise, drive for a while and make sure you're not seeing things. Check bushing and tie rod condition and look to replace one or both.

John