Help! steering problems

[super_dave0069]

I am the proud new 3rd owner of a 85 911 cabriolet. I purchased it yesterday and it's a great car. Engine purrs, handles great, and no rust or dents, and interior is in great shape. It's white with black interior and top with a whale tail too. It made the 3hr ride home seem like minutes. While getting better acquainted with it today, I experienced a steering problem. Please advise if you can and refer me to a good mechanic in the Tampa area too.

Here's what happened:
While driving, the steering got very stiff and noticed a grinding sound coming from behind the steering wheel. I was driving quite hard earlier in the day but when I noticed the steering stiffen it was after changing lanes; not abruptly. It felt as if the power steering went out but this car does not have PS, to my knowledge. I pulled into a parking lot and looked in the trunk compartment and looked at the steering linkage. I purchased the car yesterday and noticed the linkage looked brand new then. Today, it was covered in a black metallic soot like brake dust. When moving the wheel slightly it felt as though it were grinding in the boot covering the axle below the linkage and inside the car, it made occasional grinding sounds inside the boot behind the steering wheel. I wasn't too far from home and gingerly got it back. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated

[super_dave0069]

ttt

[super_dave0069]

bump

[911quest]

I sounds like a bad steering U-joint or a problem with a steering shaft bearing the U-joints you really need to remove to check there movement. It is probably binding....But first I would remove the steering wheel and check the shaft bearings

[super_dave0069]

Thanks for the advice. Folks in tech support seem to think something was recently installed incorrectly. I'm not too sure I want to tackle steering issues myself though. Can anyone refer me to a reputable mechanic in the Tampa area. I have heard mixed thoughts on using the dealer for repairs on the older 911s. I have been advised that many dealer's service departments are only familiar with the new models. What are your experiences and thoughts on that?

[911quest]

The way I look at go into the service depatment and look thru the window if any of the Techs have grey hair you might be ok but if they look like there 16 go some where else

[super_dave0069]

I've got it narrowed down to 2 shops in the Tampa area.

- Reeves Import (local P dealer). Admittedly not much experience with the 85.

- Dave White Racing: They specialize in P race setups and re-builds. The have several techs with over 30ys exp each. (I'm leaning towards this shop).

Does anyone have info on either of them?

[super_dave0069]

I got the first estimate ($737) for u-joints and bearings from Reeves. Seems a little steep to me so I decided to take a closer look myself. I took the steering wheel off but didn't have a socket to fit the nut and couldn't see much. The way the mounting bracket is, I can't get an adjustable wrench in there either.
Now for the weird part.
I decided to drive around the block to see if I could track down the noise, bearings vs. u-joints, and it worked fine. I drove around the neighborhood and it handled great so I decided to take it on a longer drive. Everything was great till I made a fairly sharp right turn. In the Apex, I felt everything stiffen up again.

Has anyone had this happen to them? Intermittent steering...any suggestions?

[tijnes]

I had the exact same thing happen on my car. Sometimes it would be fine other times the steering wheel would "crack/squeal" and bind up. Over time it did get worse and one day while driving one of the winding roads out east on LI the steering wheel got stuck in a turn and I almost drove into the trees at the inside of the turn. Delaying maintenance is a bad idea! I ended up generously lubing the universal joints. If you have a copy of the Bentley manual it's an easy job and so far it has been ok.
I do think of this as a temporary fix but the car is due for "restoration" this summer and I'll replace the joints and rebuild the steering rack when it's all apart.

Martijn

[super_dave0069]

Thanks Martijn,

I was beginning to think I was all alone with this one. Was your problem just with the u-joints? What type of lube did you use on them? Do you plan on replacing the steering rack or rebuilding it? I don't have a Bently manual yet but I'm sure I will soon. Are the u-joints supposed to be lubed periodically? When I purchased the car they seemed to be brand new and very clean...no lube. Does the manual cover rebuilding the steering rack. Does it mention anything on lubing the bearings too? I'll be very curious as to how your steering bugs go till it's fixed as I seem to have the same exact symptoms. Please keep me posted.
Dave

[tijnes]

Dave

So far the steering is fine. I used a bearing grease to lube the u-joints. Come to think of it I also took off the steering wheel and put some grease on the shaft and visible bearing. I doubt that it helps a lot but can't hurt either. The Bentley manual gives step by step instructions on how to get to the u-joints (you'll have to remove the fresh air blower), not hard to do at all.

As far as I know the U-joints don't have a service schedule they just get replaced when bad. This is what I plan on doing during the resto later this year. I'm also going to rebuild the steering rack at that time. The car is now 30 years old and I have no receipts that it was ever done before. This link has good info on that project.

SC Steering Rack DIY Bearing Replace

I might also replace the steering column bearings but have not researched that yet.

Martijn

[burgermeister]

I WD-40'd my U-joints liberally. Then, a bit of motor oil to follow up. Worked like a charm, though will probably need re-oiling every 1 or 2 years.

The rack can also use re-greasing every once in a while. Tim Hanckok has a great thread on disassembling & rebuilding the rack.

[ianc]

If you have just purchased the car and intend to do at least some of the maintenance yourself, then grab a Bentley right away. It will pay for itself many times over. With the manual, you'll be able to look at a diagram of the steering components and how they're put together.

I myself have not experienced a problem similar to what you're describing, but you will find that sometimes there is no recourse but to just get in there and start taking things apart. It sounds like you've already pretty much identified the location of the problem, so just start disassembling and things should be clear once you have them accessible for inspection. Good luck,

ianc

[super_dave0069]

I took everything apart to get to the upper u-joints and they look very good. The grinding seemed to be coming from the lower steering rod bearing or lower u-joints. I put some 3n1 oil in the bottom dust cover and in the bearings let it soak in and then packed bearing grease down the top of the bottom steering shaft cover. I turned the wheels back and forth a few times and no more grinding. I took the car for a spin and everything feels perfect. Hopefully there was just some dirt or corrosion in there and the bearings are fine. If it acts up again, at least I'll know what to replace first. Thank you all for all of your help and ideas

[burgermeister]

Probably was the lower U-joint.

If the steering shaft bearing was grinding, it may be in pretty poor shape or missing some rollers. I'd order a new one sometime - mine was very worn out. A used steering rack I ordered had a very worn shaft at the location where this bearing goes - luckily, mine was still useable. It's inside a rubber donut that's clamped along with the plastic cover inside the smugglers box.

HKS 1712 I think. ebatmus.com sells them for $5 or so. It's the same bearing as the upper pinion bearing inside the rack, so I'd order 2 of them.

SC Steering Rack DIY Bearing Replace