How heavy is the steering supposed to be?

[Periokid]

It seems there is a difference in opinion.

I put my car on the lift and spun the steering wheel back and forth. Smooth as glass. I did not hear any strange sounds and the resistance was the same no matter where the wheel was positioned.

Does this provide any useful information?

[This message has been edited by Periokid (edited 08-26-2001).]

[Early_S_Man]

Well, that tells me your steering column bushings and U-joints are OK!

Pull the splash shield off, and look for damage to the rack boots.

If the boots are damaged, then the rack needs to be removed and disassembled and thoroughly cleaned and lubed with Swepco 101 moly grease! And, replace the boots!

------------------
Warren Hall
1973 911S Targa
1992 Dodge Dakota 5.2 4X4 parts hauler

[Periokid]

Thanks so much for all of the feedback.

After checking the car on the lift I decided to bump up the tire pressure. It was about 32 psi on both sides in the front. I made them 38 psi and took it for a ride.

The difference is astonishing!! It is SOOOO much better.

The problem is...38 psi. Is that too much. It pounds over bumps. Very hard!!

Suggestions?

[old_skul]

Make up your mind! Light steering or harsh ride.

I stick with the harsh ride myself. I run 35/38 f/r and my steering's light enough.

------------------
Mark Szabo
1986 911 Targa 3.2
1987 Escort 5-speed 1.9 RIP
The Porsche Owners Gallery

[expat]

Hmmmm

I tried running 40 psi trying to solve this heavy steering but it made little (no) difference.

[chrisp]

I had an issue with inconsistent effort on my steering. Mechanic said the rack was bad. Another mechanic said in 20 yrs of P-car racing he has never seen a bad rack.

I opted to start with the u-joint lubing procedure. I dug deep and pulled the cover to access the upper u-joint. Shure enoguh the mid shaft was rubbing against the car. Apparently when the bump steer rack spacers were installed it pushed the steering column up and shifted the mid-shaft out of alignment and was rubbing on the car.

Note: even with this rubbing the steering wheel turned with one finger with the front end off the ground. Now it turns much easier. In fact a good effort will spin the wheel throughout it's rotation. It's very, very smotth and effortless now.

Good luck.

[floorMatt]

I solved my stiff steering problem by oiling the input shaft and U-joints. The only issue is that my problem was that the steering wheel needed to be dragged back to center, or it would stay turned. Based on your explaination of the problem I'd say that the rack and the U-joints are not necessarily your issue. It would seem that you have little problem with your steering gear if the wheel seeks to straighten itself out (which is normal). I would assume that you have excessive input from the tire(s). If tire pressure doesn't seem to be the problem, maybe you need to have your car corner balanced. Is the problem worse in one direction over the other?

[Periokid]

The problem is the same in either direction.

Since the tire pressure made such a significant difference does the problem lie in my tires?

[GREEN78SC]

Yeah, I think we all know about air pressure so we can move away from this thought...

A bit of sarcasm for expathk.

A lot depends on the accuracy of your guage, kind and SIZE of tires, etc. Normally the simplest fixes should be tried first, no matter how dumb they sound and sometimes it is good to question yourself, no matter how certain you are.

Most important, THINK!!

[speeder]

I've never had to work on steering system in my 911, but I have on other european cars and I think the best advice for any trouble-shooting situation is to go through system methodically and eliminate things. Set your tire pressure to factory specs- should be 29/35 F/R. My SC has 29 in fronts and good alignment and steers perfectly so start there and go down the line. Grossly overinflating tires will only mask the problem. Good luck!