Extra Play in My Steering Column

M.D. Holloway · 05-23-2014, 11:55 AM

Not back and forth, its got about an 1/8" to 3/8" up and down play. How do I tighten it?

Joe Bob · Joe Bob's Garage

There is a bushing that disintegrates. There is a easy cheap fix....I used it ten plus years ago.

Google/search for steering wheel bushing repair....

Bob Kontak · Bob Kontak's Garage

Just talking as I have never had mine apart except for taking the steering wheel off.

Wheel bolts to top of upper shaft. U joint between upper and lower shaft. Lower shaft appears to have a simple flange on end with two bolts into the rack. Then the rack is bolted to chassis.

I don't know if the u-joint is held onto the car with some form of a strap/bolt assy.

I think you have an older 911, right. But you have talked about newer cars in OT.

sky1jord · sky1jord's Garage

Try
Steering Wheel Play
and/or
http://www.pelicanparts.com/support/install_instructions_PEL-ML-STR.pdf

rick-l · 01:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sky1jord

http://www.pelicanparts.com/support/install_instructions_PEL-ML-STR.pdf

I got this one and it works fine.

Mitch Leland's Steering Wheel Bushing

EDIT: that link to buy it from Pelican does not work

Hugh R · 05-23-2014, 01:27 PM

Vacuum the old debris out first. Soak the new one in oil overnight. Put it in straight, you are going to pound the hell out of it to get it in, and you only get one chance.

Bob Kontak · Bob Kontak's Garage

I don't remember mine going in and out before I replaced my bushing. Side to side, yes. OP says his does not go side to side.

plumb4u2 · plumb4u2's Garage

I used the bushing that Rick mentioned....works like a charm

grab a small piece of 1" PVC pipe and place it on the bushing then gently hammer it in...this job is stupid simple!

plumb4u2 · plumb4u2's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Kontak

I don't remember mine going in and out before I replaced my bushing. Side to side, yes. OP says his does not go side to side.

he didn't say in and out he said up and down, which means bad bushing

The cap'n · 05-23-2014, 01:36 PM

1974 and up 911s. I dunno where the design changed. Remove the steering wheel. Before you do that, scratch a mark on the end of the shaft and the wheel so you know where it should go when reinstalled. Look at the inner race of the bearing. There should be a plastic bushing between the shaft and the bearing. Wiggle the shaft up and down, right to left. See play there? If so, purchase a 928 347 739 02, Steering Column Bushing ($11.50 from the dealer). Remove the circlip on the shaft. Push the new part on using pressure all the way around. Tapping it into place with a small hammer and a suitable drift is OK, as long as you're careful. Install the circlip, align and install the steering wheel, followed by the washer and the nut. Tighten the nut, install the horn pad and you're done. Earlier cars use a completely different system, which costs a TON, and I don't believe there's an easy fix.

The Cap'n

aj88cab · aj88cab's Garage

Before you do the bushing check and see if it is the entire steering column that moves up and down, or just the steering wheel/shaft in the column. There are two bolts at the dash that secure the column. Gauges need to be removed to get to them. After I did the bushing (it was bad) I found that the (additional problem) was that bolts had backed out and the entire column would move up and down. They are special shear-bolts (not sure why), so they can not be tightened, but they can be replaced with standard metric bolts (and loc-tite).

The cap'n · 02:39 PM

While it's possible that those bolts have loosened, it's pretty rare. BTW, they're break-off bolts by mandate. Part of the anti-theft strategies used by most, if not all, automakers.

The Cap'n

rick-l · 05-23-2014, 02:24 PM

I'm assuming you have a car just like mine since you didn't say

theiceman · 05-23-2014, 02:33 PM

couple of pointers for those considering this

1. loosen and tighten steering wheel nut AWAY from windshield .. ***** happens. !!
2. do not loosen or tighten steering wheel nut against steering lock . have a budy counter hold it , or you may end up with no steering lock.

Bob Kontak · Bob Kontak's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by plumb4u2

he didn't say in and out he said up and down, which means bad bushing

Ahhhhh. I stand corrected.

rusnak · 05-23-2014, 02:55 PM

oh hmmm....

The Mitch bushing is a real work of art. I wonder if it was discontinued? I would not recommend the 928 steel sleeve, since it creates metal-on-metal rubbing of the steering shaft. I would go with a plastic Edge Gel shaving cap before I did the sleeve.

If your bushing is good, leave it alone. The plastic inner ring that creates an interference fit between the shaft and the bearing most likely has deteriorated.

The cap'n · 05-23-2014, 03:24 PM

The 928 steel sleeve grips the shaft and the inner race of the bearing. It's a snug fit, and by design transfers the motion to the bearing, not the shaft, so there's no "metal-on-metal rubbing of the steering shaft". I used them for probably 3 decades in customer cars without a problem. I'm sure the "Mitch Bushing" is perfectly fine, but costs substantially more.

The Cap'n

rusnak · 05-23-2014, 03:34 PM

with all due respect, cap'n. Ever take one of those back out of one of your customer's cars? Ever take a look at all the wear on the shaft?

The cap'n · 05-23-2014, 03:39 PM

Never had to do that, as the complaint (radial play in the steering shaft) never returned. Not once in all that time. The alternative, which we used until that sleeve appeared on the market, was to remove the old bearing and replace it with a new one. Ever done that? Not a job for the faint of heart ..............

The Cap'n

rusnak · 05-23-2014, 03:47 PM

Cap'n there was an old thread about this in which John Walker mentioned the metal-on-metal play. I believe that was maybe 6 or 7 years ago now, I can't recall.

What the 928 sleeve does is it reduces the steering shaft slop. It does not completely eliminate it because the 928 sleeve is (1) thinner than the plastic crush ring of the original bearing, and (2) does not compress for a tight fit. In fact, there is a slot in the sleeve to clear the slight bulge in the steering shaft that is above the steering bearing.

Your customers are still feeling steering wheel slop, just not enough to complain about. If you take one of the sleeves back out, you'll see shiny metal on the steering shaft. I would sooner cut up an Edge Shaving Gel cap into a strip, use the detents that hold the cap on the can to prevent the plastic from falling down into the steering column, and tap the plastic into place with a dowel or a drift. There may still be some slop, but it's way better than using the 928 sleeve.