Rack & Pinion

[Arqueteck]

Hi folks. Newbie here. I have a 1970 911T. My uncle had it for over 40 years and has now passed it down for my rebuild. So far so good.
Last week I noticed that there was a bad wobble in the front end as I made a right turn. With a wiggle, the car gets back on track. At higher speeds it wobbles around without moving the steering wheel. At first, I thought the bearings were a problem, so I took off the wheels and checked. They seem fine. However, on the right front wheel only, the disc rotates in the horizontal plane only, about 3/8" to 1/2" in and out of the pinion boot. The left side is tight. Up and down is tight. I can see the tie rod moving in and out from the pinion without the steering wheel moving and locked. Do I have a bad rack and pinion? Can the steering be tightened? or adjusted? Is there a set screw? I don't see much information on this online, and the book says leave the rack and pinion to the experts. I am wondering if there is a bushing or bolt connector that needs tightening...

Has anyone had this issue before? Thoughts and suggestions appreciated!

[Bob Kontak]

The rack passes through the assembly and is connected to the spindles via a tie rod on each end.

There is an inner and outer tie rod on each side. There is nothing else that moves unless the rack is flopping around in the steering rack tube or perhaps if the rack assy is loose in the car.

The boot covers the inner tie rod coupling to the rack. I would look at that connection under the boot on the right side. Believe that will help identify the movement source.

[Zack at Pelican Parts]

Something you may want to consider is installing a Turbo Tie Rod Kit - the Turbo tie rods are much stiffer and provide a more secure steering feel, in addition to having improved durability.

We've outlined the installation of the kit here in our DIY article. Let me know if you have any questions!

[Autoban]

You may want to go through my thread, there are pictures and movies (post #33) of the problem I had (sounds just like yours): http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-911-technical-forum/830842-play-steering-mechanism.html.

Juergen

[Arqueteck]

Awesome folks. Thanks so much! Upon greater inspection as suggested above, it appears as though the bushings in the inner tie rod eye is severely deteriorated. (mush) It has over 1/2" of play. I can't seem to make the rack move so that seems tight. I don't really want to take that apart if I don't have to, and it looks like all the play is in all the tie rod ends. The right side is really bad and seems a bit unsafe to drive as is. I have ordered the turbo tie rod kit accordingly from Pelican and will make the upgrade along with struts, ball joint, and so forth. I presume there is no way to lubricate the rack and pinion independently without tearing it apart, so I will avoid that unless I find movement in the rack upon tie rod replacement. Thanks again!!!