Steering play

[jamess2]

I've been fighting an issue with my 86 951 for a while now with loose steering. I've replaced the inner and outer tie rod ends and the steering shaft. It turns decent turning to the left but turning to the right it takes quite a bit if steering movement before the car will respond. I have inspected the steering rack bushings and they are old but still intact. If I lift the front of the ground there is hardly any play pulling on the wheels up and down and side to side. Any idea as to what is causing this?

[alan6272]

sounds like the rack itself may be bad.
is there a difference with the front wheels off the ground?

[jamess2]

I can't seem to feel any play with the car setting still with the wheels on the ground. Turning the wheels with it up in the air feels normal as well. It's only when the car is rolling and the faster you try and go thru corner the worse it feels

[944tothefloor]

Sounds a little strange. However, if at any time you can turn the steering wheel without a response, thats a bad rack and/or pinion.

[kdjones2000]

I'll bet your rubber bushings the hold the rack, especially the one on the driver's side, is degraded. That one holds the rack to the crossmember, and if it is split/broken then the rack will move a bit before the tires do when you try to turn.

[jamess2]

Well I remembered I had a spare rack in storage so in the process of changing that I maneged to in a freakish way to send my self to the er lol. I almost lost a finger and probably did a little nerve damage. I'll report back when I get the rack changed and see if it's any better.

[944tothefloor]

So how'd did that happen???

Best of luck.

[jamess2]

I was going to use a crow bar to tap steering shaft onto rack....hood shocks are bad so I had my floor jAck handle as a hood prop, I placed crow bar under hood then got back under car to position it so I could use it to tap the steering shaft on to the rack. When I moved the crow bar from under hood,it hit hood prop hood fell hammered down on crow bar with my hand under it... You would have just had to been there really lol.

[jamess2]

Finally got the issue fixed,had a friend come over and finished putting it back together. I will have to get use to the car again because it handles so differently now. Thank goodness for spare parts.