Thread: checking play in the steering box

Twiddle the wheel (or the steering shaft) and watch the output shaft

There's a hex (allen key) adjustment and locknut on top of the 'box to tighten them up, but be careful, and wind the steering lock to lock after adjustment to make sure there aren't any tight or rough spots, and if there is, back the adjustment off.

I recently adjusted mine and things I noticed:

Mine was very slack and a 1/4 turn was plenty. Tiny adjustments are wise.

Mark the position of the centre hex piece before you start so you can check how much it's turned after you re-tighten the locknut as it can move when you re-tighten.

The hex hole may look blocked, but I believe it's actually filled with soft rubber or something similar to stop dirt getting in. Just push the allen key into it.

You only need to loosen the locknut a little to be able to turn the allen key socket in the middle. A little PAS fluid will probably dribble out. I imagine if you loosen it too much you'd probably lose a lot of PAS fluid.

Judo made a good point, you'll probably need to re-adjust the drag link after the SB adjustment to re-centre the steering wheel.

Originally Posted by rick130

Judo made a good point, you'll probably need to re-adjust the drag link after the SB adjustment to re-centre the steering wheel.

Ahhh, that would explain my steering wheel centre now.

Originally Posted by rick130

Twiddle the wheel (or the steering shaft) and watch the output shaft

There's a hex (allen key) adjustment and locknut on top of the 'box to tighten them up, but be careful, and wind the steering lock to lock after adjustment to make sure there aren't any tight or rough spots, and if there is, back the adjustment off.

wheels on the ground or off?

Off the ground

So I presume I sit in the car and move/jiggle the steering wheel Ian watches wheels to make sure there is not difference to the movement of them and the output shaft??? is that right

I recently adjusted my steering backlash and discovered after jacking it and having a close look at the steering wheel input shaft there was a heap of slack in it and i could move it side to side quite easily. The bolt attaching the shaft to the back of the box was loose and after tightening reduced the backlash considerably. Took five minutes though I ended up doing the box backlash as well by a quarter of a turn. You'll need to remove the serpentine belt and the four bolts attaching the aircon compressor to move it out of the way. And yes you could easily notice the difference between moving the steering wheel and looking at the wheels.

Hope that helps