Thread: Excessive play on steering

Check the drop arm ball joint(Pitman arm off the bottom shaft of the steerring box) and also check the main nut holding the pitman arm to the sector shaft is tight. check the panhard rod bushes / bolts, and finally the steering column universal joints and steering box freeplay.
My money however is on the drop arm ball joint and/ or the pitman arm behing loose.

JC

Get someone to wiggle the wheel while you see where the free play is. While it can be anywhere, the most likely places are:-

1. Tie rod/drag link ends
2. Pitman arm loose on the steering box pitman shaft
3. Lost motion in the steering box
4. Loose or worn bushes on the panhard rod.

In addition you should be aware that anything that allows either front or rear axle to swivel at all will affect the steering. This would include the bushes on either end of the front radius arms, those on either end of the rear lower links. Bushes on the front of the A-frame and the ball joint are less likely to affect steering but to make noise.

Loose swivels or wheel bearings will also affect steering, but are likely to have other symptoms as well.

In my experience by far the most common sources of this problem are the tie rod or drag link ends and the panhard bushes, and also the rear lower link bushes onto the axle.

John

Having a loose steering Damper can also cause excessive play in your steering , Gyro Just make sure your Damper end threaded bolts are nicly tightened.

that's my 2 c worth

I have replaced all bushes and ball joints 200km ago. What in teh steering box could cause this?

Still check the pitman arm balljoint.

If the retaining circlip dislodges the balljoint will be very loose. I have seen it happen with a new joint, installed by an apprentice.... They got a few hundred kilometres out of it before it fell apart.

Originally Posted by GyroLandy

I have replaced all bushes and ball joints 200km ago. What in teh steering box could cause this?

Shagged worm drive gear
Also there are some bearings that can get crushed

If you look at the top of the steering box you will see a Hex nut requireing a allen key fit ... with a lock nut ....

This is adjusted to take out the "free play" between the 2 drives of the gears

You can adjust this but .... Don't "tighten it up" as this will crush the internal bearing and shagg the chrome worm drive

Basicaly tho ... IF you have to tighten the box ... It is time to start thinking of replacing it

Mike

Another expense, what would a box cost?

What exactly goes wrong in the box that necessitates replacement?

Originally Posted by GyroLandy

Another expense, what would a box cost?

What exactly goes wrong in the box that necessitates replacement?

The key wear is on the pitman shaft, either the journals at the lower end (and the bushes they run in) or the roller that follows the worm (or indeed the splines the pitman arm goes on!). If there is significant wear on the shaft, it is a replacement job, and add to that the cost of bearings, bushes and seals, plus labour, and you might as well get a new one.

One I got a couple of years ago was about $600 from memory, but prices vary quite a bit, so shop round. Most boxes are replaced or overhauled because they leak rather than having too much play, so an overhauled box may be perfectly satisfactory, and should be quite a bit less.

John