Stiff steering

K

KiwiRover

Active Member
Howdy folks. I have an issue on a new project of mine (more details later :wink: ) The car is a '73 V8 auto that belonged to a friend of mine. A couple of months ago the power assisted steering pretty much stopped assisting. Very heavy. Nothing was obviously wrong to look at it so first I changed the filter (hopeful I know but it worked on another car I had.) No difference though so I figured it was probably the pump as this had been leaking quite badly anyway.
I rekitted a spare pump with new seals and bearing and fitted it, started the car, moved it around the yard and it seemed fine so he took the car away.
He called me a few days later to say that it hadn't made any difference and another mechanic had looked at it and proclaimed the box to be faulty. I dragged a spare box out of the shed and fitted that, drove it 'round the block. Seemed fine so sent it on it's way again. A week later and I got the call that it was still not working right. There was some assistance but it wouldn't self centre at all. If you turned the wheel while driving, it stayed there until you moved it back. And it felt stiff.
I was unsure of the history of the box i'd fitted so I pulled the box out of a parts car that had been running and driving fine and fitted this last weekend. No difference. :x
I'm thinking that the odds of two boxes having exactly the same fault is rather slim so I think I can eliminate the box as a suspect now.
I then jacked the car up and gave everything a good shake and found that the idler had a LOT of play. Aha I think, maybe it's binding and causing trouble. So in goes a spare steering idler. Drove the car round the block, much better. Still not good at centering but not stiff anymore.
Today I moved the car out to do a few jobs on it and we are back where we were. Stiff and tight. :x :x :x And pretty much the same with the wheels off the ground too.
There isn't much else to look at. Did I cock up the pump rebuild at the start? Could the HP hose be blocked? Siezed balljoint? (i've checked the lhs) What am I missing? Anyone else had this issue? Why does it seem better every time I change something then revert back to it's problematic self shortly after?
Any ideas?
 
Hi KR,

There is an adjuster on top of the steering box that can be used to fine tune how free or stiff the steering is. With the front of the car raised so both wheels are off the ground, release the nyloc locking nut and then using a large bladed screw driver turn to the stub to the left to loosen, or to the right to tighten whilst rocking the steering wheel back and forth. You will feel it become easier to turn. Tighten the nyloc lock nut and then check the steering for feel. Turn the wheel from lock to lock, there should be no tight spots. With the steering wheel centred and the wheels pointing forward, rock the wheel gently. There should be no more than 9.5mm of backlash as measured at the rim.

Hope this helps,
Ron.
 
possibly a geometry problem? haave camber toe in and out been set up? if yes then maybe a suspension mounting problem ie movement in the mounts. I once had a car where the whole steering box would move on the fire wall that had some dramatic efffects that would change depending on driving style :mrgreen:

Graeme
 
Ron, I haven't tried the adjuster on this box but I did on the last one and it made no difference. Also, it was fine in the last car.
I don't think it's a wheel alignment issue Graeme. I don't know when it was last done but the tyres are wearing evenly with no sign of feathering or anything. Also, it's still kind of tight with the wheels off the ground.
I will check the rhs balljoints next and play with that adjuster screw first but after that, I guess i'll have to try another pump and hose and see what happens.
 
Pipework all *looks* ok from the outside but i'm certainly not ruling out the possibility of an internal collapse. I have a spare hp hose and I think I can get new lp hoses for a reasonable price. I'll head that way if the tweaks and checks dont work.
 
i guess the most important thing is to work out whether you are dealing with a problem in the steering box / pipes / pump or whether the problem is in the various ball joints. Why not try uncoupling the steering from the box quadrant, then you can find out if the mechanical parts are stiff and if so which side?

Chris
 
Hi KR,

Have you inspected the steering shaft from the steering wheel to the steering box for a tight universal joint or partially seized bearing? Having changed the pump and the box with little difference, maybe the problem is on the inside of the car rather than the outside.. :?

Ron.
 
Certainly thins on my list. Chris, that is the first plan. I checked the lhs when I change the idler but I will check the rhs.
Ron, that had crossed my mind and I wish i'd checked it properly when the box was out because the column on a series 2 is something of a pain to detach from the box. :x I'm not sure it is though, the wheel moves quite easily for about half an inch at the rim then you can feel the tightness.
 
Ron wins a cookie! I started afresh today. Got into the car and wiggled the steering wheel and it felt tight so I dismantled the column surround to check the bearing. That all seemed fine but the next piece in line was not. The column was stiff where it went through the ign lock. So it was all dismantled to find that the grease (graphite) in the locking mechanism had the consistency of putty. It was well and truly gummed up! So all was cleaned out and regreased and reassembled and everything is as good as new. Drives beautifully. :D Thanks Ron for your sage advice!
 
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