Steering wheel play
Staging Lane
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 72
Likes: 0
From: Corpus Christi, Texas
Re: Steering wheel play If the steering wheel feels loose so it moves up and down a little as well as from side to side, it is the 3 little bolts at the base of the steering shaft, down inside the tube that holds the steering wheel and ignition key stuff. You need to replace the plastic piece at the bottom (usually) and lock-tite the bolts back in. If this is your problem, the bolts have worked loose and chewed up the fitting for the shaft so the wheel kind of orbits inside the tube. That's (I guess) why you don't feel it when you steer past the first inch. GM should have lock-tited the bolts in at the factory, but they didn't. Thes will wear out over time but how old is your car? This is kind of early unless you have 100,000 miles on it. Or better yet maybe you were some kind of busy in the front seat and accidentally pounded on the steering wheel. The steering wheel will actually come off in your hands if you let this go for a couple thousand more miles, which causes more problems, obviously.
Steering wheel play My steering wheel has developed a small amount of play in it. When centered, i can turn the wheel 1/2 an inch to the left AND to the right before the car actually starts turning. It feels loose in this 1inch are, but once past this area, it becomes taught. Does anyone know what's going on here? I haven't had my front wheels balanced and aligned in a while...?????
On The Tree
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 110
Likes: 0
Re: Steering wheel play </font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by WstSidHomE:
<strong>My steering wheel has developed a small amount of play in it. When centered, i can turn the wheel 1/2 an inch to the left AND to the right before the car actually starts turning. It feels loose in this 1inch are, but once past this area, it becomes taught.</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">This is caused by wear on the rack of the 'rack and pinion' steering. Replace the entire unit - you can probably buy a rebuilt (Make sure its a Z28 ratio). You'll need an alignment.
If something else were loose, or the pinion was out of adjustment, the 'play' would be felt at all angles, not just on center.
DaveH
<strong>My steering wheel has developed a small amount of play in it. When centered, i can turn the wheel 1/2 an inch to the left AND to the right before the car actually starts turning. It feels loose in this 1inch are, but once past this area, it becomes taught.</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">This is caused by wear on the rack of the 'rack and pinion' steering. Replace the entire unit - you can probably buy a rebuilt (Make sure its a Z28 ratio). You'll need an alignment.
If something else were loose, or the pinion was out of adjustment, the 'play' would be felt at all angles, not just on center.
DaveH
Re: Steering wheel play Tom, my car has almost 80k miles on it. ('98). And to the other guy...are you serious? Replace the whole unit? How much $$ should that run me? I'll check out the three bolts, how hard is it to get to them? Thanks
Matt
Matt
On The Tree
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 110
Likes: 0
Re: Steering wheel play </font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by WstSidHomE:
<strong>Tom, my car has almost 80k miles on it. ('98). And to the other guy...are you serious? Replace the whole unit? How much $$ should that run me?</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">My other car, a '94 Taurus, showed the same symptoms at 70K miles. As the rack spends most of its life in the center, that's where the wear happens. Take it to a local shop for a second opinion. I still haven't fixed the Taurus though...
DaveH
<strong>Tom, my car has almost 80k miles on it. ('98). And to the other guy...are you serious? Replace the whole unit? How much $$ should that run me?</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">My other car, a '94 Taurus, showed the same symptoms at 70K miles. As the rack spends most of its life in the center, that's where the wear happens. Take it to a local shop for a second opinion. I still haven't fixed the Taurus though...
DaveH
Teching In
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 22
Likes: 0
Rack and Pinion problems on 1998's Check this out. I had to replace the R&P in my 98 due to this problem. It would switch lanes without warning. The rack was loose in the casing and you could move it up and down about an 1/8 of an inch. That and the wide tires caused a lot of grief. Hard to get a replacement too, seems no one's making them until this is resolved.
http://www.yfiles.com/NHTSA-1998-GM-...compliants.htm
http://www.yfiles.com/NHTSA-1998-GM-...compliants.htm
