Steering Play - Best Fix?

[Skull-1]

After years of use my steering has developed quite a bit of play.  What's the usual fix for this issue?

1969 Charger...

[Ghoste]

Rebuild the steering components.  Gearbox, tie rod ends etc.

[Skull-1]

Rebuild the steering components.  Gearbox, tie rod ends etc.

Tie rods are all new.  Thinking it is the gear box. 

[Ghoste]

Power steering or manual?

[Skull-1]

Power steering or manual?

Power.

[dangina]

send it to firm feel and get it rebuilt. Or upgrade to the new borgeson box.

[Skull-1]

Borgeson?  Do tell.

[myk]

http://www.borgeson.com/

and...

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,106964.0.html

[Hard Charger]

you could try to adjust the steering box with the adjuster screw on top of the box.

unless you feel everything else is shot.

[Skull-1]

you could try to adjust the steering box with the adjuster screw on top of the box.

unless you feel everything else is shot.

No, it seems okay.  Isn't leaking.  I think the tie rods need to be replaced first before I do anything else.   But it does have just a bit of play regardless.

[Skull-1]

http://www.borgeson.com/

and...

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,106964.0.html

[Hard Charger]

the box in my challenger is new and I adjust it every couple of years.

it is a common thing to need to make this adjustment.


naturally if you jack the car and see loose joints then that answers the question of what the problem is.

[Ghoste]

Awful to say but I have hardly ever done that to mine.  Should probably get on it a little more huh?

[Hard Charger]

ghoste

it is something you can play with and then reset if you don't like it or make a mistake. if driving straight and you can turn the steering wheel a lot w/o turning, making this lash adjustment could fix that.

if you have a wandering box it sure does the trick. of course worn out front end parts, alignment, tire wear and tire pressure are also considerations. my cars all have new parts and I drive them about 2k a year each, I find a small adjustment every 3-4 years brings things back.

if you get wander after a bump or rough surface then you probably have some parts that need replacing.

clock wise actually tightens the steering, tighten to much and the wheel will not right itself when coming out of a turn. so you would need to back it off.

[70 sublime]

The steering wheel on my 70 Charger has a little play in it also

So all you have to do is turn the screw in the top of the box in some ?

When you do this what is it doing to make things tighter ?

[Hard Charger]

I believe it puts pressure on a ball bearing that mesh's with the worm gears.

put a screw driver on the stud then wrench the nut loose. turn the stud clock wise a bit, hold it still and tighten the nut.

[Ghoste]

I have done it, and I've adjusted the centering valve (don't know what its actually called) on the top of my power steering box but I haven't tightened lash in a lot of years on any.

[fy469rtse]

They have a bit of play from factory, whilst running power steering models, is that what you have, pressure from pump takes up that slack , but you can also adjust it as mentioned above,
I would take that somewhere and get it up on a rack and have some one experienced check all components for wear, it could be a number of things with wear, tie rods you mentioned, don't forget inners and outers, ball joints as well ,

[Ghoste]

I do now, had manual before.  No, mine has new everything in it, I just need to do normal maintenance in my steering gear was my meaning.

[John_Kunkel]

The problem with adjusting the lash is that the normal wear occurs within a few degrees of straight ahead, when you tighten the lash in that few degrees the lash becomes too tight when the wheels are turned past the normal wear area.

New parts are to only way to maintain a constant lash throughout the entire steering range.

[fy469rtse]

Your the man John , perfect answer to convince anyone that there steering box should be rebuilt

[hemihead]

You guys are spoiled by modern Rack and Pinion steering Ha Ha . These things weren't engineered the same . 

[Skull-1]

Your the man John , perfect answer to convince anyone that there steering box should be rebuilt

Who rebuilds them?