About a inch play in the sterring wheel,mech says its normal???
 

he also said i would have to rebuild the box what ever that means. i had the same issye in my 93 stang and it was the steering colu,m bushing. is it different

Believe it or not, thats within the original factory specs.

These cars are famous for the play in the steering wheel.

If the play is the only symptom I dont think a rebuild is in order.

Yeah an inch of play is about right for these cars unfortunatly. Rebuilding it would help little if at all, just cost you a bunch of money.

After a couple weeks driving you won't even notice it.

And try to resist the urge to try to adjust the play too much with the set screw on the steering box. Overtightening it wont help and in the long run will only make the steering looser.

Ahhh oh well. Thanks guys

can it be shimmed? Like urethane in the bushing?

Nope, the free play is in the recirculating ball design of the steering box. Has a little play but was cheap for mazda and will last forever.

But Re-Speed has a cure that works great!

You have to remember that these are old shool cars built back before rack and pinion precision steering was the norm. Back when I bought my car it didnt feel like the steering was loosey goosey cause everything was that way. Nowadays everyone learns to drive in cars with razor sharp steering so when they drive a 1st gen is feels loose. Like Gamah says after a few weeks you get used to it, or buy a re-speed setup.

^

steering is still sharp, it just takes a little more effort to go straight.

it can't be any worse than my 1970 dastun 510, i got pulled over sooo many times cause cops thought i was drunk, in the end urethane in the bushing made it alright.
the RE speed kit:
how much? how involved? is it as far as taking out the entire steering system, or is it simply adding in components to the existing system?
also, is it legal for the spec-7 series?

^I don't know the rules for spec-7 but I highly doubt it. It replaces basically everything except the control arm and spindle/spring/shock assembly. The crossmember, knuckle arms, steering column are all different, and it adds a rear section to the control arm since the rack is located in front. It's all bolt on, costs like $1100 (although there are a few for sale in the parts section right now, mine included lol - because i'm taking the car off the road, not because it was bad or anything :)) and could be installed in a weekend.

It's called "wonder" steering. You wonder which way it's gonna go next.

And you can "tighten" the set screw in the steering box. It has a tendency tho to "loosen" back up after a while and you'll have to re-tighten it again. Did mine years ago and it's still doing good.

jerij

blue locktite

the screw doesnt actually loosen, it wears. the screw actually pushes down on the guts of the box to keep it from flopping around...

in the triumph world they buy a setscrew with a spring on it, i guess the spring does a better job?

:lol::lol::lol::icon_tup:

Oh man I'm not sure how many other people will catch the joke but that was brilliant.

how hard is it to tighten the screw and how do you get into the steering box?

what about the ilder arm bushing?

Idler arm bushings are notorious for going bad and could very well be a cause for any "wonder steer", but not the 1" play in the steering wheel, that is normal and as noted above, if everything else is in order, the car will handle just fine, very tight in the turns.

Moog makes a very nice aftermarket idler arm replacement, it replaces the bushings with a ball joint, is much preferred and costs less than the OEM equipment. You can get them from Rock Auto for the best deal I could find.

On the steering box, be sure to check the fluid level! Last time I had some steering box problems on a new GSL I had just acquired, I thought I'd take a look at the fluid level and found the box was half empty. Probably not a good condition to maintain those critical worm gears and other stuff inside the box!

For tightening, there is a procedure in the FSM but as noted above, DO NOT OVER TIGHTEN and be sure to have the front end jacked up when you do the adjustment, otherwise you will be stressing the gears unnecessarily.

Do just a little at a time, about 1/8 of a turn, then try it out before getting tempted to go further.

ill take a video of the wheel in a sec

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i2...a/f173a701.mp4

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i2...a/f173a701.mp4


http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i2...a/f173a701.mp4

That wheel actually looks fairly tight for an FB. I wouldn't even mess with it, though the Moog idler arm is always a good upgrade.

it is pretty tight i just hate that play.....

This is your only option, then:
http://mrcmfg.com/catalog/product_in...roducts_id=345

As mentioned above, don't tighten the stock steering beyond factory spec, as it will cause it to wear out quickly.

+1 to all of that. jack the car up, and fell how hard it is to turn the wheel, then adjust the steering a tad (1/8 turn is good) then turn the wheel again. you can probably do a little better than that video...

Agreed, from your video there does seem to be a little more play in the wheel than usual, even for a 30 year old car.

I just did the same test in your video on my 85 GSL with a new Moog idler, new outer tie rod ends, manual steering and a recent minor tightening adjustment to the steering box and my wheel shows about half the play you are seeing.

A little careful adjustment could make it better, just don't get greedy. It could be the play is there because the box really is worn and you won't be able to get it out.

And remember to check the fluid level in the steering box!

i still need to open and check the steering box for the fluid. what kind of fluid does it take?

Most important where is the box lol

I forget exactly what weight the manual says, but its your typical ~80 wt gear oil (at least thats what I've been using lol) Look in the engine bay on the driver side frame rail and you will see it. It's near/under the brake booster/master cylinder

Here's an old discussion on this topic: https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...steering+grind



.

supprised know one has ever done a DIY with pictures.... maybe i should do one. first i need to find the box.

I have. Here's the pics, they're pretty much self explanatory. The article is around here somewhere.

http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/h...n/DSCF1239.jpg

http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/h...DSCF1158-3.jpg

But post yours anyway, it's always good to get a new perspective.

Ray green looking at the second pic what am i exactly doing with that? is that one bolt with the paint off the one that i am going to be turning?

No, that's the check/fill hole for the steering fluid. It's made of white plastic and would be real easy to bugger the threads on so treat it carefully.

The adjuster is that middle capped piece with the three dimple holes drilled in it. You need to loosen the large rather thin outer lock nut so that the adjuster can be moved.

THIS SET UP MIGHT BE DIFFERENT ON YOUR 82 GSL OR IF YOU HAVE A POWER STEERING BOX, BUT THE PRINCIPLE IS THE SAME.

Loosening the lock nut can be done with a properly fitting pipe wrench if you don't have an AC unit and power booster unit in the way - there is just enough room to get the wrench on the large lock nut and give it the needed twist to loosen it up.

Otherwise you will need a large (21 mm?) socket wrench modified as Kentetsu described (also read the thread he linked a couple posts above, I'm sure it is there) to break it loose.

Then you use the large punch and hammer to gently move the dimple clockwise a few degrees to tighten the steering box gears.

DO THIS IN VERY SMALL STEPS WITH THE FRONT WHEELS JACKED OFF THE GROUND, CHECKING EACH TIME TO SEE HOW IT HAS AFFECTED THE STEERING PLAY.

DON'T GET GREEDY AND TIGHTEN TOO MUCH, IT WILL DESTROY WHAT GEARS YOU HAVE LEFT!

And remember to tighten the lock nut when you are done.

The check fill hole seems to have never been checked i think im gonna start there. is it just counter turn to the left and will there be kind of a dip stick? or is it just suppose to be filled all the way.?

Ray, have you noticed the steering loosening back up after you did this procedure? I know you put a lot of miles on your 12A's, so I figured you'd be a good guy to ask. I've heard some people say that you have to do the procedure more and more because it always loosens back up. And eventually that it ruins your steering box.

I'd be interested to hear your feedback on how low this lasts, and if you have noticed any degradation in the steering box.

Thanks,
Jamie

It's just a small plug, think of it kinda like the plug on the rear axle. You just remove it and fill the oil from there. As far as checking the level it's just a matter of looking in there, no dipstick or anything.

That is an important consideration Jamie and the main reason for doing only minor adjustments and trying it out rather than trying to take all the play out with one adjustment.

I adjusted the manual steering box on my 85 GSL the Silver One when I put it on the road about a year and a half ago. I made a very conservative adjustment, just enough to take the obvious play out but not enough to make it as tight as it could be.

After 35,000 mostly highway miles I haven't noticed any return of the Wonder Steer. In fact the Silver One tracks beautifully now, better than any of my previous 3 GSLs. Cruising at 80 mph out on the highway you can take your hand off the wheel and it will go straight ahead without any more drift than the road itself creates. Very quick and sure steering response, every bit as good as my old 78 MGB with the rack and pinion steering.

There is still a little play in the steering but it is about the 1" specified in the FSM so I haven't gone back and made any readjustments since doing it that first time (but this thread reminds me I do need to peak in there and make sure the fluid level is OK).

Of course the Moog idler arm, new front bearings, new outer tie rod ends and a careful front end alignment also help out.

Great. Thanks Ray. I'm going to try and adjust some of the slop out of my 85 GS. Does the FSM say 1" total or 1" from center on each side?

I've only got two brain cells dedicated to that value, but I believe it's 1" total.

Looks kind of like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNEBG...ature=youtu.be

Thanks Ray! :D I knew when I asked that you would give a great, detailed answer. You definitely did not disappoint. You definitely add a lot of value to the forum. As far as the car is concerned, my steering has a little bit more slop in it than yours but probably not a whole lot. I think I can tighten her up a little though and still be safe.

what size is that steering nut?

easy fix.

gut the front end and fabricate a rack and pinion setup! :lol:

Or just go with a FC subframe.... ;)

I tightened mine up a few years ago. Never noticed any return of play...

It's not Wonder Steering. When my 7 decides it wants to change lanes for no reason at all, it's not me, it's not the 7, it's Christine.

Christine lives in my steering system. I'm hoping she lives in the idler arm. I'm replacing that today. I'll see if that banishes her or she just moves to the tie rods or the ball joint, or the pitman, or maybe, finally, she'll ooze into the steering box. Or maybe she's always lived in the steering box.

I thought Stephan King owned an old Plymouth at some point but it's obvious now he had a 7 :shocking:. He just used a Plymouth in his book because that's a car most people recognized at the time.

The Fact that Christine was published the year before the 7 came out just makes the whole thing more mysterious :devil:

Thanks to everyone that has participated in all these 1st gen steering threads. It's helped me at least develop a game plan.