Hey-

Anyone happen to be in NJ (I live in Monmouth County) and know their way around a recirculating ball steering box? I have read just about every write-up there is to read about adjusting them, but I just thought I'd ask in case there is someone close by that has experience and is willing to help me adjust mine. There is a lot of play in my steering wheel, and from what I can tell- it's all from the steering box (which is a low-milelage replacement that I bought from Donnie Peters at Sun Auto years ago).

Please reply to me at mzdrati at earthlink.net

Thanks.

Tony

 

It's easy to adjust. Remove the little cap on top of the steering box. Turn the screws counterclockwise. Then turn the bolt counterclockwise. The other cap on the bottom, you can adjust too. Loosen the nut or tap it to adjust it but not too far down or will damage the bearings and the shaft.

 

Joey-

That is a good summary. I think there's even one additional place to tighten the box, right? I vaguely recall there being something on the bottom that can be adjusted. I just thought I'd put it out there before I went into the adjustment semi-blindly. Don't I need a huge (41mm or something like that?) socket to turn that huge nut on top?

I was hoping that someone with experience might read my message that is local to me.

Thanks just the same.

 

A huge wrench, I dunno how you will get a socket on it.

I use a hammer and chisel.

Also, how new are your bushings? That is usually the biggest culprit.

 

The screw on top only adjusts the gear lash between the worm and sector gears. What I've read says that most wear-based box play is bearing pre-load, not gear lash, and that this is adjusted out using the huge locknut/end plug that surrounds the steering-wheel shaft.

This is a job I have been trying to find time to tackle; have read up on it, but haven't actually done it yet.

 

These gear boxes are twisted little bastards. If you try to adjust it like you would 99% of all others, you'll end up with a trashed gear box. Don't touch that little screw under the cap!


Okay then, I copied this from an old post that I responded to some time back. Hope this helps. It worked great for me, and was a lot simpler than the other methods. Might be a cheap shortcut, but like I said, it worked so I won't complain....



Okay, if your's is the same as mine, here's whatcha do;

Very important! Grind the beveled edge off of the large socket that you are going to use. It is almost impossible to get that one loose without rounding the corners off even without the bevel on the socket.

Okay, once that is done then get that large nut broken loose. If you manage to do that then you are home free. Once it is loose, then hold it while you turn the next largest nut (mine has a series of holes drilled into it). I used a hammer and cold punch to turn it. Tighten it about 1/8 of a turn, then retighten the large nut and take it for a drive.

This will be a trial and error type of thing. If its still too loose, then tighten that inner nut (the one with the holes in it) another 1/8 turn. If you end up getting it too tight then your steering will loose its self-centering properties and will quickly wear out completely.

I got lucky the first time I tried this. Took it for a drive and there was damn near zero freeplay, but not too tight. I used to have about 2" of freeplay, which was a really exciting setup, but not too practical. Now, when driving down the road small adjustments are almost done telepathically! This changed the entire feel of my car. By far the best thing I have done to it as far as improving the driveability and fun factor...


.

 

Im so all over this once I get my ball joints, tires, and alignment done.

 

I rebuilt my steering box a year ago and adjusted everything on it & never had a problem with it.