Since I've had the car it has had sloppy steering wheel that could wobble back and forth with a flick of your hand while driving. I replaced the crumbled bits of factory idler arm bushings about 7-8 months ago and it made a huge difference, but there was still slop. I bit the bullet and loosened the 14mm lock nut on top of the box and turned the flat head adjustment screw clockwise about 1 1/8 turn. Torqued the nut back down and to my surprise... it feels like a new car!

I know the steering feels great now, but would this be an indication of a bigger problem inside the box? Or just common maintenance with mileage/age like an alignment?

 

Sign of accumulating wear inside the box, usually. So long as it's not overtightened and is lubed properly inside, you should be fine for more years.

 

Before I tightened it you could get a small knock while hitting the bottom of the box where the big nut is. I slowly turned the adjustment screw until the knock was gone (1 1/8 turns) then back it off a hair to not over tighten it.

 

I need to do this.
How do you make sure the box has plenty of lube?
Can it be "restored"? Like if I cracked one open can I clean all the parts off, assemble with new seals and what not?