steering questions.....
 

the steering in my 7 is really sloppy. at high speeds it difficult to control and I won't even start explaining the control loss while cornering. I was thinking of going rack & pinion but will it fit correctly w/ a 13bt swap? I know that the oil pan drain plug was blocked but is it blocked on a GSLSE oil pan? any input is appreciated, thanks parker

Cp racing was doing those R&P units but from the feedback I have seen not only are they overpriced but they are not people to do business with. Are they still in business?

I think I saw somewhere on this site that someone is working on a different unit?

For that amount of slop did you do a full front end inspection?

well from underneath I can tell that my bushings r definitely done. along w/the sway bar bushings. when I rock my wheel left & right I can hear a knocking noise under the hood. also when I grab the cross bar I can rattle it around a lot. I'm actually scared to drive the car until things r fixed. does anybody know where I can pick up a complete pushing set? thanks again, parker

I think you need to inspect the tie rods and idler arm for play.

www.Blackdragonauto.com They are so far the cheapest for stock suspension parts. I do believe they have a complete bushing set.Good Luck

ReSpeed is supposed to be working on a rack and pinion kit.

Yea, billy (respeed) is working on one, but last time I asked him about it he was planning on having it out a few months ago, but I guess he has decided to release some of his other products first like the coil over kits. I hope he releases it soon, I'm waiting with baited breath for it....

Bushings will not solve your problem. If you want to bring the steering back to oem, start replacing parts in this order:, idler arm, the Moog one from Rock Auto seems to be the best one, ( or the brass bushed one that ReSpeed sells, iirc), all 4 tierods and the adjusters, ball joints, check/replace the wheel bearings, check the pitman arm, it rarely needs replaced.

This will take most of the slop out of the steering but most likely not all of it. The final step is adjusting the steering sector. That 'How To' can be found in the FAQs. This needs to be done very carefully since over adjusting it can accelerate the wear of the unit and they are 5-600 bucks to replace.

thanks for all the information.....ill start searching for the parts b/c until purchased and fixed the 7 is once again sitting in the driveway

Once all of the parts are replaced, you will need an alignment also. While you have it apart, this would be the best time to replace the lower control arm, tension rod and sway bar bushings. With all of that work done, the front suspension and steering will be as good as, or better, than new except for the struts and springs.

www.rockauto.com is probably the least expensive source for all of these parts. And definitely spring the extra cash for the Moog version of the idler arm.

And if the front struts have less than the acceptable dampening then you would be best to get those at the same time. Reason being, when you change the front struts you have to align the front end again.

Agreed, the moog part is much better than stock. however even after adjusting my stock box (and replacing everything in the front suspension/steering) its still far from what I would consider a sports cars steering. Like my previous post says I'm waiting with baited breath for the respeed kit. Billy you reading this.... ;)

My 81 had 5 or 6 inches of play. I did just what Trochiod suggested (all new bushings , new control arms, idler arm, inner and outer tie rods, pitman, ) and Man what a difference. Also put new struts on it. When I took it in to have the alighnment, the frontend shop did the adjustment on the steering nut. They are known to be a good front end shop and new excactly what it was when I talked with them. When I completed putting the new parts in I took it for a spin (knowing it would need an alighnment) and was disapointed. But after the front end shop got her alighned, its like new. Worth all the trouble and money. Listen to Trochiod.

Man, I'd be willing to bet they screwed it up. The box looks just like something you would find on an American car, right down to the adjuster nut on the top. But internally, they are completely different. If you try to adjust it the way common sense would tell you to (based on the domestic model) then you will achieve nothing except may shortening the life of the box.

It's not too tough to do once you know what you're supposed to adjust. Check out my post on it here:

https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...steering+grind

But I will stress what Trochoid stated earlier; this should not be done until after all of the parts in the front end have been addressed.

Kentetsu, I believe you mis-read his post. He stated that after he put the parts on he was disappointed. But then after the alignment shop got done with the alignment and the adjustment of the steering box it was great.

Ah, yes I did. Thanks for the correction Doc. :)

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