Can you accidentally run upper steering intermediate shaft u joint backwards?
Thread Starter
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 1,410
Likes: 161
From: san diego
Can you accidentally run upper steering intermediate shaft u joint backwards?
Can you (as in me) accidentally place the upper u joint on the intermediate steering shaft (in between steering column and rack) backwards?
This sounds silly, but I replaced my rack years ago and have a good amount of deadzone in the steering wheel (I haven’t really driven the car in years since then). I see my intermediate steering shaft u joints are out of phase by 90 degrees, so I’m assuming I must have installed the upper u joint backwards. I looked at it this morning, and the ujoints will be in phase if I install the upper u joint the other way than it is now.
Do you guys know if this is physically possible? And to rephrase the question, do both the intermediate shaft and steering column have the same splines that would allow the upper ujoint to be installed backwards?
Just wanted to get some closure on this before ripping everything apart.
Until I noticed the u joints are out of phase, I already checked tie rod ends, inners, rack bushings, rack yoke plug tension and they’re all good.
thanks, and please don’t mind my stupidity.
I ordered a used set of u joints and the intermediate shaft just in case I blew out mine by having them out of phase. And while I’m in there, I’ll rotate the power steering rack input shaft to check for deadzone there to see if a gear is worn just in case.
This sounds silly, but I replaced my rack years ago and have a good amount of deadzone in the steering wheel (I haven’t really driven the car in years since then). I see my intermediate steering shaft u joints are out of phase by 90 degrees, so I’m assuming I must have installed the upper u joint backwards. I looked at it this morning, and the ujoints will be in phase if I install the upper u joint the other way than it is now.
Do you guys know if this is physically possible? And to rephrase the question, do both the intermediate shaft and steering column have the same splines that would allow the upper ujoint to be installed backwards?
Just wanted to get some closure on this before ripping everything apart.
Until I noticed the u joints are out of phase, I already checked tie rod ends, inners, rack bushings, rack yoke plug tension and they’re all good.
thanks, and please don’t mind my stupidity.
I ordered a used set of u joints and the intermediate shaft just in case I blew out mine by having them out of phase. And while I’m in there, I’ll rotate the power steering rack input shaft to check for deadzone there to see if a gear is worn just in case.
Last edited by DR_Knight; May 5, 2021 at 01:23 PM. Reason: Fixing autocorrect.
Thread Starter
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 1,410
Likes: 161
From: san diego
Just received an intermediate shaft with both u joints and I can tell the upper ujoint hasn’t been removed from the shaft from the surface rust.
the ujoints seem out of phase a couple degrees less than 90. Does this sound correct?
would have thought they’d be perfectly in phase from looking at the FSM.
the ujoints seem out of phase a couple degrees less than 90. Does this sound correct?
would have thought they’d be perfectly in phase from looking at the FSM.
Thread Starter
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 1,410
Likes: 161
From: san diego
For closure, the answer is yes the upper ujoint on the steering intermediate shaft can be ran backwards to put the ujoints in phase.
the used part came in with some surface rust and was out of phase just like mine so I left it out of phase. My ujoint did have a tiny bit of play, but I think the play developed from not having the steering rack angled upwards enough.
so I angled the steering rack upwards to give the lower ujoint more clearance from the subframe and changed out the ujoints and intermediate shaft.
Fixed the steering deadzone issue.
the used part came in with some surface rust and was out of phase just like mine so I left it out of phase. My ujoint did have a tiny bit of play, but I think the play developed from not having the steering rack angled upwards enough.
so I angled the steering rack upwards to give the lower ujoint more clearance from the subframe and changed out the ujoints and intermediate shaft.
Fixed the steering deadzone issue.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post