steering wheel shaft

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cuda67

cuda67

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My steering wheel shaft, on my 67 Barracuda, has so much play at the connection to the steering box,
it is starting to feel unsafe. where can I take it to repair. ?? Constantly trying to keep it going straight.. **( Perhaps I am saying it wrong. The steering box was replaced, the problem seems to be where the two pieces of the steering wheel rod connect in the engine bay. It looks like a slot where the two pieces connect has about a 1/4 inch of play.)
 
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on steering gears there is as u look down on it a lock nut with a std screwdriver slot . sorry steering gears where made to be adjusted to take slack out. so your steering wheel was tite . no slack. now go to rockauto send in your core or keep I have one in my 68 cuda. pay core price have re aligned u can go 150.
 
they are good I have done alignments 4 40 yrs . gear is dam m great tite. but get aligned o finding a shop or person that can align a mopr good FNLUCK.
 
The gearbox adjustment is not for play in the steering wheel. This is a common misconception. It is for the movement of the gearbox output shaft due to worn bearings. You can only adjust so far until you either need to replace or rebuild your gearbox. Inspect everything first. This requires someone to rock the wheel back and forth while another person inspects everything for loose play. Inspect everything from the steering wheel to both front wheels.
 
I can't picture where you describe the lost motion to be. It should have a steering shaft, a box coupling, and the shaft of gear box. Maybe a pic of something would help.
 
Is your excess play between the steering shaft and the coupling pot or between the coupling pot and the steering box?
 
It sounds like the coupler pot assembly, Rebuild kits are available but I personally like the u joint kits from flaming river or boredom. The factory service manual adjustment of the manual steering box calls for taking the lock nut loose and backing the sector wedge screw all the out, taking a large chisel and and hammer backing the locknut on the input shaft side of the box loose (soaking the threads with a little used synthetic motor oil helps tremendously here). Then use a spanner wrench in the holes holes on the actual lock but, loosen and tighten it while rotating the steering shaft back and forth just a little, you’ll notice that each time you loosen and tighten that it will snug a little more until it gets everything drawn tight. This tightens the bushings on the worm shaft and properly centers it while removing wobble. Tighten the locknut back with a hammer and chisel. Then tighten the sector screw and when it gets tight start working input shaft a little back and forth until it seats tight and then back it off by feel while working the input a little until it has just a little clearance, usually about 1/3 of a turn and retighten locknut.
 
RedFish said:
I can't picture where you describe the lost motion to be. It should have a steering shaft, a box coupling, and the shaft of gear box. Maybe a pic of something would help.
Click to expand...
That is my next step. I am going to try and take a picture of the problem area. Then I have to learn how to post it here. The area I am speaking of is where there is , what appears to be, a joint where the steering shaft top half joins with the bottom half. There is a slot and what appears to be a pin in this slot. The pin moves about 1/4 - 3/8 inch before it actually starts to turn the wheel. A 1/4 - 3/8 delay in connecting in this area translates into about 1-2 inches of free play in the steering wheel.
 
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cuda67 said:
The steering box was replaced,
Click to expand...

If the box was replaced and is ok was the coupler rebuilt? The shaft can also be loose in the column tube if the bottom bushing/seal is worn out. Have someone move the wheel back and forth while you watch the column under the hood to see what's loose. I don't see a lower bearing/bushing listed for 67. Doesn't mean they aren't made..

Coupler repair kit: Mega Parts USA - Reproduction, NOS and Used Mopar Muscle Car Parts
 
694spd said:
Is your excess play between the steering shaft and the coupling pot or between the coupling pot and the steering box?
Click to expand...
Steering shaft and coupling pot is what I think it is. I will try and add a picture . I am wrong the excess play is at the coupling pot and the steering box. Just looked at it now. there is a roll pin in the hole of the coupling pot and that is where the play is..
 
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This the picture of where the play is. before the wheels start to move, the roll pin moves from one side of the hole to the other.

steering rod.jpg
 
OH CHIT? I have never seen this before. Glad to see something new here. Anyway that split pin is not supposed to move in the box coupling. Actually... I have seen this in industrial applications but not in a vehicle. Somebody had to fight a bad steering gear for a very long time to cause this condition. You are going to need a new or good used box coupling and a new split pin.
 
Is the roll pin the correct diameter? From the pic it looks smaller.
 
I woke up at 3:AM with this on my mind. There is more wrong here.... very wrong.
The turning force is on the multi spline fitment. The pin is only a retainer. This shaft shouldn't rotate in the bore even if the pin was removed. There are different sizes of shafts and box coupling bores. Part mismatch or not, I don't believe it is safe to drive.
 
Do you have a manual steering coupler "pot" connected to your power steering box?
If so then you would have a lot of slop at that connection. The spline diameter on the manual steering box is larger than the power steering box.
 
RedFish said:
I woke up at 3:AM with this on my mind. There is more wrong here.... very wrong.
The turning force is on the multi spline fitment. The pin is only a retainer. This shaft shouldn't rotate in the bore even if the pin was removed. There are different sizes of shafts and box coupling bores. Part mismatch or not, I don't believe it is safe to drive.
Click to expand...
 
I am leaning to your thinking.. The shaft is a splined shaft , it should not be able to move, therefore no play should be at the coupler, yet there is about a 1/4 inch to either side and if you combine the distance of the play it is about 1/2 inch.. I don't own a lift and with back surgery I have had, crawling around ain't gonna get it.
 
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