manual steering slipping?

[Gwywnc]

hi i just bought a 440 duster that has manual steering and the other day i was driving and as i was going around a curve and turning the wheel to the left it "slipped" for a second but then caught and i had control again but for a half a second it was like it gave. its hard to describe but it scared the sh*t out of me! has anyone had this problem? im sure that it is super dangerous. i dont want to even think about what i would do if it went out completely. it does it constantly turning to the left as some point in a turn. any suggestions? he f it and buy a new steering box? is the 440 to much weight for the steering box and i should change it to power steering. any and all help will be helpful. i now have a beautiful duster sitting outside that im afraid to drive

 

[67Dart273]

It's not the weight of the engine. You have something wrong, if you are actually accurately describing the problem. I would start by getting a trusted friend / partner.

First, turn the wheel all the way to one side, then the other, and apply considerable pressure with the wheel. Have your friend look or you look and the friend "turns" and watch for any slippage. Look for steering wheel movement in relation to the steering shaft, shaft movement in relation to the coupler body, and coupler body movement in relation to the box input shaft. "This last" you are going to have to look carefully, because there is not much room between the bottom of the coupler and the box. Listen and look for clicks, slippage, noise.

If that does not turn up anything, get under neath. "Wiggle" the wheel side to side at various amounts and "speed." Look for up/ down movement in the idler arm, slop in the bottom bearing of the box at the pitman arm, and, one at a time, look for slop and play in the various joints and tie rod ends.

Get a shop manual READ it. There's info in there on checking play in ball joints and so on. You can download them, free, over at MyMopar. Some of those there, came from the guys here on FABO

http://www.mymopar.com/index.php?pid=31

 

[Gwywnc]

thank you sir for the fast reply. it will not do it or at least i cant tell if its doing it while its sitting only when im going like 10mph or faster does it happenn and only when turning the car to the left. super scary for a slit second. i will check all ball joints, i know one on the right side needs replaced. there are three bolts that holds down a plate on the steering box, is that a inspection plate? could teeth have broken off? i can afford to have it fixed i just want to fix the right thing

 

[67Dart273]

If the box is slipping internally, you probably would not be able to drive it. It would have "chunks" of the gearbox floating around in there, would make noise, bind up and suddenly "stop."

Check for a loose box.

You are right to be concerned. Does the wheel seem to "stick?" Might be steering linkage binding on the pan, headers, etc.

 

[TrailBeast]

Could be a trashed bushing moving when in a corner also.
(It could feel like a slip when it shifted the steering)

 

[pishta]

There is no way for a manual box to slip. The way its made would not allow this, its a big gear with a big screw drive. Im guessing that its a bushing too. I would concentrate on the right side first.

 

[Gwywnc]

thanks guys! i will lift it tuesday cause its gonna be all raining tomorrow and i have no car port. talked to my dad, a old mopar guy{where i get it from, some of my earliest memory's are of a charger beating the ground, its burned into my soul} he said to check that.. wished he wasnt 500 miles away..

 

[Gwywnc]

how dangerous is this? its my only transportation for now. i mean i wont be taking it up mountains but to napa and back would it be ok? i have havertys insurance too so they will tow me

 

[67Dart273]

I would not be driving it. For all I know, you have something like a broken engine mount or worse something in the suspension cracked or broken.

 

[Inertia]

The steering wheel spline, especially if it's an after market wheel,, would be highly suspect .. Check to be sure the steering shaft "nut" at the steering wheel is tight...

I'd be also be checking the lower shaft coupler, at the steering box,, ..

The splines are supposed to hold any rotational motion,, but if the splines are stripped,, it's possible for the steering wheel/shaft to "slip"..,,



hope it helps

 

[AJ/FormS]

Does the steering wheel crossbar remain in the same spot with the wheels pointed straight ahead, after a "slip"? If yes then the splines,top and bottom are ok.
It sounds like a problem inside the steering box, or a loose box or a loose idler arm. Since the box itself is a very robust unit, I'd be tempted to rule out the box. Since it only happens going left, it kinda rules out the loose box . Since turning left puts a lot of weight over to the right, and the centerlink is PUSHING the idler arm, I could see a loose idler arm snapping up and or down, doing that.