What is the best method for inspecting steering linkage?
02-25-2009, 07:39 PM
#1
What is the best method for inspecting steering linkage?
I need to inspect my steering linkage for wear / play. Ball joints, tie rod ends etc... I'm not sure of the best way to attack this. Is it best to keep the tires on the car with the suspension under load and crank back and forth on the steering wheel? Should I raise the car and look for play this way? Of course if the car is raised it is much easier to view the items being inspected, but then it would not be under load. I did a search on this topic and did not come up with much.
Last edited by G Man; 02-27-2009 at 12:02 AM.
02-25-2009, 08:17 PM
#2
Rennlist Member
Well, I do a few things.
Drive it.
Park it and pull/push at 3 and 9 on each front tire.
Then grab at 12 and pull/push.
Then, I raise it. Jackstands + extra pair under unibody, but not resting on it, for some level of disaster recovery. Have somebody sit in the driver's seat and ready to turn the wheel on my command.
I look for play at each inner, each outer. Then have the driver move wheel while I hold the tires from under the car, again looking for play at inners, outers.
Then keeping drivers side tire from moving, look up the steering knuckle area while driver moves steering wheel, looking for play in ujoints of steering.
Also inspect rack bushings for excessive wear. I removed rubber and replaced with solid inserts on one of my racks and it is very tight.
Ball joints are then checked again with car in air, looking for movement when shaking and manipulating tires, both with driver counterholding wheel and without.
That should illuminate areas of play. You can detect the movement of bad ball joint(s) and inners / outers, and steering ujoints and rack bushings doing this type of thing.
Drive it.
Park it and pull/push at 3 and 9 on each front tire.
Then grab at 12 and pull/push.
Then, I raise it. Jackstands + extra pair under unibody, but not resting on it, for some level of disaster recovery. Have somebody sit in the driver's seat and ready to turn the wheel on my command.
I look for play at each inner, each outer. Then have the driver move wheel while I hold the tires from under the car, again looking for play at inners, outers.
Then keeping drivers side tire from moving, look up the steering knuckle area while driver moves steering wheel, looking for play in ujoints of steering.
Also inspect rack bushings for excessive wear. I removed rubber and replaced with solid inserts on one of my racks and it is very tight.
Ball joints are then checked again with car in air, looking for movement when shaking and manipulating tires, both with driver counterholding wheel and without.
That should illuminate areas of play. You can detect the movement of bad ball joint(s) and inners / outers, and steering ujoints and rack bushings doing this type of thing.
02-26-2009, 12:38 AM
#3
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Site Sponsor
Chris has made some good suggestions. In addition:
- Grab the inner end of the tie rods and push up and down firmly, feeling for play.
- Hold the rod and the inner joint on the tie rods while the assistant flicks the wheel back and forth, feeling for free play in the joint.
- Watch the rack for excessive movement as the assistant flicks the wheel back and forth. This checks the rack bushings.
- Visually inspect the suspension arm inner bushings for signs of past movement. This will be wear areas on the rubber, etc.
- Visually inspect all rubber boots for failure. Especially critical on the upper ball joint boots.
- Visually check the anti-sway bar bushings and mounts.
- Grab the inner end of the tie rods and push up and down firmly, feeling for play.
- Hold the rod and the inner joint on the tie rods while the assistant flicks the wheel back and forth, feeling for free play in the joint.
- Watch the rack for excessive movement as the assistant flicks the wheel back and forth. This checks the rack bushings.
- Visually inspect the suspension arm inner bushings for signs of past movement. This will be wear areas on the rubber, etc.
- Visually inspect all rubber boots for failure. Especially critical on the upper ball joint boots.
- Visually check the anti-sway bar bushings and mounts.
02-27-2009, 12:17 AM
#6
Thanks for the suggestions. I'm pretty sure I have something worn out somewhere in there. When I back out of a parking space with the steering wheel cranked full right I get a clunk/pop type of sound when I'm about 3/4 of the way into my manuver. I also get some movement to go along with the offending sound. I'll have to get under there and hopefully find out where the problem is originating form. I wonder if my low ride height has something to do with these issues. It needs to come up quite a bit. Would the low ride height cause parts to wear out quicker?
02-27-2009, 05:40 AM
#7
Rennlist Member
I had a clunk on the 84 5 spd at the endof the summer under similar conditions. Plus, it had been getting looser and looser on the road. Clunk was really bad.
The front attachment bolts for the lower control arms had backed-out considerably. So, first I'm checking that stuff I previously touched was properly torqued.
That tightened the car, and reduced the clunk so it didn't happen driving on the road in a turn, but some portion of the clunk remained. It could be heard when engaging it in gear to back and turn out of a parking place, for instance, but not again until I did that again.
I got to tugging on stuff underneath. On jackstands, I shook the inner tie rods / rack shafts. To to this, I had the steering wheel turned full left, then full right, so that the side being shook was in its longest state, so to speak. Up and down / no play. But, fore/ aft yeilded a sharp clunk on the driver's side.
On further research, it turns out there is some sort of plastic guide bushing inside the rack that is probably worn-out. I guess I expedited it wearing-out by driving the car with loose control arms. Word is that it doesn't come with the rack rebuild kit offered in the USA.
Then I found a post by Earl Gilstrom about making an external guide bushing from plastic that slips onto the steering shaft and "into" the rack to take-up this slack. I did this and reduced the slop and the sound, but still have play because I machined the piece too large relative to the steering shaft that it fits around. Need to rework it.
So, for a clunk, check out that stuff.
The front attachment bolts for the lower control arms had backed-out considerably. So, first I'm checking that stuff I previously touched was properly torqued.
That tightened the car, and reduced the clunk so it didn't happen driving on the road in a turn, but some portion of the clunk remained. It could be heard when engaging it in gear to back and turn out of a parking place, for instance, but not again until I did that again.
I got to tugging on stuff underneath. On jackstands, I shook the inner tie rods / rack shafts. To to this, I had the steering wheel turned full left, then full right, so that the side being shook was in its longest state, so to speak. Up and down / no play. But, fore/ aft yeilded a sharp clunk on the driver's side.
On further research, it turns out there is some sort of plastic guide bushing inside the rack that is probably worn-out. I guess I expedited it wearing-out by driving the car with loose control arms. Word is that it doesn't come with the rack rebuild kit offered in the USA.
Then I found a post by Earl Gilstrom about making an external guide bushing from plastic that slips onto the steering shaft and "into" the rack to take-up this slack. I did this and reduced the slop and the sound, but still have play because I machined the piece too large relative to the steering shaft that it fits around. Need to rework it.
So, for a clunk, check out that stuff.
