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Just found that the rubber coupling in the steering column is toast. It's not torn but the bushings had a lot of play in the rubber. Problem is that the disk is part of the assy 928 347 093 01 wich includes the intermediate steering and the upper universal joint - which I don't need, is harder to fit and is bloody expensive.
Fortunately, a bit of research turned out that the disk has fairly generic dimensions (see pic) and could be sourced for a tenner from one of the companies making them.
The difference with the new disk is HUGE - the steering precision went from something like a shotgun back to a sniper's rifle.
It was hard to spot as, in contrast with any other play in the steering systems, this makes no clicking noise.
But if you put your fingers around the disk while wiggling the steering wheel (you need long arms or a helper) you can easily feel the play.
Interesting Kurt, probably often overlooked. Is there a particular supplier/part number you used that you could share?
Also, curious, can the coupling be disassembled in place as an alternative to the splined connection at the steering rack? The splined connection seems to be challenging sometimes so would be interesting to know if undoing the coupling might be an alternative.
We stock this part for $51 and it is a VW part.
I would be interested to know an alternative cheaper source please?
Roger
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Does it have the "Do It Yourself" manual transmission, or the superior "Fully Equipped by Porsche" Automatic Transmission? George Layton March 2014
928 Owners are ".....a secret sect of quietly assured Porsche pragmatists who in near anonymity appreciate the prodigious, easy going prowess of the 928."
Mine fell apart last summer. It was the metal sleeves/bushings that kept the steering system connected. The bushings are a secondary safety back up in case the rubber/thread disk fails. The replacement disk needs to have this extra feature too.
Can this part be 'soft' and allow extra feedback via oscillation thru bumps in hard fast turns to the steering wheel..but not "feel" or sound soft in an inspection on the rack?
Can this part be 'soft' and allow extra feedback via oscillation thru bumps in hard fast turns to the steering wheel..but not "feel" or sound soft in an inspection on the rack?
Good question. I drove one 928 that had a pronounced steering wheel shake over bumps but seemed to otherwise have tight steering. I thought it might be shocks, but never got a chance to investigate, and according to the owner the car handled very well.
Good question. I drove one 928 that had a pronounced steering wheel shake over bumps but seemed to otherwise have tight steering. I thought it might be shocks, but never got a chance to investigate, and according to the owner the car handled very well.
Well..ive replaced everything else BUT the rack, and it feels _tight_.
This is cheaper than the rack..so I'll do that in June after the AC fix, which is Job #1.
The part number was GPD-3-0 (SGF's see technincal drawing). Retail price was actually 12 EUR. I am sure that there are suppliers in the USA, too.
The safety catch thing is easy to reproduce, either by transferring the long bushes from the old disk to the new or by sliding an additional length of tube over the bolt to to get the same result. Since in my case the old bushes would not sit quite as snuggly in the new disk I used the second option by stacking the old short bushes on top of the built in bushes of the new disk, they had the perfect length for the job.
Roger: I am sure they could do a batch with the OEM bushing design, too.
Tom: as long as the rack is in place the coupling does not come apart before the universal joint is disconnected . But you are right, if you loosen the nuts at the coupling you can pull the rack including the lower part of the steering column without disconnecting the splines. Makes things a lot easier to align.
Speedtoys: I think it could be soft as you describe.
IMO: In my case the disk did not get hard and brittle but rather softened and the bushes could be pushed around in their holes. Made for a mushy feel when going over crests, ruts or bumps. The pic in the OP actually shows the old one without any visible deterioration - just a bit of dirt accumulated over the last 23 years :-)
Roger, the Porsche part is actually found on VW Transporters. It comes ready to install with the bushings and costs EUR10 in Europe. I have one on my race car. I can get you a parts source should you wish to pursue it further...
This part failed on both my '80 and '86.5, while driving and it gets your attention real fast! All of a sudden the steering wheel can move what seemed like 30-40 degrees off center without any change in direction of travel. On both cars, the cam covers had been dripping oil right on this part which I am sure speeds up the deterioration.
After replacing it (and the intermediate shaft) the car's steering was incredible smooth and direct. I highly recommend changing it out. On both cars, the rubber cracked and split in the middle, and was only held together by the embedded "strings" that were molded into the rubber part. The rubber itself was rock hard and brittle.
Roger, the Porsche part is actually found on VW Transporters. It comes ready to install with the bushings and costs EUR10 in Europe. I have one on my race car. I can get you a parts source should you wish to pursue it further...
I've replaced these on several high mileage vehicles of mine, Porsches and otherwise.. After my first experience, a failure like FLYVMO's, I recognized early looseness symptoms in a some others and jumped to it.
Sometimes only the complete joint is offered, female splined ends and all, at big$$. I have had success knocking apart the coupler assembly, r&r'ing only the flexi-disk and re-assembling the joint using high grade nuts and bolts (i.e. the steering was fixed and improved, held together for thousands of miles and i didn't die).
FYI, if you're hunting around in your FLAPS for a replacement, one of the generic names for this part is "rag joint." ¿Quien sabe?
At the age of our cars, these couplers may be a safety issue as serious as aluminum ball joints.
On a RHD car there are no access issues once the exhaust is out of the way
Therefore it is really easy to remove the upper nuts
You just use a ring spanner and an assistant to turn the steering wheel
This worked great for the first upper nut, but the second decided to spin the stud rather than undo
I can't see anyway round this other than to spot weld the stud (way outside my skill set)
Why is it a stud anyway, if it were a bolt it could be counter held - no, that would be too easy
If there is another way, please let me know
Watching the coupling while my assistant helped operate the steering wheel has shown me that there is significant play in the 32 year old rubber coupling
05-09-2012, 01:51 PM
steering column - worn rubber coupling
George Layton March 2014
