When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Nope, I'm living with it. I did get under there at one point and judiciously used vice grips to isolate each portion of the joint. I found tiny play in the U-joint and in the splined engagement where the column goes into the sliding portion (for the collapsing steering column used with the airbag). So far as I can determine, the only way to really get rid of it is to replace those parts. The upper is about $970 from Sunset and the lower about $200 last I checked.
ETA: I may have the part costs reversed; the bigger one costs more, naturally.
Last edited by FeralComprehension; 03-14-2014 at 05:37 PM.
Alternatively I've read grease may help as well. I'm going to give the grease a try on the Saab 93... where the play is way more serious. If that works well, I'll move to the 964.
Worst case scenario it's replace the parts... but then I'm going ot the OPC because I want to hold someone to "0 play in the wheel" .
I haven't read through this thread in detail, but have you tried to put a Vise-Grip on the lowest portion of the shaft around the pedal box area, that way you can isolate from that point all the way upstream to the steering wheel?
I did get under there at one point and judiciously used vice grips to isolate each portion of the joint. I found tiny play in the U-joint and in the splined engagement where the column goes into the sliding portion...
I had the same clunk in my steering wheel, took it in to the shop fearing the worst... Steering wheel was loose.
Keep it simple, hoping it's just that one bolt?
Last edited by 911Jetta; 03-18-2014 at 12:12 PM.
Reason: added picture
There are two 8mm bolts that attach the universal joint that joins the steering column to the steering rack. See diagram below. If you remove the board behind the pedal cluster, you will see it. In my case, #15 was loose, approx 1-2 mm. I remove the bolt, cleaned it, applied red Locktite and reinstalled using 17 ft-lbs of torque. It eliminated my looseness.
Number 4 bolt was loose on mine. Half a turn on a spanner tightened up the splined joint and eliminated my tunk.
...so my car is Apart for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that I have to replace my steering rack. Don't lose those grommets, hey? They keep water out...
In any case, what better time to try and track down a steering tunk than when all that stuff is apart already? As indicated above, my '90 has an airbag and the column is different, with a sliding spline in between the upper and lower universal joints. Here's a picture of the female-splined lower U in my vise, which I used to try and determine if there's play in this joint:
Lower sliding spline w/ U-joint
There is no play whatsoever in this joint, which I guess is a good thing. While determining that, though, I noticed something I think is damned odd:
Roll pin inserted into end of spline tube.
There's a roll pin inserted into the end of the spline tube! It's very short:
Clearly this isn't to prevent the spline from sliding on itself- that action is required for proper airbag function. The column collapses under load.
Does anyone else have a similar feature? My current supposition is that when these parts were made there was more play in them than acceptable, and the supplier used these short pins to take up some of the slop in the spline. Over time, the pin wore and/or backed out a bit, and then you get yer steering 'tunk!'
Can't say for sure as it's still apart, but you other guys with this problem could consider using a small drift and a hammer to see if you can get some relief. I'm also going to invest in some thin plastic shim material (0.0005" polyester from McMaster-Carr) to see if I can eliminate the play by shimming the spline tighter but that's only because I have the joint apart. If I didn't, I'd try and drive that pin gently in a bit.
Good luck, and let us know how it goes.
Last edited by FeralComprehension; 08-26-2015 at 11:37 PM.
...so my car is Apart for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that I have to replace my steering rack. Don't lose those grommets, hey? They keep water out...
In any case, what better time to try and track down a steering tunk than when all that stuff is apart already? As indicated above, my '90 has an airbag and the column is different, with a sliding spline in between the upper and lower universal joints. Here's a picture of the female-splined lower U in my vice, which I used to try and determine if there's play in this joint:
Lower sliding spline w/ U-joint
There is no play whatsoever in this joint, which I guess is a good thing. While determining that, though, I noticed something I think is damned odd:
Roll pin inserted into end of spline tube.
There's a roll pin inserted into the end of the spline tube! It's very short:
Clearly this isn't to prevent the spline from sliding on itself- that action is required for proper airbag function. The column collapses under load.
Does anyone else have a similar feature? My current supposition is that when these parts were made there was more play in them than acceptable, and the supplier used these short pins to take up some of the slop in the spline. Over time, the pin wore and/or backed out a bit, and then you get yer steering 'tunk!'
Can't say for sure as it's still apart, but you other guys with this problem could consider using a small drift and a hammer to see if you can get some relief. I'm also going to invest in some thin plastic shim material (0.0005" polyester from McMaster-Carr) to see if I can eliminate the play by shimming the spline tighter but that's only because I have the joint apart. If I didn't, I'd try and drive that pin gently in a bit.
Good luck, and let us know how it goes.
Roll-Pin is covered in the Workshop Manual at Page 48-7. It acts as a "key" for correct assembly.
My car is back on the road after a 14 month (!) nap and I have solved the steering tunk. Unfortunately, I can't say with any assurance which of two actions did the trick BUT I am willing to share my supply of one potential fix ingredient with anyone who wants to give it a go.
First, I replaced the steering rack because it was leaking horribly and the outer ends of the rack were corroded; a rebuild was not going to solve the issue. For the life of me however I could not detect any play in the rack, either in the car or once I had it on the bench.
I did detect a tiny amount of play in the long splined engagement used to allow the airbag steering column to collapse. This snip from PET illustration 403-05 shows the non-airbag version: steering column detail
In MY car, the engagement between parts 2 and 3 is longer and is a sliding fit; bolt 4/nut 5 do not exist.
What I did was introduce some very thin plastic shim material into the joint while assembling. It's made of polyester, which is relatively low friction and has reasonable resistance to creep, so my hope is that it will be both durable and not increase the resistance of the column to collapse in the event of a crash.
It took hardly any shimstock to snug the joint up; consequently I have a lot left. If you want to try this, PM me your address and I'll send you a small piece to experiment with in exchange for your personal commitment to report back in this thread on whether the shim did or did not have an effect- there are enough people complaining about this issue that it would be a benefit to the community if we can determine this is helpful.
03-14-2014, 09:12 AM
