z34duck Posted December 9, 2007 Report Posted December 9, 2007 on my 93 z 34 lumina i can move the steering wheel about a inch in either direction . tie inner and outer tie rods are tight rack bolts are tight. ball joints and wheel bearing are all tight I am thinking steering shaft about how much do these cost and how hard are they to change plmk thank you for any help Quote
Crazy K Posted December 9, 2007 Report Posted December 9, 2007 quack quack quack quack quack quack quack!!!! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: sounds like the thrust bearing on your steering rack needs to be tightened. it is a 24mm bolt, whenever I do this I drop the rear frame about 2 inches (you don't have to disconnect the steering) loosen the bolt to spin off the large lock nut, I sometimes will completely remove the 22 mm bolt remove the lock nut, then reinstall the bolt... PER FSM, spin until tight (ie dont force it) then turn it back out 50-70 degrees, Or 1 flat (ie 1/6th of a turn) PER FSM tighten the locking nut to 50 foot-pounds. I perform this procedure with the car body on jackstands and the rear of the frame supported by a hydraulic jack, after I think the nut is suitably tight I raise the frame and see if the steering play is better. NOTE: my 92 vert was still sloppy.... I discovered some $%^## had no nuts on the back of the bolts for the steering rack! now... it could also be the frame mounts being worn out, but the fix above takes me 30 minutes and costs nothing. Besides, You can inspect the mounts while you are under there. Quote
1990lumina Posted December 10, 2007 Report Posted December 10, 2007 Your rack could be worn out too...my Lumina had a new rack installed right before I got it...the steering is actually pretty tight on my car Quote
rockfangd Posted December 11, 2007 Report Posted December 11, 2007 mine is perfect. I love the fact that is can steer with one finger all the time Quote
Q-Ball Posted December 11, 2007 Report Posted December 11, 2007 I can move mine a little to each side, but I dont think an inch. Quote
GOT2B GM Posted December 11, 2007 Report Posted December 11, 2007 My Z34 has the exact same symptoms. Its like theres a dead spot in the steering in the center. You can wiggle the wheel back and worth an inch in the middle with no response. I was thinking I need a rack, but I'm not sure.... Quote
joey b Posted December 11, 2007 Report Posted December 11, 2007 I've had a similar problem on mine for quite some time but haven't fixed it yet. My problem is due to where the steering shaft attaches to the rack. I'm going to put some shims in there to remedy the problem. Quote
19Cutlass94 Posted December 12, 2007 Report Posted December 12, 2007 There has to be some amount of play in the steering. Every car Ive driven has a small amount of play. Normally within 1" though. Quote
BXX Posted December 12, 2007 Report Posted December 12, 2007 You never drove my 84 Trans Am... ZERO play. All new sterring parts, modified WS6 steering gear, billet steering shaft joints... Ahh, I missed how that car steered and handles Quote
19Cutlass94 Posted December 12, 2007 Report Posted December 12, 2007 Well thats why, all new steering parts will make a difference! Quote
BXX Posted December 12, 2007 Report Posted December 12, 2007 Well thats why, all new steering parts will make a difference! no no. Actually I did all new front end parts and still wasnt happy, it had about 1" of play. So I replaced the rag joints on the steering shaft will Flaming River billet ujoints and then swapped in the WS6 gear and change the clearance on it (about a 3 hour procedure with tons of test drives) And of course, the car sat 1.25" off the ground (almost no clearence) with KYB GR-2 struts/shocks with 850lb/in springs up front, and 600lb/in springs in the rear Quote
z34duck Posted December 12, 2007 Author Report Posted December 12, 2007 93luminaz34 hit the nail right on the head that expains mine to a tee. I am going to do what crazy K said this weekend and see if that takes care of it. this is on the z34 that i mainly drive in the winter months my other z34 that has a lot less miles has no noticeable play at all Quote
19Cutlass94 Posted December 12, 2007 Report Posted December 12, 2007 Well thats why, all new steering parts will make a difference! no no. Actually I did all new front end parts and still wasnt happy, it had about 1" of play. So I replaced the rag joints on the steering shaft will Flaming River billet ujoints and then swapped in the WS6 gear and change the clearance on it (about a 3 hour procedure with tons of test drives) And of course, the car sat 1.25" off the ground (almost no clearence) with KYB GR-2 struts/shocks with 850lb/in springs up front, and 600lb/in springs in the rear well thats why Quote
BXX Posted December 12, 2007 Report Posted December 12, 2007 Well thats why, all new steering parts will make a difference! no no. Actually I did all new front end parts and still wasnt happy, it had about 1" of play. So I replaced the rag joints on the steering shaft will Flaming River billet ujoints and then swapped in the WS6 gear and change the clearance on it (about a 3 hour procedure with tons of test drives) And of course, the car sat 1.25" off the ground (almost no clearence) with KYB GR-2 struts/shocks with 850lb/in springs up front, and 600lb/in springs in the rear well thats why yeah I miss it.. k /threadjack Quote
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