hummiscorvettetaken

So I took the 68 out today for the first run of the year and when I made a turn the steering wheel didn't "center" back, I had to turn it back straight after the turn?- it's a manual steering car and I am use to having some "play" with the steering however I didn't get the usual snap back after the turn?

mickey5

How much air did you loose in the tires over the winter?

doorgunner

Also.........the grease/lubricant inside the steering box turns into a waxy-looking substance. Being a rookie I don't know what lubricant you should fill the box with. I'll look in my '68 repair manual and check......

Dynra Rockets

Assuming nothing major wrong with the box, self centering is more a function of caster. Did you get an alignment recently or did you notice the alignment had changed (such as a bushing died over the winter)

doorgunner

The chassis service manual says to add waterproof grease every 36,000 miles......(which means the grease in my steering box is probably 35 years old).

It says to remove the lowest bolt and the outboard bolt that holds the cover onto the steering box.....then pump grease into the LOWEST hole until it comes out of the OUTER hole (I would try to purge as much of the old grease out through the outboard hole as possible since it has been in the steering box for decades).

The adjusting screw on the center of the cover can also be turned clockwise 1/4 turn to reduce steering wheel play BUT I WOULD NOT DO THAT UNTIL YOU SOLVE THE BINDING PROBLEM.....adjusting the screw tighter at this point may cause the steering to seize.

Let us know in this thread what solves the problem so other members can use your information.

Haggisbash

If it was me I would count the number of threads sticking out of the adjuster, take a note of this and then remove to cover from the steering box and have a proper look inside, if you want to lube the thing properly you need to see what state it is in first JMPO.

hummiscorvettetaken

Thanks for the information, one of the first things I did before driving the car was check the tire pressure all around so that was not an issue, I did recently put bigger tires on the car, swapped out the 225 70's and put on 245 60's - I didn't have an alignment at the time so yes will check that out as well as the state of the steering box grease!

mikem350

I have seen some cars get easier steering after using a grease gun to flush out old grease and fill with fresh. Tight joints can bind up. Make sure to do all the fittings, ball joints, steering linkages etc.

Also as said fill tires to 35 or so. Unless you need the arm workout

doorgunner

If you have the mechanical skill the above advice would be even better than purging grease through the bolt holes....you could actually remove nearly all of the old grease once the cover is removed.....JUST DO NOT TURN THE STEERING WHEEL UNTIL NEW GREASE IS PACKED INTO THE HOUSING AND THE COVER IN PROPERLY RE-INSTALLED.

The adjustable end on the control arm can bind also because sand/grit has gotten into the internal preload-spring/ball/caps......it can be diassembled/cleaned/greased/reassembled to work like new.....

BUT...be sure to take pics of each part of the disassembly to make sure everything goes together correctly (on any part that you remove/disassemble/reassemble)

65GGvert

I don't know if anyone has changed the adjustment screw on top of the box, but if it's too tight, the problem you had will happen. I loosen the lock nut, back it off 1/2 turn (counterclockwise) and lock the nut and drive again to see if that is what's happening. Sometimes someone will tighten that adjustment to take out slack in the wheel and that's what happens. I'm not saying that's a proper repair, but a test. You can always turn it the half turn back to where it was.

doorgunner

The wider tires "scrub" the pavement more.........
and he might need to increase the CASTER to help the wheels return to center AFTER he repairs the other items mentioned in this thread (solve ONE problem at a time......the easiest repair should be done first so the car isn't on jackstands for weeks)