Knock/clunk in steering wheel
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 3,030
Likes: 0
From: CFOT
Knock/clunk in steering wheel
On my 76 vette that I recently bought I noticed that the steering wheel had a terrible amount of play in it. I got a new rag joint rubber insert for 15 bucks from NAPA (please do yourself a favor and by the entire piece, I spent a few hours trying to get rivets out of the old one because I didn't have the right tools) and I put that one on.
The new coupler tightened the steering up quite well, but I still have what I would describe as a knock or clunk that is occasionally noticeable when turning. Even when I was spinning the wheel from the shaft under the hood when the rag joint was off I noticed this. I'm wondering if there is some bushing or something in the steering column that might be the culprit.
Any advice there?
Also, I'm curious if the steering wheel side of steering shaft is splined so that I could just take it off and reset it at the appropriate orientation.
Thanks guys.
The new coupler tightened the steering up quite well, but I still have what I would describe as a knock or clunk that is occasionally noticeable when turning. Even when I was spinning the wheel from the shaft under the hood when the rag joint was off I noticed this. I'm wondering if there is some bushing or something in the steering column that might be the culprit.
Any advice there?
Also, I'm curious if the steering wheel side of steering shaft is splined so that I could just take it off and reset it at the appropriate orientation.
Thanks guys.
Racer
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 333
Likes: 2
From: Aurora Colorado
I had a similar problem and set aside an afternoon to troubleshoot and try to fix it. I popped off the horn button and noticed the nut was loose, tightened it up and spent the time I had set aside driving it. I love being able to drive my car in between fixing it.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 8,897
Likes: 1,357
From: Santa Ana CA
I had a steering clunk, very noticable at the bottom of a steep driveway when turning onto the street. This turned out to be a loose bolt on the lower ball joint. Seems the bolt and castle nut (with cotter pin) were put on, but not torqued. I could grab the knuckle assembly and rock it a bit.
Not saying yours is loose, but the ball joints could be bad if old.
Not saying yours is loose, but the ball joints could be bad if old.
