I have completely rebuilt the front end & the power steering on my 73. Also had 4 wheel alignment completed. Car drives great with the exception of one issue. When turning left or right the steering is slow to return to center. Is this an alignment issue or a steering sector adjustment issue. When traveling straight ahead the car drives fine although I seem to have to correct the steering more than I would expect. I would appreciate any thoughts on this. Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to everyone.

 

Have you checked the front tire pressure? I have had the same issue in the past and found that if the tires are not inflated properly the wheel will not return.

 

Mark each component & mating component that you will be disconnecting with a paint pen so that it will line up with it's mating component when reassembled.

You could disconnect the steering shaft coupler from the P/S box----then turn the steering wheel all the way each direction to see if there are binding problems in the column.

Next....... with the car front end on jack stands under the lower control arms/front wheels off the ground--disconnect the drag link ffrom the pitman arm and turn the wheels left and right with your hands to see if there is any binding in that area.

Next.......with the engine running--- turn the P/S input shaft at the coupler by hand to see if there is binding in it.

BE SURE TO CENTER EACH COMPONENT BEFORE RECONNECTING TO THE MATING COMPONENT/LINE UP THE PAINT MARKINGS


Let us know what you (or your mechanic) discover.

 

I placed a jack under the front cross member & raised it just enough for the front tires to clear & everything turns easily no binding very smooth. I can turn the steering wheel with one finger. What now.

 

How is the Steering Control Valve? This is a part that controls the fluid flow from the power steering pump to the power steering cylinder.

If it is not pumping or returning the fluid correctly it could have this effect on the steering if it was not bled out properly with the new parts installed.

I have attached a few links that might help you out.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year !!


http://www.ecklerscorvette.com/corve...1963-1982.html

http://www.ecklerscorvette.com/asset...ette/A7076.pdf

http://www.ecklerscorvette.com/corve...1963-1982.html

 

All new or rebuilt components in the steering system including power steering pump. I have also centered the valve.

 

This sounds like an alignment issue. With modern tires you need to have more positive caster in your alignment than the stock specs called for. Caster at near zero will cause the car to wander on the road and to be slow to return to center.

 

Alright dudes we have eliminated everything but the gears on the in the end of the column which over time can become loose and might need adjustment. The grease will dry out and need a rebuild. The other factor is The culprit may be the steering coupler and steering box that overtime will become loose or torn over 30+ years.

Does your 1963-1982 Corvette keep you on your toes when cruising on the highway? Are you constantly moving the steering wheel back and forth to maintain a straight line? Maybe you need to move the steering wheel a couple of inches in each direction before the steering linkage catches up. The culprit may be the steering coupler and steering box. - See more at: http://tech.corvettecentral.com/2011....MrExJFkQ.dpuf

Here a link that might help you fix the problem and pretty much think since you did everything else this is the last place to look.

MakoJoe

http://tech.corvettecentral.com/2011...ring-concerns/

 

New steering coupler, rebuilt steering sector & the steering column lower bearing was replaced.

 

I have 225/70/R15 Radials on the car what settings should have the alignment shop set the front end & rear end to?

 

Than the alignment was not set right. Loose steering is caused by many factors and you have replaced everything some along the way the adjustment is not right. If you took it to a shop to have the alignment done than I suggest you have another shop look at. The 1970s cars are not always supported by the equipment in one shop and other shops have the software installed for your model year corvette.

When I had my alignment done I had to call 4 different shops to find one that supported my 1977 Corvette. They may have used a later model year adjustment just to take your money thinking it was close enough. They do vary a bit in these older cars even though they use many of the same parts.

I have had shop managers lie to me so many times in the years I took my cars to shops thinking I did not know my stuff. Those that do lost my business over the years and never use them.

I have 225/70/R15 Radials on the car what settings should have the alignment shop set the front end & rear end to?

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c3-t...nce-specs.html

http://www.guldstrand.com/alignment.asp

I also want you to remember older cars are not as responsive as Rack and Pinion Steering of todays cars if you are attempting to compare your 1973 C3 to a new car it will be sloppy at best even with the new suspension components installed. The only way to make C3 handle like a new car is install a about $2000 buck Rack system on it

 

I rebuilt my entire front suspension and updated it with
- Poly bushes
- Speed Direct semi coil overs
- 18 " rims
- 245/45/18 Tires
- Borgeson steering box

It was a huge improvement. nice tight and direct, however i thought like you it needed too much correction and also had a bit of bump steer as it was faily low.

The bump steer was minimised by adding Steroids anti bump steer gear.



http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c3-g...ourney-32.html

And the biggest change was by dialing in more and more caster.

I now have 5 full shims rear and 1.5 front on stock upper control arms and the steering returns to center great and does not wander like it did before.

If you pull the steering either way while driving and let go it will go back to straight.

So for me the caster was the biggert change to fix wander.

Hope it is something simple liek that for you as well.

 

Yep! If the internals are in good condition in the box....and the wide tires appear to be sitting "flat" on level concrete.....adding a little more camberXXXXX--ooops---CASTER will help the steering wheel return easier AND will eliminate having to "correct" the steering wheel while driving in a straight line (the binding is still a mystery though...incorrect toe-in/over-adjusted(too tight) sector shaft/etc.

Wider than recommended tires need custom alignment adjustment---regular alignment numbers won't work!

Measure the toe-in....tell us what you find?

Place a good carpenter's short-length level on the upper/lower wheel-rim-lip....tell us what you get?

Caster is difficult to measure on control arm suspensions....you need to find a flat area to set the level on.

 

its not a good idea to jack the car up by using the front cross-member, it might collapse the middle area. Use jack stands and jack up both side rails to raise the car.

 

The steering box adjustment , If it is over tightened the wheels will not easily come back to straight but will drag and feel sluggish and tight.

 

Agreed. You said it had an alignment. Do you have the specs (caster, camber and toe)

 

And you will need less camber.....the wider-than-stock tires will tend to rest/roll on the outer treads more.

 

225/70/R15 are very similar in size to stock. I wouldn't consider them to be wider than stock.

 

The Print Out The Shop Gave Me Reads As Follows:
FRONT:
Caster: .8* &. .9*
Camber: .1* & .2*
Toe: 1/32" & 1/32"


REAR:
Camber: .1* &. .1*
Toe: 0" &. 0"


What do you guys think are these settings what I want.

 

Thanks...I didn't realize that.