Does anybody know why I would have slop in my steering wheel? Could this be the upper bearing or is there some sort of u-joint for the the tilt portion that is wore out? I have 223,000 miles on the vette. would like to get this worked out before I rap up the rack and pinion conversion.

 

I assume that your steering column is in the car and connected to your steering gear. Here are a few quick tests that you can perform to give you some indication as to what might be wrong.

Steering Column Tests
Checking for Loose Support Screws, Pivot Pins, and/or Lock Shoes
The following are some simple tests that you can try to determine the cause and location of a "loose" steering column condition. They should help identify the source of any looseness before you begin disassembling your steering column.

First of all, make sure that your steering column is properly and securely attached to the vehicle. Are the vertical underdash attaching bolts (or nuts) torqued to specification? Are the attachments of the steering column to the floor pan secure?

Check for Loose Support Screws (inside the steering column)
Adjust your tilt mechanism to the straight ahead position. Grasp the steering wheel and try and rock it in an up and down and then rock it in a side to side motion. Is the steering wheel and the entire column head loose in both up and down and side to side directions?

If this is the case, you most likely have loose support screws. This problem has a straight forward fix (just Locktight® and tighten the screws.) The bad news is that you must disassemble the entire steering column head in order to reach the loose screws. You will require T&T Disassembly & Repair Papers #1, #2, and #3. Also you will find that it is much easier to work on your steering column if you remove it from your car to correct this condition.

Check for Loose Lock Shoes
Tilt your column head to the full “up” position and grasp your steering wheel and try and rock it with a vertical up and down motion. Do you feel any looseness just in this direction. Now adjust your tilt mechanism to all of the other tilt positions and do this test again. Do some positions feel loose and others feel tight? Or are all of them tight (or loose?) This is a check for loose tilt shoes. There are a pair of shoes inside the column head. They alternate locking your column in the various tilt positions. If you have alternating loose and then tight positions you probably have one bad shoe or a lock shoe pin that is worn in one position.

Check for Loose Pivot Pins
Grasp the steering wheel and now try to rock it with a side to side motion. When you conduct this check, do you only notice a looseness in a side to side direction and not in an up and down direction? If this is the case, you most likely have loose pivot pins. You will require all three papers and you will need to remove the steering column from your car in order to disassemble the column and correct this condition.

Worn Plastic Universal Joint
A worn plastic universal joint would result in a rotational looseness only. New plastic pivot ***** can be purchased. Also with the steering shaft removed from the steering column, the steering shaft yokes can be carefully tapped to spring them inward and eliminate slop in the joint. With the steering shaft out of the steering column you can try the "slump" test.

If you have removed the steering shaft assembly from the column, here is a quick test to determine if the plastic ball tilt joint is properly snug. Straighten the shaft assembly at the pivot ball and hold the lower steering shaft as the upper steering shaft sticks straight out. There should be sufficient friction in the plastic ball to the shaft yokes so that the upper shaft will remain straight or will just barely slump downward. If the joint is so loose that the upper shaft falls to a 90 degree angle, most likely you will have some looseness in the joint where you might detect some steering wheel play while driving.

To regain the proper amount of tightness you will need to separate the upper from the lower steering shaft. First mark the upper and lower shafts so that you can reassemble them with the correct upper to lower shaft orientation. Now take a mallet and tap on the lower shaft yoke ears. Do not tap on them too hard! Reassemble and try the “slump test” again. Continue tapping on the yoke ears until the looseness in the ball joint is eliminated.

Jim

 

Most likely candidates: 1) rag joint which connects the steering column shaft to the steering box is worn out [engine area, left side]; 2) steering box is worn and/or has excess "play" in it [adjust or repair]; 3) wear/damage in the steering column itself. Make sure 1) and 2) are in good shape before you bother with 3). The latter is a PITA to remove/disassemble/fix/re-install.

 

Ooops! You could also have a lot of wear/slop in the steering linkage after the steering box. If you mechanically "lock up" the output of the steering box (so that it can not turn) you can tell if the slop is before or after that point in the system.

 

Wow that is quite the reply! Slop is in rotation only. talked to the local vette shop and they seem to think that the plastic ***** or joint is worn out and they have ordered me a new one. I am looking forward to taking the steering column apart. My rack and pinion conversion won't be worth a damn if I have slop in the steering wheel. Thanks.

 

Wow. You ask some C3 owners what your problem could be...we give you advice to try to isolate your problem--so you don't go spending money until you know what's wrong--and then you just go to some vendor and drop some cash on him because he says it's a problem with a major component. {I guess we didn't help you much.}

 

Actually you guys did help, problem is my car is an only driver and I have isolated the slop to the steering column so before I tear into the column I will need column rebuild parts or I will be riding the bus which might happen anyways as I hear it is quite a project. After talking to you guys and the vette shop I believe the rotational slop in the column is the plastic ***** at the tilt and that is what I ordered. Thanks

 

I suppose that is the kind of attitude it takes in order to tackle this job. I happened to be checking my column yesterday and decided I can live with the little play mine has.

Good luck.


Jim, thanks for that post. I am printing it for future reference.

 

OK, then. Good luck on your repairs. Sorry I got "testy"...without knowing what testing you had done, I assumed that you merely wasted our effort to help. My mistake.

 

Were do you get the T&T papers. I will need to go back into my column again. Anything to reduce the PITA factor is good.

 

Jim,

Thanks for your informative reply. I have a sloppy condition in one location, sounds like this is my problem.

Bill

 

My Disassembly & Repair Papers are in word.doc format. They are located as follows:

Go to: www.corvettefaq.com
Click on Jim Shea's Steering Papers
Click on Corvette Steering Papers
Scroll down to the Tilt & Telescoping Steering Column Section
Download the appropriate T&T D&R Papers #1, #2, #3
Download the appropriate T&T D&R Pics #1, #2, #3
Download the 1977-82 Blowup Pic

Additional help is only a computer click away,

Jim

 

This great! Thanks I will have to study your papers before I dive in.