Wow! Steering box adjustment works!
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 3,961
Likes: 573
From: Lompoc, CA. Santa Barbara County
Wow! Steering box adjustment works!
My wife was riding with me and commented on my constant course corrections and how I was fighting the dartiness of the steering. I told her that it was because the C3 Vette had old fashioned recirculating ball steering and how even her mini-van has rack and pinion steering. I was preparing her for the need to buy a $1300 part that improved steering and safety. But last night I finally tried something I had read about for years. I loosened the jam nut on the steering box, and turned the slotted screw in 1/2 turn, and went to bed. I had forgotten what I had done untill I backed out of the garage and started driving to work. What a big difference it made. I hardly could beleive it. Gone is the overboosted, no direct control feeling, and it feels like I'm actually driving the car instead of controlling the car. Instead of jerking the steering wheel to respond to the car darting, I'm steering the car. I may have saved $1300.
Bee Jay
Bee Jay
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 8,117
Likes: 104
From: charlotte north carolina
rule #1: never overtighten the adjustment screw on the steering box
rule #2: have a loud enough exhaust so you can't hear your wife complain about all the noises and problems these cars have
rule #2: have a loud enough exhaust so you can't hear your wife complain about all the noises and problems these cars have
Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 1,028
Likes: 1
From: SOUTH ELGIN IL
I tried this with mine earlier in the summer and saw no appreciable change to the dartiness. It did tighten up a little but now the car tends to pull on me. I went back to "0" adjustment (where I started) and it didn't really return to the old feel, just stayed the same as if I left the screw tightened. I wonder if my steering box is just shot? Is there a quick check I can perform to determine this? - - maybe I have just described it...
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 37,637
Likes: 3,118
From: Crossville TN
Dantana....
Your problem is not with the steering box {apparently}. Check the rag-joint on the steering shaft for wear/slop. Replace or repair if required. If that's not the problem, check your idler arm and steering linkages....one or more of them have some bad joints.
P.S. If your front wheels are toed OUT, that can cause the same 'darting' problem.
Your problem is not with the steering box {apparently}. Check the rag-joint on the steering shaft for wear/slop. Replace or repair if required. If that's not the problem, check your idler arm and steering linkages....one or more of them have some bad joints.
P.S. If your front wheels are toed OUT, that can cause the same 'darting' problem.
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Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 6,664
Likes: 162
From: columbia city in
jack up the front wheels have a friend move the steering wheel back and forth ,look at all the joints for movement .the rag joint you can check with out jacking it up .
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 6,422
Likes: 591
From: McHenry Illinois
Mine has had a little more play than I like , so I tightened it down 1/4 turn just now. I also checked the lube in there by removing one of the 3/8 bolts near the adjusting jam nut. The grease in there wasn't hard so i added about 4 oz of gear oil. I'll check it out next time a I go for a spin to see if the free play is reduced enough and the steering wheel still moves freely.
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 3,961
Likes: 573
From: Lompoc, CA. Santa Barbara County
I just drove home and I was amazed again at the difference. I took it up to 95 and the car is steady and doesn't change directions until I give it a good turn. The car is not all over the place anymore. I worked very hard this summer getting the front and rear aligned and was sure that I needed to make major suspension and steering changes to get it to track steady. Thats two major imporvements to my car that cost almost nothing this summer. The x-pipe and tightening this screw 1/2 turn. I've owned the car since new and I've never touched this in 30 years. So, I guess it was time.
Bee Jay
Bee Jay
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 1,086
Likes: 1
From: Michigan
Here is the link to the steering adjustment papers by Jim Shea.
http://jimshea.corvettefaq.com/?page_id=4
I rebuilt my column, replaced the rag joint, aligned the steering system (wheels, steering gear, rag joint, steering wheel) in the spring. The other thing I did was to lubricate the gear. Remove the lower bolt of the 3 bolts on top and stick a wire down the hole to see how much lube you have and if it's hardened over the years. Only use the GM steering gear lube and NOT chassis lube.
Here is a pic of the lube with the correct part number. I used a big siringe buy a grease gun works as well.
Last edited by 08vycpe; Sep 2, 2009 at 09:36 AM.
Intermediate
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 28
Likes: 0
From: Hampton VA
Thanks for the link, i was having similar problems as well. There is definitely a lot of good info from Jim Shea. I have read through a good deal of the papers already and have already learned so much, but which one covers adjusting the worm shaft bearing lash and pitman shaft lash?
Safety Car
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 4,359
Likes: 57
From: Mundelein Illinois
I just drove home and I was amazed again at the difference. I took it up to 95 and the car is steady and doesn't change directions until I give it a good turn. The car is not all over the place anymore. I worked very hard this summer getting the front and rear aligned and was sure that I needed to make major suspension and steering changes to get it to track steady. Thats two major imporvements to my car that cost almost nothing this summer. The x-pipe and tightening this screw 1/2 turn. I've owned the car since new and I've never touched this in 30 years. So, I guess it was time.
Bee Jay
Bee Jay
Enjoy the ride
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 1,086
Likes: 1
From: Michigan
Thanks for the link, i was having similar problems as well. There is definitely a lot of good info from Jim Shea. I have read through a good deal of the papers already and have already learned so much, but which one covers adjusting the worm shaft bearing lash and pitman shaft lash?
http://jimshea.corvettefaq.com/wp-co...erev14no08.doc
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 1999
Posts: 65,492
Likes: 230
From: Orange Park Florida
TIRES, wheels are more important than any other factor except overall condition of the suspension, in how the car handles....
when you get good modern lo profile enough rubber on there, that control valve rears it's fugly head and you will notice the wandering.....my car is only 17x9.5 vette wheels all around, and I noticed it right off, lived with it and all the excuses and alignments and adjustments for some 6+ years....finally figgered out how to put a rack in it....before any kits on the market...
and not only is the silliness of wandering gone, but the turns ratio is much tighter, instead of some bus driver's ratio of 3.7 turns lock to lock at about 16-1 it's now a much superior 12-1 and 2.7 turns lock to lock....much more attuned to a sporting car with decent rubber.....
it's a VETTE, not a bus.....
when you get good modern lo profile enough rubber on there, that control valve rears it's fugly head and you will notice the wandering.....my car is only 17x9.5 vette wheels all around, and I noticed it right off, lived with it and all the excuses and alignments and adjustments for some 6+ years....finally figgered out how to put a rack in it....before any kits on the market...
and not only is the silliness of wandering gone, but the turns ratio is much tighter, instead of some bus driver's ratio of 3.7 turns lock to lock at about 16-1 it's now a much superior 12-1 and 2.7 turns lock to lock....much more attuned to a sporting car with decent rubber.....
it's a VETTE, not a bus.....
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 3,961
Likes: 573
From: Lompoc, CA. Santa Barbara County
TIRES, wheels are more important than any other factor except overall condition of the suspension, in how the car handles....
when you get good modern lo profile enough rubber on there, that control valve rears it's fugly head and you will notice the wandering.....my car is only 17x9.5 vette wheels all around, and I noticed it right off, lived with it and all the excuses and alignments and adjustments for some 6+ years....finally figgered out how to put a rack in it....before any kits on the market...
and not only is the silliness of wandering gone, but the turns ratio is much tighter, instead of some bus driver's ratio of 3.7 turns lock to lock at about 16-1 it's now a much superior 12-1 and 2.7 turns lock to lock....much more attuned to a sporting car with decent rubber.....
it's a VETTE, not a bus.....
when you get good modern lo profile enough rubber on there, that control valve rears it's fugly head and you will notice the wandering.....my car is only 17x9.5 vette wheels all around, and I noticed it right off, lived with it and all the excuses and alignments and adjustments for some 6+ years....finally figgered out how to put a rack in it....before any kits on the market...
and not only is the silliness of wandering gone, but the turns ratio is much tighter, instead of some bus driver's ratio of 3.7 turns lock to lock at about 16-1 it's now a much superior 12-1 and 2.7 turns lock to lock....much more attuned to a sporting car with decent rubber.....
it's a VETTE, not a bus.....
Bee Jay