In 1993 (8,500 miles ago) I completed a complete rebuild of this now 89,xxx mile car. a arm bush, tie rod, ball joints, coils, p.s.control valve, steering rag joint, steering box, wheel bearings. Almost all replacement parts were GM not aftermarket. I;m sure I've left things out. Rear control arms (bearings,bushings,etc 17,xxx ago), strut rods, complete rear end rebuild, bushings bearings etc. Plus the rest of the car. It ran and drove like a new car for 8,200 +- miles. Prior to rebuild (81,xxx) it didn't handle likeit does now. 300 miles ago while semi racing the 04 the car hit a slight road depression and jumped right. I went home and started investigating. I found out I left out a top shock bushing. I replaced the shocks. The issue continued. I yanked, tugged, pried on all tie rods etc. Nothing worn. Reset wheel bearing seat/torque. Approx a 1/30 of turn on steering box screw. No improvement.
Checked operation of p.s. control valve, OK. I don't know how I missed it but I notice excessive inner tire wear. At the same time I was reading about bump steer. I thought that the excess neg camber along with the severely worn tires may change the geometry. Probably not the case. I rotated my 245 to the front and the car tracked better. I then screwed around with the tow. . .I don't advise doing this, I really goofed it up. I Purchased new rear 255's and kept 45's in front. 3 alignments later and still no resolve.
Do I start the investigation process all over again or is it the alignment... H..E..L..P
I truly appreciate the time members have given me so far. Well above and beyond the call of duty. My humble thanks.

 

Did you check the bearing pre-load in the steering box? The input shaft bearing pre-load is supposed to be set accurately before the output shaft nut adjustment is done. These settings do make a difference to the steering feel.
Also, there were two different springs fitted to the steering valve, read Jim Shea's paper on this, I have often wondered whether the heavier spring was better, if a front wheel is deflected by a road irregularity perhaps it activates the valve sufficiently to make the steering wander worse? The springs are getting old and probably sacked out somewhat. Just a theory!

 

I've got nothing add anther than this sounds identical to what I went through 5-6 years ago. Spent way to much money chasing steering issues. After a lot of research, test driving, more research I bit the bullet and bought a steeroids rack and pinion system. One reason I bought it is that new cars have R&P not recirculating ball systems. No rag joint, steering box, control valve to fiddle with. Most new tractors don't have RB steering anymore.

I shopped around, redeemed some visa points and bought the kit. http://www.speeddirect.com/wp-conten...oids-C2-C3.jpg

Used thier alignment numbers. http://www.speeddirect.com/index.php...nded-alignment

But have since adjusted the "feel" a bit to what you see in the pics above.
My car is far from original. IMO the old system just didnt feel safe. My car is a cruiser, no autocrossing or drag racing for me. Safety is my number one priority. Steering, brakes and tires, my dad told me to never cheap out on parts.

And yes it does bolt in as easy as it says in the instructions. Just loctite'd everything upon final assembly, as of a few weeks ago when I had it on a hoist everything is still as installed.

Pete,, when your car is running shake the steering wheel back and forth just to the point where the tire starts to move. Have somebody move the wheel back at forth and you look under hood and under car and see where (if) you have any excess movement somewhere. If your steering parts are all new and tight with no slop then its an alignment issue.

Dodosmike

 

100% agree.

You can tweak the alignment until the cows come home and not get anywhere if you have a component issue.

 

Thanks Dodosmike, I checked out Speed Direct. Not sure I want to do the swap though it's a direct bolt on, I like that. My 22 yr old said the car is a mess. LOL He's not used to driving a 44 yr old. He's a pretty good mech; he can do subaru head gaskets and timing belt etc in the driveway in 6/7 hrs. He's eager to dig in. I'll start with "Pete,, with the car running". Thanks for the time you spent.

P,S. How do I find Jim Shea"s paper. I looked and 3 pages of threads came up. MaMaMia!

 

TheSkunkWorks, Thanks for hanging with me; I am very greatful. It's time to dig in! I'll let the thread know what I find.

Be well,
Pete

 

I tried finding Jim Shea's paper, holy crap, his name brings up 3 to 4 pages of threads. The box was completley rebuilt in 93 and 8,500 miles ago. I guess springs can fatigue with time. I keep looking for Jim's paper.
Thanks for your help, I'll let the thread know what I've found.

EDIT: not sure how to check preload but I'm sure I can find it.

 

look for old posts by GTR1999

 

t. Y.