Hey guys, I have a 92 M6 that I bought back in August and I have been noticing the steering getting more loose since then.

The symptoms are I notice it wanting to wander on flat roads that it didn't used to wander on, needing more corrections to stay straight. Also, and I'm not sure if this is just due to it being more 'connected' to the road, but I notice uneven roads causing more pull than before. The steering wheel also has roughly 2-3 inches of travel before the wheels start to turn, and the wheel feels kind of 'squishy'.

I've tried diagnosing to see where the issue lies and thought that it was the intermediate shaft due to what I've found searching and also I heard what sounded like a slight knock in the universal joint right above the rack. I just got done getting the intermediate shaft out and it seems to be tight and have no play.

Is it a high chance that the rack is bad? I don't see any leaks and the power steering fluid is full. I also don't hear any groaning or anything like that when turning.

Some other things to note are that my tie rod ends seem tight and don't have play, my hubs are tight and have no play. The front stabilizer bar needs new bushings and I need new front shocks. Also the steering column has the common 'play' in it due to worn pins (but I didn't think that would cause steering issues and any movement in turning the wheel I can feel in the shaft when diagnosing).

I don't want to just start replacing things hoping its the issue, so I was hoping somone would have some advice. Thanks!

 

what is your tire pressure and condtion of the tires? pick up the front end and feel for any play.

 

You should have checked the intermediate-shaft on the car. That could easily have been felt by hand on the car. Off the car you can't feel much. You should be able to see though if there's any damage/wear to the "rag-joint" in the intermediate shaft. Have someone that understands check it for you.

I'd suggest that as difficult as it is after having someone "eye-ball" the intermediate shaft "rag-joint" you reinstall and have a "for hire" inspection done to confirm your issues.

Have a "show-me" inspection done to confirm and make sure you understand.

How many miles?

 

It has 104K. The tires are good and I have experimented with tire pressure, going as low as 32psi and up to 38psi, but last I drove it they were at 35psi.

A buddy and I spent a few hours one night trying to pinpoint where the play is, both on the ground and with the front end raised up. When you turn the wheel and feel the shaft at the same time, you can feel the movement and there doesn't appear to be any play from the wheel to the intermediate shaft. But if you wiggle the wheel back and forth you could hear a knock in the rag joint area and some online searching led me to believe it was the rag joint causing the play and giving the spongy feeling in the wheel. Otherwise everything else seems to be tight.

But would a rack that's going bad cause these issues? I feel like with everything else that I've checked it leaves the rack as the issue, but decided to ask first since you all know more about this than I do.

 

I would change the rag joint from what I am hearing. or pay someone to inspect. or put some vicegrips on the shaft and have someone wiggle the wheel and feel for it.

 

Thanks for the advice, since I have it out I will rebuild the rag joint and test it in the car again. If the issue still exists I'm assuming it's most likely the rack then.

 

Mine had the same issues and was getting worse. Bad tires was the cause. Racks don't usually go bad without 200k or more miles on them. Even then it takes rough roads to take them out by then or abuse.

The huge tires on our cars are very prone to crazy steering effects when the belts start separating. Best way to spot the problem is to have the front tires balanced and watch the tread for irregularities while its spinning on the balancer.

Both of my bad front tires looked new. They just weren't very "round"

 

This is certainly a check and when I mentioned a "for-hire" check this is something that should be included or suggested for sure by the shop. You could remove tires/wheels while waiting and take to a shop to check, mention specifically your problem and you're looking for possible "belt separation issues".

It's a recent purchase so you should have already checked tire date codes, very old tires are more suspect than recent purchases. What are your tire date codes? Tire brand and model?

 

The front tires are BF Goodrich g-force T/A's, and the date code is 42-02. So they are probably part of the problem with how old they are. I plan to get a new set of 4 this spring.

I also talked to my buddy who is the GM of an advance auto store and he told me it sounds like the rack is failing. He said if there is no play with the engine off and the car on the ground when I try to turn the wheel, then it is probably the spool valve starting to fail.

 

What is an acceptable amount of play? My 94', with the key on/engine off maybe has a half inch or so of free play. However, when you are moving down the road and turn left or right it is almost instant, but still a little play noticeable when driving straight. Nothing objectionable, just curious what is considered normal.

 

I am not really sure what an acceptable amount of play is, but with the engine running I was getting 2-4 inches of play before the wheels would start to turn. With the engine off I could feel feedback in the wheels with no play.

 

That is weird, so did you determine the issue to be the rack and pinion since you only had play while engine was running? Please make sure to update this thread once you find the culprit and fix.


I am going to assume the small amount of free play mine has is normal. As I was driving my 10' F-150 (also R&P steering) to work this morning I was playing around with the steering and it has about the same amount of free play.

 

I finally got the rack back after being rebuilt and got it installed. So far it seems the issue was the rack and getting it rebuilt has gotten rid of the play I had. Sorry it took me so long to update, but it took a month to get the rack back.

 

The 88 Vette I had before had play in the steering. You could not see it in the linkage but when I tighted all the bolts really good, the play went away.
Easy, cheap try for when you have steering issues.