Awful steering. Bad enough to not want to drive the car.

[Crashontheone]

Thank you all for such detailed responses.



Thanks again gents-

RG

[bobcowan]

Originally Posted by Crashontheone

@bobcowan....How am I to determine if the components are correct? Mechanically, the system looks to be fine. When the wheel is turned, the shaft does not rotate perfectly, as something in the first knuckle has some very small "wobble" to it, and that hasn't changed since I purchased the car. Road speeds have always given enough vibration through the wheel that it can put my hands to sleep.

RG

Use the build manual to compare the parts. If the builder mixed and mis-matched components, they may not play well with each other.

If the shaft does not rotate perfectly, that's part of the problem. The shaft should be well located with proper bearings and should not move around. Especially that up and down motion you mentioned. You should be able to crank on the wheel in any direction and it won't move.

I would start by completely removing the column - from the steering wheel to the rack. Inspect every component as it comes off. Figure out what is not tight, or what is missing. Use the build manual to guide you there.

The vibration could be a separate issue, or it could be part of the same problem. It could be something as simple as a wheel weight missing. Or it could be that the tie rod is the wrong one, and doesn't fit the tapered hole in steering arm, allowing it to bounce around.

You do have a build manual, don't you? If not, you need to get one. I have a service manual of one kind or another for all of my vehicles.