Suspension / ChassisQuestions about your suspension? Need chassis advice?
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Is there a way to take the free play out of the steering wheel?
I was wondering if you could take the extra play out of the streeing wheel? I know th esteering box is adjustable but i am not sure how to adjust it and what the adjustment is for. Thanks
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I don't know much about the adjustability of the steering box but for imports that have what they call "hard tie rods." It's basically a solid, strong tie rod rod with a solid spherical bearing joint eliminating all the slack.
Besides the wonder bar, that's about all I can think of. I am pretty sure they don't make hard tie rods for Camaros, so you'd probably have to make your own set if you wanted; Spohn makes those adjustable threaded tie rod adjusters, and then you could get the poly bushings for the tie rods and whatnot.
I thought my play in the wheel would be all cured after i put in the new balljoints and a new centerlink. That got rid of most of the play but theres still some there so id make sure those two things are ok before you go spending real hard cash on other stuff.
Yes there is a way to adjust it. It's easiest to do with the gear box out of the car, but it can be done while in the car. The only thing is, if you take it out you have to align it after that.
You don't want to go adjusting the tie-rods because that will cause you to turn one direction more than the other (not a lot) and it also may throw off your toe.
You need to find yourself a service manual to find the specs on how tight the adjustment needs to be. Usually a 3/16" allen head and a wrench is all you need, but I haven't worked on my TA's gear box yet.
All the adjustment is for is so that you have some resistance in turning. You want the gear to be tight against the worm shaft. If it isn't, you will have some play.
Another item that has been addressed in a tech article and this forum, are the four torx bolts in the steering column. I had the proverbial loose as a goose steering at 150K miles. After replacing everything in the front end including the steering box, intermediate shaft, bushing and all the steering components, I still had significant play in the steering wheel. Tightening the bolts in the column removed the remaining play and the car steers and handles like it just rolled of the showroom floor.
