Over the weekend I finished my quick ratio steering gear installation, and have driven enough roads to ask a few questions good for the archives, and my "fix":

Facts:

*Now my steering wheel is about 170 degrees off (upside down compared to right side up when wheels are straight).
*Because of the steering wheel disposition (I assume that's the reason), my turning signals don't turn off the way they should when the wheel is turned.

Questions:

1) My steering gear shaft appears to fit on the rag-joint coupler one way...there is a one semi-flat area of the gear shaft that appears to need orientation parallel to the screw that tightens the coupler. How can I straighten my steering wheel & fix the turning signal? If I pull the rag-joint from the gear shaft & turn the wheel, it would take a full 360 degree steering wheel turn to get the rag-joint to mesh with the gear correctly, right??

2) Where the rag joint couples to the steering gear shaft, the book that I have says the torque should be 55 ft pounds. I can't get near that...more like 20...before I run out of threads on the bolt. Is 55 ft pounds a misprint? Any suggestions on that?

Thanks for your time! THIS FORUM ROCKS!

 

your supposed to run out of threads thats when it gets tight and then you apply the required 55 ft pounds of torque to the bolt

 

YMMV, but on my 91Z:

1) The steering gear is splined with a flat spot. The flat spots should line up within a spline or two, it won't install if it isn't.

2) It's 30-35 for the intermediate shaft connecting to the steering gear. 55 is for the intermediate shaft connecting to the steering column.

When you installed your box, did you center the box (1-1/8 turns in both directions, flat spot straight up, pitman arm pointing towards the driver) before you connected everything? If so, and #1 is correct, then get an alignment.

 

Hmmm...I'm hitting about 20 ft pounds, and then it stops tightening...it goes loose. I'll check to see what has stripped. Hope it isn't the rag-joint!!

Before I took the old gear off, I turned the wheels all the way to the right (lock). I oriented the new gear the same way (all the way to the right lock, pitman arm was positioned the same). I had to turn a little to obtain access to the bolt holding the coupler, but that was easy enough. The flat spot was lined up with the gap in the coupler to the steering gear shaft (where the bolt inserts). When I installed the new gear, I lined it up the same way. That should have worked, n'est pas?

 

Okay, here's an update. My steering wheel is still crooked...big-time...120 degrees off. That's to say that last week the steering wheel was on right with respect to the turn canceller. It was fine until I started messing with everything last weekend . Now the wheel is crooked & the canceller doesn't work right. Here's what I did--

I installed a new steering gear, centerlink & struts. The steering gear ALREADY HAD A PITMAN ARM ON IT. The steering gear shaft is mated to the steering column with the flat part of the spline in the clamp's gap (I think that's what you mean by it has to be within a spline or two). If I disconnect the rag-joint clamp, and turn the wheel straight, the clamp will not mesh with the steering gear shaft.

Will an alignment fix this satisfactorily? Is a better approach to look at the Pitman Arm as a culprit? I don't know anything about this gear (other than aside from the steering wheel being off, IT STEERS GREAT!) Can I move the turn canceller?

Thanks, guys. I did the search, and came up with a bunch of conflicting information.

 

What's a canceller? A centered steering gear will have the pitman arm pointing straight back towards the driver. You should get an alignment ONLY AFTER you verify all your other stuff is installed properly.

1) When you turn your steering wheel straight, is the flat spot of the coupler facing upwards? It should be. If it isn't your steering wheel is off center, not the steering gear. You can also check this by turning your steering wheel (with steering gear attached) side to side and count the revolutions to go from the car going straight to full lock left and right. It should be 1-1/8 turn for both.

2) If you steering gear is off center...Turn your wheels straight. Jack up the car, disconnect the pitman arm. Center the steering gear, put the pitman arm back on pointing towards the driver. The pitman arm can only go on in 4 directions (or is it 8). It's splined with flat spots on 4 corners. Since you changed all your other stuff, it may be off a bit. After you do this, get an alignment.

3) You need an alignment.

 

Thanks you very much!! I'll go look at all of that tonight. Good to know that the Pitman Arm is splined (I've never had one off to tell). That helps my feelings.

By canceller, I meant the connection that turns the turning signal off after you have turned the wheel in that direction. Mine is not working right since all of my handywork. I assumed it was because when the wheels are straight, the steering wheel is turned 120 degrees away from where it should be.

 

I checked it out; here's what I have. When the TIRES are straight, the pitman arm is indeed pointed towards the driver. The flat part of the spline is straight up (see pic). The conduit (didn't know what else to call it) is at 7 o'clock.

From what I've read, it should be more 10-11 o'clock. How can my steering wheel be mounted right in conjuction with the horn & the turning cam (what I called the turn canceller), meshed right with the steering gear, but be off? STRANGE!

You think the folks that put the original steering gear on (it was replaced about a year ago...I just upgraded to quick ratio) might have put it on & improvised with the steering column somehow? Argggghhhaa!

 

Here's how the inside looks...with the tires turned straight (gear positioned with flat part of the spline straight up, just as the picture above shows).

Thanks guys!

 

It looks like the way the coupling is mounted on to the steering gear is wrong. The bolt isn't/shouldn't be on the flat spot, at least not on mine. If you look at the the coupling, there should be a flat spot in the splined hole and the bolt is parallel to that (off to the side). The bolt should be just about straight up when the tires are straight.

 

Bingo & Thank You! That's what I needed to hear; That problem is solved. Looking at it originally, and from what I read, I thought the clamp would only mount to the flat part of the spline (that's how it wound up as pictured). After reading your post, I pulled it back apart, and with a little coercing, it did mate with the steering wheel "straight."

The nut is still not tightening, though. Helicoil?

 

Forget Helicoil for this project. Don't know what I was thinking. I went to Home Depot & bought a Grade 8 bolt -- 3/8" x 1-1/7", and a 3/8" Locknut to compliment. I didn't like the original design anyway. Now I feel safe again.

Thanks for your help, 91Z28-350!