I'll start off by saying that I did a search. Well the search function must be inoperative right now as I even typed in "steering" and got zero matching threads. Now as the title states, I have too much play in the steering. As I am driving I can move the steering wheel about 3 or so inches in either direction before it actually inputs any steering to the wheels. Another problem that may be related is my front wheels really like to catch a groove when on the highway. What I mean is when I am driving along the highway, I have to counter steer to keep the car going strait and if I let go it will pull very hard to one direction. maybe I have a toe alignment problem. Any Ideas as to what is wrong with my steering?

 

Might want to ask Dewy316 on the CC board. He ditched the rag joint on his car and went to a solid joint. He said it took some slop out of it.

go to the CC site and check out this post

http://cascadecrew.org/phpBB2/viewto...ering+steering

 

The way to test this is to put the car in the air on jackstands, turn the ignition to on (but leave the car off) and have someone turn the steering back and fourth enough to cause slight movement of the wheels. Then while the steering is being moved you need to inspect the different parts of the steering system from the firewall to the wheels. Think of it as a chain of events, you start at one end and move down the line until you find the problem. Start under the hood by the drivers side fenderwell, then go under the car to the idler arm, then the centerlink, then the tierods. What you're looking for is one part of the system being responsive and the next part down the line being sloppy. Thats how you figgure out where the problem is, then go from there.

The thing about following grooves in the road could be a sign of worn balljoints, this will lead to inconsistent and sloppy feeling in general. But then again these cars are known to track in the front so it could also be normal. Just check the balljoint while the car is still in the air, take off the wheel and visually inspect for cracks and stuff (from underneath). Then put the wheel back on and use a bar (or floor jack handle) to pry against the ground causing force against the tire, and check how much movement there is. The wheel should not "wiggle". If you suspect an alignment issue as well, consider taking the car to an alignment shop to have them run a check, they can also check for bad balljoints.