McLovin1181

Purchased a 1992 Camaro RS 700r4 145K miles 16in rims
rebuilt the entire suspension and brakes
(bushings, bearings, struts, springs ex)

But the car seems to wander around at freeway speeds and any bump in the road upsets the steering a lot.(even after an alignment)
its extremely annoying to use both hands on the wheel and adjust Evey 3 seconds just to stay in a lane.

I adjusted the steering box and replaced the steering end links; it helped a bit, but the issue remains.

I jacked up the car so the front tires aren't loaded.
The wheels do not move at all, so there isn't any play

Anyone know what to look for or replace?

paul_huryk

Did you replace all the steering linkage - not just the steering box? Many times it will align nicely on the rack, yet when the wheels are at speed, there is a lot of "play" in the joints, leading to wander.

McLovin1181

I only replaced the outer end links.
The inner endinks and pitmen arm were not touched.
I hate to pay another $80 for an alignment, but this car is extremely uncomfortable to drive around in.

daferris

iTrader: (8)

Did you check to see if the relay rod is level ( center tie rod part) on a Z it should be 17mm from center of front control arm bushing bolt to the flat by the inner tie rod mount hole. Also the idler arm should move less than 1/8" up and down at the relay rod mount (the less it moves the better) with about 25 lbs force

tealman92

You need to replace the rest of your old steering components.

thtanner

iTrader: (1)

I replaced everything. It wasn't until I replaced the steering box that it finally settled. I even had the astro shaft (get one!)

McLovin1181

I wasn't aware of this.
I'll be sure to measure it and check the idler arm play.

​​​​​​I will probably buy the solid Van shaft as well just to eliminate any possible causes for the wandering.

If all that fails, I'll buy the bullet and spend the $250 on rebuilding the steering.

sofakingdom

iTrader: (1)

What alignment specs did you use? Not the factory malfunction, I hope?

There's a bunch of posts throughout history on here, about how to get a good "hot street" type of alignment. Basically you want the caster at +4° L +4.5° R, camber -.5° L -1° R, toe IN anywhere from .030" to .050".If the roads in your area don't have much crown, use less caster & camber split; if you have REAL tall crowns, you can add more. Those are kind of just a rough guideline. You'll also find, the more + caster you dial into it, the more the tires will tend to rub on the fender just in front of the door; so if your car does that to the point that it's unbearable, back it off a ° or something, and see if it's better.

The advice about the center link is dead on: the inner rod ends should be EXACTLY in line with the control arm bolts, which means of course, the center link will be dead nuts level. The overall concept being, as the control arms articulate, the steering should EXACTLY match them. Otherwise you'll have "bump steer", wherein as you hit bumps, the wheels will get steered all on their own.

Steering is EXTREMELY EEEEEEZY to "rebuild". Buy all 4 tie rod ends, 2 tie rod adjusting sleeves, a center link, and an idler arm. Remove the entire assy by splitting it off of the car at the idler arm mounting bolts, the nut where the CL connects to the Pitman arm, and the outer tie rod ends. Lay it on the ground. Assemble the new parts such that each side's tie rod assy is the same as the old, and the overall length is identical to what you took off. Put it back on with the idler arm shaft bolted to the "frame" such that the center link is level as described, and the idler arm shaft is parallel to the Pitman arm shaft. Grease it all up real good with Mobil1 synthetic grease. Then get it aligned again.

McLovin1181