I have a 1984 Trams AM 305 ci. I have a problem with the power steering gear. the car wandered from the day I received the car & that continues. Front end was aligned in May & all the steering hardware was checked & is tight. Car as about 22000 miles. Adjusting the preload nut looser, makes the steering wheel easier to turn but car wanders more. Tightening reduces the wander less but no matter how tight i make the preload, the steering wheel is harder to turn but the wandering continues.
I owned, just prior to the T/A, a 1972 Buick GS & even after having the ps gear overhauled in the U.S., the wander occurred.but not like that of the T/A.
Any of u F-bird or Camaro owners experienced this problem & solved it. Or is this a problem with the Saguenay reciprocating ball ps gear?
There is a reputable company here in Ontario, Canada that I have dealt with in the past & I may have them diagnose & repair the ps gear, if possible.
Comments?.

 

Comes from either the steering shaft or the box or both.

 

How old are the tires?

JamesC

 

Not very specific.

What were the final specs? Not factory, I hope?

 

Tires were new in October 2021. BFG T/A Radials. The car wandered from day I received it earlier in October.
Local alignment shop that I have had other cars aligned there. The gentleman, with 25+ years experience, who performed the work, did not use factory specs. He was familiar with the f-birds & camaros and used his own specs.

 

​​​​​​​And those were... ?

 

Usually shops use wacky alignment specs for 3rd gens. GM changed the specs to respond to ppl complaining about low speed steering issues due to the fug'd up ackerman angles.
​​​​​​So that might be the issue.

Replacing the center link, inner/outer tie rods, idler arm + a decent alignment will get you a nice steering feel.
Have a local shop do a nice Box rebuild and you will actually enjoy the car more.
one of the best mods I've done to my 92 was just getting the steering rebuilt.
I have vidoes on everything steering related.

​​​​​​https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1nFJRU2bK6g

 

Factory wheels and tires sizes or larger/wider wheels and tires?

 

Factory wheels + 245R60x15 tires. I just had the steering gear box rebuilt. The output/pitman shaft was replaced. Still have to do a hwy run to check for any wandering. But on short runs problem seems to be resolved. Now I have to have the tie rods adjusted to centre the steering wheel. Pitman arm only fits one way on the output shaft.

 

Hi there. As a long term 1984 third-gen owner, I've chased these things around a lot. The steering box needs a rebuild after a hundred thousand miles. The other thing is the steering column rag joint gets sloppy and needs replacing.
But more thna that, GM's stock center link wears out quickly. Mine was rooted after 39,000 miles. If you have not yet replaced your end links, rod ends, and centerlink, along with the idler arm, I suggest starting there with new Moog problem solver parts.
Then, check that rag joint for sloppiness. After that, consider the power steering box. Don't forget to check your lower control arm bearing as well. Those tend to wear out, but the Moog parts usually fix it up. Careful with the idler arm length, I have heard stories that some idler arms sold online are not the correct length resulting in incorrect steering geometry that results in instability within the steering.

FInally, I found adding as much negative camber as you can get out of a stock strut tower will help with tire wear on the outside of the tire with the 215-65R15 tires.

Don't know if this is helpful, but it's what I did. Once I had my original WS6 steering box rebuilt, the car steered like new again, but this was after 140,000 miles of use.

 

The car has 21000 miles & like new. All the steering hardware is solid as a rock from the rag joint to the tie rod ends.
The problem is with the rebuild of the ps gear box. If one of the shafts was replaced, then it is the wrong one for the box or the re-assembly was wrong.
It is not so difficult removing the box (28 lbs), but a BITCH re-installing it. I am going to think about the proper resolution, either return the box to the rebuilder or adjust the tie rods.

 

Reminds me how it took several hours to get the threads started so I could tighten up the hoses. That's what you call a character building event.