I need some advice or some kind of direction on why I could have so much slop in my steering wheel on my 1992 Firebird GTA. Here's some details:

At first the steering had a lot of slop, to where it felt like I was steering the car with a sponge. The only time I felt tension on the wheel was when I had turned it a few degrees already and then the car would actually start to turn. The car would have problems with ruts in the road. Now I knew some parts would be worn so I went ahead and bought a front-end rebuild kit from Spohn and installed it, took it to a shop and had an alignment done. The old parts were definately worn, however there was still that same feeling when driving (though it had firmed up a bit).

Next was the steering box. I read on these forums on how to adjust the top adjuster on the steering box that should've tightened up the steering. When I adjusted it, it just started binding (and when I backed it out a bit the slop was still there), so I decided to replace the steering box. With the new steering box in place it was somewhat better but now feels numb in the center and still a bit spongy to drive. Thinking it might need some tightening up I tried the adjustments again, this time taking the box out and adjusting the rear of the box as well as the top (following a guide I found on these forums). Now there's even more slop, and the car pulls to the right as well as having more road travel.

I can move the steering wheel and watch the steering column and it moves just fine all the way into the box, so there isn't a delay in the shaft turning after I turn the wheel. If I grab the tires and push against them (turning them the same way the steering system does) it does move a bit and stops abruptly, but if I try and tilt or lift the tires it's solid and doesn't budge. It's got plenty of power steering fluid. The tires are only 1yr old and not worn down. The bushings, tie rods and ends, center link, and steering gearbox are new. I'm not sure where else to go with this but since I already messed up I could use some advice here. Anyone know of anything else I can check? Does this sound familiar?

Thanks in advance for any help on this!

 

Check your tires for slipped belts. Same thing happened when our Trailblazers yokahamas slipped belts on the fronts.

Check the rag joint in the steering intermediate shaft between the gearbox and wheel. Last place for potential slip.

 

Check where the steering box mounts for cracks; also chcek the strut mounts.

 

im not sure but my when i got my truck it was all over the road i figured redo all the steering, but then i got paying more attention and noticed it needed front shocks, replaced them and it was 10 times better

 

Front struts haven't been replaced yet, but I didn't figure those would be the cause of a loose feeling in the steering wheel. Still, that's something I'll get done. I didn't see any cracks around the mounts to the gearbox when I removed it last so I don't think that's the problem (would be scary if it was honestly).

Would there be anything to tell me if the belts are slipping on the tires? How would I check for that? Also would worn struts, loose tire belts, and bad front strut mounts cause a vibration at high speed? I don't feel the vibration through the steering wheel (but instead the whole car). I wouldn't think that's related to this issue but if it were, that'd be nice to knock out two problems at once.

Thanks for the advice guys, this definitely points me in the right direction.

 

Check more of the frame rail than just the box mount area. Mine looked fine, but the frame was cracked around the side and bottom, about 3-4 inches behind the box. Dirt etc made it difficult to spot.

Idle the motor, turn the steering, and watch for any movement of the box (might need a helper). Mine was leaping around 1-2 inches, yep scary stuff! Stopped driving it immediately, got it welded up and fabbed a wonderbar for good measure, the difference in steering and handling was amazing.

 

For slipped belts, the tire will have a funny shape to the contour from inside sidewall to backside sidewall. It will have a bump or dip down in the middle of the tread- not a gradual bow from one side to the next like it should looking at it straight on. This should be while dismounted, or with no weight (car jacked in the air).