Steering problem

[jwsvo]

I got an 85, the previous owner bought a "SVO" rack from sacramento. There seems to be a great deal of steering play. At a stop there is abought 4 and a half inches of play. While driving there is the uneasiness when the ruts in the road grab a front tire and turn it(I believe this is a bump steer problem). The ball joints pass va. insp. and no one that has looked at it seems to find anything wrong with it. However I do not like it. The other two I have owned didn't do this. Any suggestions? The previous owner also put the napa replacement front springs and replacement rear(CARGO) springs. I am getting rid of the rears as I do not like the rear about 3 in. higher than the front. HELP!!!!


john

[SVOeric]

Do a search --

common problem with the steering is the rag joint between the steering shaft and the rack.

[jwsvo]

steering

Cool, thanks I'll see what I can find

john

[KevinK]

Could be inner or out tie rod ends. Relatively cheap repair.

1. Grap the top of each front tire and pull out and push in. There should be little to no play felt. This will take some muscle. This checks the wheel bearings. It can also be done jacked up.
2. Jack up one front wheel off the ground and now grasp the front of the tire like you are steering the car. Pull out and push in. The play should be the same as step 1. If it moves, you have found your problem. Now do it again and have some one watch to see what is moving. The inner tie rod ends are under the rubber boots of the steering rack. You have 4 tie rod ends, the rack and the rag joint out front to check out.
3. Ball joints are a bit harder to check as they have the car weight on them or spring tension. Some types have a wear measurement that can be checked easily. See the manual.
4. Top of the strut has a bearing and is the last thing to check. It probably would not cause loose steering but a clunking noise.

[ediii]

If the other things suggested check out O.K. consider two other things.
1. You said the rear ride height is 3 inches higher than the front. This will reduce your negative caster angle and give you less self centering in your steering and less feel. This will contribute to wandering and tramming (following ruts) you described.
2. I know that others on this sight have used those rebuilt racks and had no problem with them. I've driven a few 5 liter cars with them and think they are crap and I wouldn't put one in my car. The ones I tried had less feel and lower effort than a factory rack. I spoke with the guys at my auto parts store and they told me that some people like them while others bring them back saying that the one they took out was better than the rebuilt one. It seems to depend on which one you get. That's from the guys that sell them.
If the rag joint and tie rods check out consider these things.
Edit: The racks that I've tried were not, to my knowledge, from Sacramento Mustang. Rather, They were from NAPA, Autozone, Pep Boys and such. I don't who rebuilds the racks for SM.
Just my 2 cents.

ED