I am still not completely happy with the steering feel on my 1980 242 GT. I used to love the feel of the steering. Three years ago I had the whole steering rack replaced and afterwards it suddenly felt sloppy. Since then I have replaced the wheel bearings and tie rod ends and had it aligned. But it is still a bit loose. The tires are tight and it feels like the play is in the steering rack. Is there anything that could be loose? Thanks for any help you can give.

Max

I also think a place to start is the alignment. When you had it done, did they give you a printout to prove it was set correctly. If not, the techs can make a mistake and the printout is your only way of checking their work. After that I'd do the recommended check of all the joints by placing your hand on them and feeling for relative movement. Have a friend wiggle the steering wheel or tires for you. You can also inspect the lower arm rubber bushings to see if there are any chunks of rubber missing.

They gave me a printout but I am not completely sure what the settings should be. Does anyone know what the alignment specs are for a 1980 242? It says what they should be but I'd like to double check them.

Is it manual or power steering? The manual pinion carrier can be rebuilt. I have not done this procedure but I am contemplating doing it to my '80 DL with manual Cam gear steering. It's definitely got some play in it and I have ruled out everything but the pinion. But first I have to find an id number on the rack in order to be able to order the right kit. Also I have to scrounge up a dial indicator to be able to check the pinion end play. It also requires the use of a torque gauge. And the bottom bearing looks a little hard to pull.
Haynes covers the procedure pretty well for both Cam and ZF.
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1980 240 DL

Different racks don't all have the same "feel".

OTOH, your rebuilt rack might be bad. I had to replace my replacement rack after 1 year - much better now.

Have you replaced shocks, ball joints or bushings yet? New components should improve your steering "feel"

I hope it isn't the rack. It has felt like this since they put the rack in. So unless they used a worn rack.... I have replaced the shocks with bilstein HD's but the balljoints and bushings have not been replaced.

Because it felt funny right after they installed it I think it is something to do with the rack or the installation. Could it need new u-joints?

To describe the feeling a little better... When cornering the steering wheel seems to fight me and wants to return to center. If I release the wheel from only 20 degrees (right or left) it will fly back to center and swing the other way. It doesn't seem like there is actually any "play" in the steering. i.e. when I turn the steering wheel the wheels turn right away.

Anyone have any thoughts???

Sounds like a possibility. I will have to check that next time I get a chance.

It sounds like it could be the lower steering shaft u-joint. Is there any noise when cornering either way? Are there any "flat spots"? Or unusual resistance or stiffness?

I also had to replace the lower U-joint on my steering column on my 1990 244. Either the upper or lower can go, but failure of the lower is more common especially with high miles. How many miles on your car? I had to do mine around 190K.

Someone on the "Board" once mentioned that u-joint failure is common after a rack replacement. Apparently undoing the rack and connecting the new one can damage the u-joint. I believe that is possible in my case as my u-joint issues happened after the rack replacement.

You can easily test the u-joint. Have someone else turn the steering wheel both ways as you hold the steering shaft just above the u-joint. If the u-joint is bad you should be able to feel a clicking or resistance through the shaft. Test the upper one too while you're at it.

If it is indeed the u-joint, trying spray it with PB Blaster or some other penetrant for a couple of weeks before replacing as that can free it up if it is seized.


Good luck,
Jim 90 244DL 217K

That sounds like maybe too much caster. Have you had the alignment checked?
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'84 '285' rice-eater with lotsa hp & performance goodies