Apologies for the incessant tech questions 🤪 I'm just trying to get things sorted and they aren’t always the easiest things to search.
Recently my steering has gone abit astray and I'm losing trust in it. It used to feel very go-kart like, would throw it into a turn and have 100% faith, but recently its developed a "slip".
Basically, from straight, it has about an 1/8th of a turn play each in it before you can feel the weight in the steering, and as you feel the weight take up, you can feel it "catch and slip through" as it turns.
The problem is most evident on long gentle corners, where speed is taking the weight off of the steering, you can turn the wheel and the car will begin to corner, then the slip will occur and it feel as though the car is drifting or skating (say I'm turning left, it will feel like its drifting to the right).
It's a very spooky feel.
Its also evident when driving dead straight, the wheel can be cocked off to the left or right, when before it used to be very true.
The car has been looked at by a VW mechanic and they stated that all the couplers looked fine and that there was a full turn of adjustment on the grub screw, and that that should fix it, but the slip is still evident.
Has anyone come across this before? And if so what was the fix?
Here is a video showing how it catches and Slips/creaks.
It's worth noting that this movement doesnt turn the wheels. The steering comes back into effect after this.
I've had it quite a few times, but then, I have spent most of my life driving around in old buckets of poop! 😂
If the steering box and uni's/couplers are OK, then the usual suspect is the pitman arm, followed by the idler arm (not on torsion Beetles), then out to the tie rod ends (they can sometimes gall up inside the ball, then they "jump" over the galled bit).
Double-check the steering box though. It can be almost impossible to check it properly by hand, it needs dismantling, but if you have a cracked sector that will give exactly the sensation you describe, and then it is possible for the box to lock up completely halfway round a bend.
Like really bad karma man..........
Oh, and if I had half a brain I would have watched the vid first, then tell you to check your steering box mounts on the torsion tube. 😊
It sounds like the box is moving on the tube mounts.
I got underneath last night and got someone to turn the wheel for me while I was underneath.
The pitman didnt appear to be slipping, nor did it look like it was moving on the tube (held my thumb against the box and tube to try and feel even the smallest movement). Nothing.
The grindy/clunky sound was still present, I couldnt really determine where it was coming from but if I had to guess it was either at the firewall or where the rag joint is.
Further investigation is probably still required, I will probably just end up pulling the steering box and tearing it down to be sure.
Also check where the coupler slides on to the steering shaft, from memory these aren't splines just a clamp screw on a serrated shaft. I have seen these slip before. But will only slip so far as to jam the bolt into the shaft cut-away and back in the other direction, Quick check pop the tank out and get someone to turn the wheel while you look.
It will all be OK in the end, if it's not OK it's not the end!
vduboy wrote:Also check where the coupler slides on to the steering shaft, from memory these aren't splines just a clamp screw on a serrated shaft. I have seen these slip before. But will only slip so far as to jam the bolt into the shaft cut-away and back in the other direction, Quick check pop the tank out and get someone to turn the wheel while you look.
This is what I thought too when i read what you say you are experiencing
Nah no luck yet, had another issue come up with the car and worked myself into a panic. I think I have that issue under control now though.
I do have a vague memory of actually pulling the steering wheel/shaft back towards me one day, while driving, then pushing it forward again. This would probably reinforce the coupler being the culprit. Puling the tank out tomorrow afternoon so I can get at everything and will advise how I go.
ian.mezz, I dont think the rag joint is the issue, that was one of the first thing I inspected and couldnt see any problems with it. All the bolts are tight and the rag joint is still intact. It was the coupler behind the rag joint that I couldnt really get a good feel of. Pulling the tank will make this easier I'm hoping.
Got the tank out tonight. No slipping of the coupler behind the rag joint, rag joint is intact and the pitman arm isn't slipping.
Will be ordering a new steering box tomorrow. Anything I need to avoid with them/any reconsiderations on where to purchase a decent one? (Looking at Justkampers so far, $225 +$15 shipping, penrose & das resto have nothing in stock)
Went with just kampers, steering box arrived yesterday, and thanks to Ausposts careful handling, has to be couried back for a replacement.
The box was dropped with enough force that there is still concrete embedded in the output shaft splines 🙁 And when I turn the input, the output doesnt spin...
Sigh, will be a few days longer until this is fixed now. Haha.
Nope, still waiting for the replacement box to turn up.
On top of the first one being man handled and damaged, the courier decided that they didnt want to collect the package to take back (didnt rock up at the arranged time), So I didnt get it sent off until Monday just gone...
Fingers crossed the replacement turns up today but I havent got any word from Just Kampers saying its been sent yet so the waiting continues. Hahaha.
Finally pulled the old steering box. It was absolutely rooted. Could turn the sector sharft a full turn with no force and the output wouldnt move at all.
Allbones wrote:Finally pulled the old steering box. It was absolutely rooted. Could turn the sector sharft a full turn with no force and the output wouldnt move at all.
Shit! you could have used my old worn out one would have been better than that! wow! At least you found the problem now. Happy days.
It will all be OK in the end, if it's not OK it's not the end!
Allbones wrote:Finally pulled the old steering box. It was absolutely rooted. Could turn the sector sharft a full turn with no force and the output wouldnt move at all.
Shit! you could have used my old worn out one would have been better than that! wow! At least you found the problem now. Happy days.
Indeed, just have to adjust the new box and get rid of the play, do a wheel allignment and its all sorted 😀
Got the new steering box the other week, have installed it and no matter how much you tighten or loosen the grub screw, there is a quater turn (at the least) play. The coupler is new and you can see the shaft turn all the way down to the box, but nothing from the output when you turn it through the play. When you loosed the grub off the play goes out to about 1/3 of a turn, and when you tighten it as far as it will go, the wheel gets stiffer to turn but the 1/4 turn of play before the wheels move remains.
So now I have to take this one out aswell and send it back too... and of course they dont have anymore so I have to try and hunt one down else where. haha.
This car's never getting back on the road apparently. 🤪🤪😂😂
So contrary to my previous post, the box is fine and I'm just a dickhead, haha. Car is fixed now and i've had her out a couple times since the box has been in. Now I just need a wheel alignment and I'm set 😀😀😀
