Steering wheel minor lateral movement
May 16, 2012, 07:21 AM
#1
Steering wheel minor lateral movement
Hey all,
I noticed today that my steering wheel can move slightly left or right, its not much of a movement but it is noticeable. The first time it happened I was mid turn and it made me think something was off in the suspension, but all seems good there. Is this normal, or do I have some sort of gasket/bushing/mount that is a bit worn?
I noticed today that my steering wheel can move slightly left or right, its not much of a movement but it is noticeable. The first time it happened I was mid turn and it made me think something was off in the suspension, but all seems good there. Is this normal, or do I have some sort of gasket/bushing/mount that is a bit worn?
Last edited by vortico; May 16, 2012 at 07:36 AM.
Aug 6, 2012, 07:44 AM
#2
Was looking for help with the same issue and eventually found the problem. If someone else runs into the same issue heres my thread and quote of the fix.
Help: Steering Wheel L/R Shift
Help: Steering Wheel L/R Shift
I found the issue.
There are five 12mm bolts that hole the entire steering unit in the car. Two up front with aluminum brake away washers that allow the steering wheel to collapse forward in case of a wreck, two in the back holding the knuckle support bracket and a final one on the shaft linking it to the steering rack pump.
The problem was the aluminum brake away joints are simply broken. There are four ceramic pins in each aluminum washer that hold the wheel in place. In case of an collision these pins sheer off and the wheel can slide forward to absorb some of your impact to it. Well my pins are broken and although the wheel hadn't fallen forward it was able to slide left to right in the washer.
The fix... i pulled the unit out. I drilled the old pins out. I slotted the flat surface from hole to hole on the aluminum washer and I used some mechanics wire to tie it all back together. Essentially made my own pins the only way you can. It worked like a charm and should still be pretty functional in a wreck. With a lot more effort i could have used in-set machine screws and drilled and tapped everything in a solid state but would have taken a lot more time, money and effort.
Note: The pins only prevent forward motion of the steering column and the aluminum washers are shaped in a "V" pattern. Once the pins are broken and the column slides forward to any degree the V shape in the washers opens up and allows for the side to side play i was experiencing. So something like some simple mechanics wire or some tiny ceramic pins have no trouble holding this unit together in normal driving conditions.
I might add that if at any time i would have pushed the wheel forward hard enough that it WOULD have fell off the washers and became completely free and floating in the car. Something that would have been extremely dangerous if by chance it happened at high speed and while corning. So if for some reason you find your self with the same issue... i would get it fixed immediately and not necessarily the same way i did it.
There are five 12mm bolts that hole the entire steering unit in the car. Two up front with aluminum brake away washers that allow the steering wheel to collapse forward in case of a wreck, two in the back holding the knuckle support bracket and a final one on the shaft linking it to the steering rack pump.
The problem was the aluminum brake away joints are simply broken. There are four ceramic pins in each aluminum washer that hold the wheel in place. In case of an collision these pins sheer off and the wheel can slide forward to absorb some of your impact to it. Well my pins are broken and although the wheel hadn't fallen forward it was able to slide left to right in the washer.
The fix... i pulled the unit out. I drilled the old pins out. I slotted the flat surface from hole to hole on the aluminum washer and I used some mechanics wire to tie it all back together. Essentially made my own pins the only way you can. It worked like a charm and should still be pretty functional in a wreck. With a lot more effort i could have used in-set machine screws and drilled and tapped everything in a solid state but would have taken a lot more time, money and effort.
Note: The pins only prevent forward motion of the steering column and the aluminum washers are shaped in a "V" pattern. Once the pins are broken and the column slides forward to any degree the V shape in the washers opens up and allows for the side to side play i was experiencing. So something like some simple mechanics wire or some tiny ceramic pins have no trouble holding this unit together in normal driving conditions.
I might add that if at any time i would have pushed the wheel forward hard enough that it WOULD have fell off the washers and became completely free and floating in the car. Something that would have been extremely dangerous if by chance it happened at high speed and while corning. So if for some reason you find your self with the same issue... i would get it fixed immediately and not necessarily the same way i did it.
Last edited by Live4Redline; Aug 7, 2012 at 07:59 PM.
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