Play in steering

I have a bit of play in my steering,

someone better qualified than me has said it is at the steering box and not before? They said to undo the bolt on top very slightly tighten the torx and then do up again??

My tracking needs sorting is it best to do this first?

steering must be central before setting adjuster ,and thats the box either by counting turns and finding middle or using pin up rear of drop arm into box ,the adjusted by removing free play by rocking input shaft by hand and feeling play removed ,steering wheel and drag link to align wheels must be done to coincide with box in central postion ,either side of the center play does develope normally till at either full lock there is a noticeable amount ,thats why box must be set in center position

thanks james
my steering wheel is over to the left when wheels are straight, should I get it tracked first?

tracking is a different thing altogether that deals with wheels toe in or out adjusted on track rod rear of axle , wheel alignment you can do your self after adjusting box as i said any worries please ask ,once adjusted and box central set steering wheel either by removing steering wheel and resetting taking care with indicator cancel mechanism as is cheap plastic or undoing steering linkage uj and setting there ,been careful not t allow steering wheel to spin about , after tha t you can then drive down the road and note steering wheel position and use drag link adjustment if out to correct ,tube and joints can be freed if tight by using two hammers one as anvil to hit tube all around area were joint thread is ,enough wacking and penertrating oil will allow joint to be turned easily ,this is a good way to ensure box wheels are all central at the same time

i've got a similar problem. not really with 'play' but when driving in a straight line, it seems to very slightly veer to the left. i have to keep just the slightest 'right hand down' pressure on or it starts to wander left and as above, the steering wheel is over to the left in a straight line. is there a simple adjustment? i'm guessing not...

I thought there was supposed to be a small amount of play in the steering box.

sometimes feels like it could go out of control, ie if going through a little water

Sometimes if the steering box is worn when you get rid of the play in the straight ahead position you may find that its too tight when the steering is on lock e.g not inclined to self centre . Can be tricky enough .
The universal joint on the steering column is also worth checking plus swivel bearings etc ( especially if going through water affects it ).
Problem is that sometimes you can have a little play in a few places which adds up to a lot of play at the wheel .

how do i check swivel bearings?

Funkykipper said:

I thought there was supposed to be a small amount of play in the steering box.

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not when central ,there is either side of center getting more as you reach full lock ,if wheela are set to run straight when box isnt central you may not notice but equally you may , there is some twist as input shaftis two shafts one inside the other the when you turn outer with steering wheel its the twist between the 2 that operates the hydraulics

plastic soul said:

sometimes feels like it could go out of control, ie if going through a little water

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any play in system ,incuding swivel pins ,bearings ,trak rod ends ,suspension bushes ,and tracking etc can have an effect ,as can wide tyres and aquaplaning

plastic soul said:

how do i check swivel bearings?

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like you would wheel bearings by holding top and bottom of jacked up wheel and feeling for play ,having someone to see if play is in swivel pins or bearings helps ,if brake disc moves with wheel its swivel pins ,if brake disc stands still and wheel moves seperate wheel bearings

ok so let me see if I get it.......

1) make sure box is central
2) undo bolt on box and rock input shaft by hand and gradually tighten up torx?
3) steering wheel can then be centralisd by adusting uj
4) get tracking sorted?

Should I change these? Do they have any effect on the steering?

what are they called?

plastic soul said:

View attachment 33762

Should I change these? Do they have any effect on the steering?

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yes and yes, track rod ends

after undoing nut if you hit the end of the arm with a decent hammer hard enough joint goes through it will pop out

will these help the'play' in steering problem?

plastic soul said:

will these help the'play' in steering problem?

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Very, very likely to ... they are, after all, what makes each side move together ...

And as there a number of them in the system a little play in a few of them can add up . Take the weight of the road wheel and then try to move it with hands at 3 o clock and 9 oclock positions and see if you find any play .
You can also check the swivel bearings as jamesmartin explains with the weight off the wheel . Swivel bearings are often neglected as adjusting/changing them would be avoided by some owners .