Steering Question, again!!!!!!

I've got a tiny bit of play in my steering box. But before i go and tighten it up i just wanted to ask a Qs. My steering pump has got a slight leak, if i tightened the box adjustment would that make the steering too tight when i got round to fitting a new pump?

Is it possible to make the steering too tight and how do you tell it's tight?

Thanks

Generally there IS a correct procedure, and MOST steering boxes with adjusters should be adjusted while the steering IS NOT straight ahead.

I think almost all steering boxes should be adjusted with both front wheels off the ground, turn full lock to one side, and turn down the adjuster gently till it JUST bottoms out. Now set the locknut just enough to hold it.

SLOWLY tirn the steering to straight ahead, and then to full lock the other side.

Try the adjuster again. You hope it won't go any further!

Lock it. Turn straight ahead, lower the car, and check for slack.

If you have POWER STEERING do not confuse the small amount of easy play left and right of centre that is the valve torsion bar working, with "slack".

Learn how to feel this in operation. The engine must NOT be running doing this.

CharlesY

I don't agree on that, Charles. If you tighten the screw with the steering on full lock then you won't be able to steer it back to the straight ahead position. You will find out that you need to loosen the screw almost the same amount back.
If you remember I was telling you before in another thread about the steering play that increases when turning away from dead center.

Better let the manual talk, click the picture:


What I do, compared to what the manual says is leave a tinny little play on porpoise. Just as little as it almost can't be felt at the steering wheel.

P.S. Indeed, this has nothing to do with the fact that the steering pump needs changing.

Some works that way and som the other!

He'll get the right method from one of us.

The crucial part is to exercise NO FORCE while adjusting, hence the wheels up.

Basically he's going to adjust little by little until there's least slack and NO sensation of binding anywhere from full lock one side to full lock the other.

Agreed?

CharlesY

nah ya wanna just crank the adjuster up til nowt mooves and yer broked it

G-man said:

nah ya wanna just crank the adjuster up til nowt mooves and yer broked it

Click to expand...

One suspects that may be going a trifle too far ........

Cheers for the replies,

Ye i get the jist of adjusting the box, but my concern was my pump is leaking slightly so it's loosing pressure, so if i adjust the box with a leaking pump, then when i replace the pump will the steering box be too tight because i adjusted it when the pressure was lower, or won't that make any difference?

Hope that makes sense!

It will make no difference whatsoever. What you adjust there has nothing to do with the assisted side of the steering box, if I may say so.