Steering issues

[manofwar]

I just replaced my tach drive cable and after putting the dash back together if feels like my steering is off. I lowered the steering column when doing the tach, did I dick something up?

Matt

[7TRoadster]

Well..................it kinda depends on what you mean by off?

Perhaps you can add some detail as to what you think is wrong. I mean if the blinker arm is sticking straight up that is a different problem than if the column isn't centered.

[manofwar]

Steering pulls to left, didn't before. When parked wheels facing straight steering wheel points to the 10-11 o'clock position instead of the 12. Didnt mess with anything to do with wheel alignment so it has to be just the steering wheel.

[7TRoadster]

Have to admit that I didn't expect to hear you say the car was now pulling one way or the other. Dropping a column and raising it back up would normally not impact how the car drives and usually will not impact wheel clocking. There is something else going on, until you find out what that is I would park the car.

You said you lowered the column, it sounds like you may have pulled one of the steering couplers off it's spline, except there should be a bolt you need to remove to do that. Perhaps the rag joint may have been worn and dropping the column caused it to fail.

Is there allot of steering slop in the wheel? You can move the wheel 1/8 turn or so before the car changes direction?

Check the point under the hood where the steering column is connected to the steering box. There are two splined couplers there with a rubber donut between them. This is commonly called a rag joint. The rag joint is a rubber donut with 4 bolt holes. Two bolt holes on opposite sides of the donut bolt to the column the other two also on opposite sides to the steering box.

There is also a single bolt on the side of each coupler that tighten it to the steering box and steering column splines.

Check the couplers to make sure both spline bolts are in place and tight. Check the rubber joint itself to see if it is frayed, torn, broken or otherwise damaged. Look carefully sometimes a damaged rag joint is hard to see. The outside edge of each coupler should be roughly even with the outside edge of the rag joint. If either of the couplers is off center this is an indicator of a rag joint failure.

Get back with what you find.

[manofwar]

Is this the part Im looking for?


IMG_5333 by vette.wife, on Flickr

[7TRoadster]

Yep, that is the one and it doesn't look in perfect shape but it does look functional. I don't see any signs of misalignment or slippage. I can only see one side in the photo or course. Did you take any of these parts loose lowering the column?

Seeing the joint the symptoms don't make sense for what I understand was done. There just isn't a way for a wheel to clock left on it's own if nothing else has changed. It could be that something else unrelated has gone south and the timing is just coincidental. A blind guess would be something like an A Arm bushing.

It is a straight column or tilt & tele?
Did you remove the steering wheel from the column?

All you did was lower and raise it back into position. Right? And if mounted back up in there correctly, my best guess is that the problem you're having now most likely wasn't caused by that bit of work.

[manofwar]

It's tilt and tele. I did just lower it. I did pull on it to get my hand behind the dash. But other then that. Ok well I'll keep looking thanks for the help

[D_B]

How long was the car parked when it was down for this project?

These C3s do not handle sitting still for long periods very well, and their brakes are the first to get wonky on you. Sometimes they start to leak fluid in very small amounts...right out of the seals, down the calipers, and down the inside of the wheel and tire. The pistons in the calipers also commonly start sticking both in and out. Both air and sticky pistons can very easily cause pulling both when the brakes are applied and when not. I would consider other things than just the steering column.

[gtr1999]

That rag joint doesn't look too good, it's "s" bent and rotted.