bad steering box opinion?

[BDKawey]

after some mountain driving my steering developed some clunking mostly when passing through center at low speeds or changing directions. in the video i get no pitman arm movement. seems like this is damaged outside of needing just an adjustment. I just did centerlink, idler arm and tie rods 1400 miles ago.

thoughts?
Untitled by Aaron Wey, on Flickr

[stuartinmn]

Is the lower mount broken? That's a common failure, and there's an easy fix: https://www.mye28.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=161113

[BDKawey]

Is the lower mount broken? That's a common failure, and there's an easy fix: https://www.mye28.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=161113

not broken, I have this kit welded in already

[Mike W.]

Yeah, I had that happen on a couple of boxes after I tried to adjust out the play, and yes, I'd adjusted boxes before, including BMW ones with no problems, it's not like I really cranked down on it. Unpleasant, although I only noticed it at low speeds like parking lots. If I adjusted it too loose I could eliminate it, yeah, that was a good solution.

Finally the second time I replaced the box I just left it and had more play than I would have liked. I don't know what the solution is but I put up with it for probably the better part of 100K with no issues other than my cringing.

[jayjaya29]

Make sure the other steering box bolt is very tight. I had a similar clunk at parking lot speeds and put a wrench on the other steering box mounting bolt and that solved the clunk.

[BDKawey]

pretty sure everything else is tight, I didnt put a wrench on the horizontal bolt for the box, but I did check the other bolts. ill check that bolt tonight. all the slop here is coming from the box itself. at speed I can jerk the wheel left and right and the car reacts slow, doesnt turn sharp, and take a second to settle down, almost feels like you're drunk.

I'm 90% sure its the box and adjusting it isnt going to go far. Just wanted to hear a few opinions before I post a WTB

[tn535i]

I fear it looks like what you think it is but can't imagine how a steering box would suddenly become so sloppy on the inside unless something failed. What comes to mind is the spool valve spring. People don't realize that either a recirc ball or r&P have a fair amount of play in the spool valve without the spring resisting angular motion. The steering input moving relative to the valve BEFORE turning the gears is what makes power steering work and it's quite precise and sensitive.

If it's lash I have found the only good way to set the lash on a box is not easily done without disconnecting the pitman arm from the steering linkage. There's some posts on the proper lash and even the torque you should set dead center. Also realize these style boxes will ONLY be snug dead center and off center the are designed to be a little more sloppy, not a lot, but not like on center.

However, yours seams to be shows signs of very loose.

[BDKawey]

late last week I got the box out of the car. putting some Vise-Grips on the input shaft it seemed very tight and output of the pitman arm was normal.

however the box seemed to only clunk when it was under load. either way I got a 75k mile one in the mail on the way and a new another new centerlink just because.

[BDKawey]

was messing with the new (used) steering box last night and it feels very tight. the old one you could spin the input shaft a good bit when holding the pitman arm and resisting it. new one has none of that.

planning to put it in tonight.

[gadget73]

Is there any adjustment for the input shaft bearing preload on these? Old GM Saginaw boxes allowed you to set that, if it was too loose the input shaft could move in/out and that added a lot of slop to the box. Those had the adjustment on the input shaft side.

https://www.impalassforum.com/cdn-cgi/i ... pg.198962/

as an example, if that link goes through.