bad steering

[Bob]

Ever since getting my car 10 months ago the steering was needing a fix because it had a couple inches of play at the steering wheel. Other than that the car tracked straight and turned okay, it was just the dodges side to side during changing crosswinds or uneven roads.

During the summer the driving actually seemed to improve somewhat so I wasn’t too worried about it. Only noticed it was getting really dodgy past few months, but not driving it much either.

So I finally went about trying a steering box adjustment. The slotted screw was down near the top of the jam nut and when I turned it inward, after out a couple turns first, I had to remove the nut to get it down far enough and put nut on afterward. Now the top of that screw is flush with the nut.

Didn’t help any with steering wheel play. Oh, and I also loosened and retightened the worm gear adjuster too. Never was any push-pull play in the steering anyway so maybe that didn’t matter.

In trying to determine if the steering box really is completely worn out I did my best to check the tie rod ball joints and steering column. Things I’ve never dealt with before so I could only guess a problem with loose ball joints, especially since a loud clank and sudden excess movement was happening when I turned the steering wheel one way and back the other way.

I had been video recording the movements before adjusting, and after. What I hadn’t noticed until reviewing the recordings was how the steering rod was not aligned straight while it turned around. Although I had seen a shiny spot where it rubbed against the underside fiberglass body.

As the shaft/rod rotates there doesn’t seem to be any binding against the body to cause the clank, more like a mechanical thing inside the steering box. I couldn’t determine for sure if a ball joint was the real fault anyway.

I’m thinking I just need to take it to a VW shop that can give it a good going over and replace what’s needed. If possible. I wonder if anyone will work on a kit car, don’t know until I check.

The main trouble I had was getting to that top adjuster screw. If a hole were made in the forward fender piece and underneath the badge/light bar bracket I could have turned that screw easily. As it were, with only an inch of space in there, I had to use a part from fingernail clippers put in sideways onto the slotted screw. After removing the pair of bar bracket screws first because the poked down right where I needed to get to that adjuster.

Here’s the video showing how the steering rod looks (and sounds from somewhere). Hopefully can be seen well enough from opposite side of car.

http://youtu.be/68mziACziLc

[Bob]

And here’s the whole video I put together, just showing the steering parts moving before and after adjustment. Steering wheel play is afterward, almost same as before or maybe going from 3 inches play to 2 inches. I didn’t actually measure.

http://youtu.be/XoK2WbbLPxM

Misaligned(?) shaft/rod is at time 1:11 in this video.

[John Simion]

I’m no mechanic, although sometimes I pretend to be one in my garage until I really mess things up.  Regardless, I got interested in your problem and according to my own inexpert research, the most likely culprit is a bad U-joint in the steering box.  See http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=493919

This seems to make sense since your column isn’t perfectly straight — meaning the U-Joint is moving every time you turn the wheel.  If it’s worn, it might move suddenly and make the snapping sound.  This video doesn’t show the steering u-joint, but the sound of this guy’s driveshaft u-joint is a lot like your sound:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8qNkTHJ-gE

If that’s not it, this source says the play should be 1/2 to 1″.  It tells how to adjust the box and how to replace the U-Joint.  http://www.vw-resource.com/steering.html.  

This video tells how to adjust the steering box:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Btb5KedXb4

Any air-cooled VW mechanic can work on your kit car.

johnsimion2016-01-16 18:23:04

[Bob]

Thanks John, yeah I was wondering where a U-joint might be if there was one. I’m going to read through all that.

I had used the YouTube video already, which is why I thought I could do that easily enough.

There’s another showing a large wrench cinching up the tightness at the shaft end of the box, but I think it was a different model year version of the steering box. So I believe the opposite end of the box is where that’s done, using the socket wrench type of adjuster on the worm gear, with large jam nut on it too. I just loosened that during the adjustment, maybe wrongly, will find out.

Oh BTW, it that was adjusted by putting a 5/8″ nut partway into that socket wrench-looking place. Reading elsewhere it was said to be a 15/16″ nut {or 27mm or 24mm after thinking about this more these could be top steering column nut sizes}… so I took it out and matched to a nut at the hardware store.

I was also setting steering wheel alignment using the pivot at bottom, loosening that pinch bolt and turning steering wheel (not wheels), then retightening.

The wheels plus all apparatus attached hardly move when I grab them and shake around on them, so that probably narrows it down to the box itself or shaft somewhere. If you notice in the last bit of the 2nd video how it looks like everything is okay with small movements, that really makes me wonder what’s going on because the steering wheel itself still moves with a couple inches of play in it.

I’m going to need a look up there nearer the steering wheel to be sure about anything there.

LRH2016-01-16 19:20:38

[davearoy]

I can not pull up your You Tube video because I use a iPad. Just a quick thought since I can not access your video, is the flexible donut between the steering shaft and the steering box in good repair, and the bolts tight? Like I said just my thought. If you do not have the flexible donut, then maybe your steering shaft and steering box shaft connection maybe slipping?

Dave 😛

Dave
Lakeland, Florida, where we drive Topless every day

[Bob]

For the little I know about it I think it was okay, and although I would call it a disk instead of donut I’m sure we’re both talking about the same thing. Metal brackets on either side, 2 bolts each and offset so they only attach to the disk/donut, not directly connecting the shaft and gear box.

I believe the shaft side isn’t aligned to that, so if it were spun like a drive shaft it would be severely out of balance. Maybe I can check to see if it can be aligned better after unbolting that side and moving it any at all.

Diagrams of original Beetle steering components show a U-joint so I need to take a look behind dashboard and where fuel tank sits to see if I have one. I recall the steering shaft being exposed inside there but not if a U-joint is visible.

[KentT]

The flexible coupler is simply to accommodate minor alignment differences be5ween the steering box and the steering shaft.

If you can move the steering wheel without the steering shaft moving at that coupler, the problem is likely the splines on the top end of the steering shaft where the steering wheel coonects, often using an adapter. The splines in the adapter may be shot…

If they steering shaft and coupler are moving correctly at the steering box, and you still have that much play, the problem is with the steering box. Make sure that the four bolts on the corners that hold the cap/lid on the steering box are tight. If they get loose, the lid will rise up, giving excessive play. If those are tight, and you can tighten the setscrew on the steering gear box as deep as you’ve described, my guess is a sesrious internal problem in the steering gearbox. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one that allows you to tighten the set screw that much… Rebuilt ones are available from places like Mofoco…

Early FF TDr on 69 VW pan
Slowly coming back from the ashes...

[KentT]

BTW, if you find the bolts holding the steering box lid are loose – be sure to back that adjustment screw WAY back out before you tighten the lid/cover back down. Then, once the cover is tight, readjust the set screw..

Early FF TDr on 69 VW pan
Slowly coming back from the ashes...

[Bob]

Alright, thanks for the suggestions. It’ll be a while before I’m looking it over. No heated garage for my car so going to wait until the outside temps get into the 50’s again.

I’ve got to remove my steering wheel and broken turn signal switch anyhow so maybe I can find out what’s going on at the upper end, if anything is wrong there.

New gear box wouldn’t cost too much, considering how important it is. Luckily mine is the “standard” type and not from a Super Beetle.

(edit)

Wow, that mofoco remanufactured one is half the price of others I’ve already found. Only thing about all of them I’m not sure about yet is the Pitman arm spindle. It seems mine has splines and none of the pictures of those sold have them, just a notch. Mine might have that notch but I never removed the Pitman arm, just had to push it back on farther when I realized it was dropping off with it loosened for the adjustments.

LRH2016-01-17 12:15:56

[Mike Schumacher]

I
am exactly at this stage of building a never started kit. I cut the column extender to get the steering wheel out of my belly. I thought the kink in the disk was the result of taking out a little too much. added some washers and reduced some of the distortion. I have convinced myself that the disk was designed into the car because steel on steel does not flex.
In a rare insight the kit designers included a disk top and bottom to allow for flex.juneybug2016-01-18 12:22:51

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