Pro

When driving, i have to over correct quite a bit. I automatically assumed it was the same issue that everyone else has (steering coupler) but decided to look a little further (IE underneath).
BTW, the car has 80k miles, and the coupler looks brand new, and I dont see any play in it.

With the car on the ground, key turned, I can turn the wheel pretty easily. While I had someone turn the wheel, I could feel\see the linkage at the box turn (not at the rag joint). I could also hear a clicking sound i believe inside the box (it only clicks when i turn the wheels from right to center. It clicks right about when the wheels are pointed straight).

I also turned the shaft while watching the pitman arm. The shaft will turn about 20 degrees while the pitman sits still.

So my initial impression is that the issue is in the box. Maybe it can be adjusted. Is 80k enough to cause steering problems like this?

Edit: I adjusted the box a little following instructions I found (tighten the adjuster, back off 90 degrees). I went for a drive and there really wasnt much of a difference. I should note that even with the adjustment lose, its somewhat harder to turn when wheels are mostly straight (from 10 to 2 o’clock). I guess "binding" (but not impossible to steer). Once I get past 2 or 10, its much easier to turn. I dunno if it's designed that way though.

ZMWojnar

So, reviving a really old thread, but did you ever get this fixed? What did the issue end up being? Mine just started doing almost the exact same thing yesterday and I'm trying to do the research before pulling the box and getting it rebuilt. I've eliminated the coupler/rag joint and have made the set screw adjustments on the top. Intermediate shaft turns smoothly from firewall to box. Box has a "notch" feeling at center, but turns smoothly after that notch in either direction.

Pro

I cant remember exactly. I think I ended up just adjusting the box until it was tight. I don't think I replaced any parts.

BobWolf

Sounds like the seals need replacin they will become brittle after 30+ years of being under high pressure and bathing in hot oil. You can find a seal and bearing kit on Ebay or Amazon for under 50 bucks make sure you at least get the kit with all of the seals and the shaft bearings (2 peices).
A steering box is not all that tough to rebuild as long as you have a decent vise, bench, and a place to work without too much distraction. The toughest part is removing a steering box. Its possible you cracked or chipped a worm gear ball (Usually by running a low or dry system) if that's the case you can pick There are also kits that have the ***** included. If they are not in the kit and you need them you can always pick them up at a dealership or Applied Industrial Technologies; they specialize in bearings. Make sure you bring all of the old bearings with you as they need to be exact or the box wont work.

83 Crossfire TA

iTrader: (2)

You can't just adjust the top adjuster like you can a wheel bearing, the adjustment doesn't mean anything till you have the preload on the main shaft adjusted first (the cover/nut where the steering shaft comes in). that description "tighten the adjuster and back off 90*" is a recipe for disaster, someone is going to do that and the box will bind up. AAMOF, if you feel like you need to get over a hump to get it off center you've already have it too tight. If you've rebuilt the box and set the preloads correctly you can typically get away with tightening the top adjuster maybe about a half turn more to tighten things up, past that you're likely to have problems. Rebuilding the box is not hard, the hardest part is removing it from the car, and I'd recommend it instead of buying a rebuild because I've never found a rebuild of any brand that was actually what it was labeled/what the pn said it was.

As far as slop, everything in the linkage will have a little motion to it, but you really need 2 people to find where the problem is. Have someone wiggle the wheel over through the range that you have slop (the wheel should have some free motion on center) and the second person goes down the linkage and looks to see what is moving vs where it stops (again, allowing for a little motion at each joint). the joint where the majority of the motion stops is the one that is worn out.

LarryD

Search my threads as I went through a lot of things including many new parts trying to find my steering problems which included a rebuilt gearbox. Don't over look problems with binding in the strut towers (mine was strut covers binding) suddenly releasing and binding in ball joints.