Steering 101 / Wiggle wagoneers: please read this.

heinz wittenbecher

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Mar 1, 1998
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After my last alignment I had to work harder at keeping the rig
straight.

I thought that perhaps since the wheels were now running true something
else reared it's ugly head, which of course it did. I assumed it might
be the lack of steering damper or worn out steering box or that it was
being caused by toad.

Long story short, I was told how to adjust the steering box and it's
driving like new, without wiggle, even in the interstate ruts.

Here is what I did:

Loosen the locknut a turn or better, i.e. not just enough to unlock the
allen screw loosen the allen screw, wiggle the steering wheel and loosend
it some more using allen wrench. be sure the nut is far enough off to be
sure it will not tighten first. now turn the nut itself back in to tighten
it. no allen wrench is used for this.this will the allen screw will make
contact first. continue to tighten the locknut. still no allen wrench used.
apparently the tension provided by tightening of the locknut is usually
exactly right.

It certainly worked in my case. I would not have believed it had I not
experienced/done it myself.

Apparently it is a common mistake to tighten the adjustment more than
necessary during an alignment, even by the most expert. My own misconception
was that tighter means better or rather that the adjustment was left too
loose so I tightened it a 1/4 turn more, which didn't change handling.

While I was being set straight it was explained that if the adjustment is
too tight, oversteering occurs because it takes more pressure. It was
explained that if too tight it'll appear to wander, too loose and more
steering wheel travel required, but no wander. Steering damper has
nothing to do with wander/no-wander.

As I said, I would not have believed the difference has someone just
told me.

If you've tried all else and he coach still wiggles excessivley, perhaps
give this procedure a try.

Heinz
'76 Transmode that now travel straight as an arrow again (at no cost).
 
Heinz...

> Long story short, I was told how to adjust the steering box and it's
> driving like new, without wiggle, even in the interstate ruts.

This sounds like very significant information, especiallly since you seem
to indicate that you are comparing performance under similar conditions,
after makeing just the one change. Can you elaborate any further on the
equivalence of testing conditions?

- --
Regards,
John 74 Glacier near Washington, DC.
 
In my case it was just realtime testing as it was easy to do. I was resigned
to perhaps getting the steering box rebuilt.

My first 2000 miles where done making a couple of adjustements to the
steering box, 1/4 turn at a time. As I was under the impression that
adjusting out would increase slack, I in effect didn't back it out enough.

It is important to turn the adjustment screw out and wiggle the steering
wheel. (You don't have to start the engine).
On mine I was only able to turn out one 1/4 turn more than I had previously.
What happens is that it stops at a washer or something simlar and you need
to wiggle the steerig wheel to recenter it.

What I would suggest as a test is to simply find a piece of highway that's
causing you to pay close attention, i.e. it wiggles.
Then do the adjustment, but first note current position of the adjustment
screw.
Then run the same piece of highway again and let us know if you notice an
improvement :-)
All that's needed is a 5/8 wrench and allen wrench.

Perhaps I was lucky... but I would suspect that some of you may experience a
similar delight.

Heinz

P.S. How the steering box workings were explained to me in non-technical
lingo:

In the steering box is a torsionbar like shaft and as the steering wheel is
turned this 'torsion bar' twists it's like opening a valve to activate fluid
flow.
When adjustment is tight, you need to apply more force to overcome the
tight. Once overcome it now opens too far, causing oversteer and as one
tries to correct for it it all happens again, just in the other direction.

Once I had that 'pictured' it was easy to understand that tight is bad.

>Heinz...
>
>> Long story short, I was told how to adjust the steering box and it's
>> driving like new, without wiggle, even in the interstate ruts.
>
>This sounds like very significant information, especiallly since you seem
>to indicate that you are comparing performance under similar conditions,
>after makeing just the one change. Can you elaborate any further on the
>equivalence of testing conditions?
>
>--
>Regards,
>John 74 Glacier near Washington, DC.
>