Still working on that 79 that i picked up that sat for 16 years. Ive now been able to drive it a little. Still need brake pads up front. And there is an awful lot of slop in the steering. 2 or 3 inches id say. I always suspect tie rod ends first because thats just my luck. Never an easy fix for me. However looking closer under the hood revealed the problem was in the joint between the lower arm from the steering column, and the adaptor that clamps on the input shaft of the rack and pinion. Now on my 74 and my 76, there is a little rubber and cloth disk in there. But, with this 79 it was a solid piece of plastic, and it had busted. The rubber replacement will allow slop in the steering, tho its minor. The plastic disk im sure they put there for a reason. Maybe to eliminate that minor amount of slop? Not sure. Im sure replacing it with the rubber is what everyone else does. So... whats the part nuber for the correct rubber disk replacement (found in the HELP! section at the parts store)... or which size is it? I think i bought the wrong one last time. I need one with a hole in the middle for clearance and the one i bought didnt have the hole. I think i ended up just throwing it away because it wouldnt fit anyways. I am sure this car wont pass state inspection with that kind of slop in it. Its not supposed to anyways. My wagon has about that amount in it tho and it passes. I think the problem is in the same spot with it. It looks like one of the rivets broke and maybe one of the bolts is missing.
Mine had a lot of slop in the steering column (3-4 inches) and I replaced mine with a HELP! rag joint which I believe was 3.5" diameter. It helped correct the slop but I still have an inch or two in play due to a worn rack & pinion. It could be the tie rod ends but I'm not so worried about it to tear the rack apart and find out.
Its probably worn inner tie rod ends. I had that problem on my 76. It had manual steering and i converted it to power steering. It made a world of a difference in that car. Cheaper to work on the power steering than it is the manual steering. :o Local parts store wants $225 for a manual rack and pinion with tie rod ends, or $140 for a power steering rack with tie rod ends. For the price of just a manual rack, i got a new rack and pinion, new power steering pump , and new power steering hoses. Granted i had to buythe brackets for the pump and the outter tie rod ends, and i had cores to use, so it actually costed a little more than just replacing the manual rack, but it was worth it to me. Now i just need to rebuild the rest of the front suspension. I have energy suspension control arm and strut rod bushings to put in. Need to find some for the rack and pinion, and the sway bar (which i am adding, this car had no options at all).
A HELP rag joint????? Who are they?
Quote from: dave1987 on December 16, 2007, 03:15:53 AM
Mine had a lot of slop in the steering column (3-4 inches) and I replaced mine with a HELP! rag joint which I believe was 3.5" diameter. It helped correct the slop but I still have an inch or two in play due to a worn rack & pinion. It could be the tie rod ends but I'm not so worried about it to tear the rack apart and find out.
Not sure about any other parts stores but atleast in Oreillys and Auto zone they have a "HELP!" secton. They are in a red package. They offer parts like the rag joints, window cranks, cruise control switches, door lock rod clips, ujoint U-bolt kits, etc etc. Just little stuff that are commonly needed but sometimes you may think you cant get. Help! usually has it.
Thank you for the quick reply. Have a merry Christmas.
No problem. Merry christmas to you too.