Tight steering.....

[SiggyManx#33]

I've been battling some problems with tight steering.

A long time ago, I think I may have towed my buggy a short distance with the column locked and possibly notched the work gear. A short distance off center there was a real tight area that once beyond, everything was fine.

Last year I had the steering box replaced and things were ok but when turning far right, the steering would get tight. And there was a still a bit of slop in the wheel....nothing horible but combined with a very small wheel, it seemed worse.

Anyway, I towed my buggy this weekend for 100 miles. WHen I got to my destination everything seemed fine and it drove well. Last night as I was unloading it, the steeering apeared to be much tighter than it had ever been.

Any ideas on what can be causing this and what my fix is. IF I loosen the top adjustment with the lock screw, isn't that going to give me more slop while loosenen the tightness? Again...it's very tight. Like alsomost hard to turn the wheel tight.

[Letterman7]

Try backing off the end play adjustment nut - that big recessed nut on the end of the box. The top adjustment just takes away the play between the gears; the end one works the entire thing. I know I didn't describe that correctly, but try it anyway . I found a cheap lawn mower spark plug tool fits right nice into that nut...
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[LeeVW]

Oh cool, so you mean this tool...


Fits in this nut...


That's great! I knew that the recessed nut was the proper place to take up slack, but I didn't know a tool that would work could be so easy to find. Thanks for the tip.

Lee

[SiggyManx#33]

[LeeVW]

Possibly. What happens if you disconnect the steering shaft from the steering box? Is the binding in the column, the box, or somewhere else? You can adjust where the steering shaft sits inside the column by sliding it up and down while the pinch bolt is loose. You don't want any pressure on it.

Here's what Bob Hoover had to say. He gets to the steering box at about the halfway point:

http://bobhooversblog.blogspot.com/2006/12/vw-tulz-part-ten.html

Lee

[Letterman7]

It should, yes.. but check other linkage first as Lee suggested. Unbolt the steering coupler and then try the wheel and see if there's any binding. If not, then you know it's the box.
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[SiggyManx#33]

Here's where I'm at. (thanks for the reponses by the way)

I jacked up the car and the steering was still extremely tight. I adjusted the front socket and backed it off a full turn. THis resulted in about 5" of slop. From there I settled with about a quarter of an inch of adjustment as this loosened the wheel a bit while keeping the slop to just under a inch"

I also cracked the top adjusment to see if I could "fine tune" it with limited succes.

While the steering is looser, it's still pretty miserable. There is also a bit of tightness right at center.

This is a new box and I have no idea if it's lubricated so I guess I need check that?

When I had 5" of slop....the steering appeared to spin great. Is it a safe assumption that nothing is binding then?

Somone recomended check how tight the box is on the beam....I need to double check that.

The car is off the ground and I cant detect and BJ wear?

At the point the steering column comes through the firewall, the shaft is very close to the inside of the tube towards the inside of the car. Not sure how much the mis-aligment can mess things up?

[Letterman7]

I think new boxes are shipped without grease anymore. That may have something to do with the tightness... did you drive it first without checking? If the wheel spun with the slop, then the issue is with the box. It's possible you got a bum box - is it a rebuilt?
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