TheSamba.com :: View topic - Steering wheel movement when turning right

Tue Nov 13, 2018 8:15 am

Thought I’d throw this out there and get some thoughts... if I can explain this in a coherent way.

Couple thins first, car has a new front end, new steering box, new beam and such, new flanges and steering coupler. Steering damper is not new.

I’ve had it aligned, alignment is all good. And steering wheel is centered, usually....

when I’m turning right, at a slow speed, less than 10 mph, the steering wheel turns more than the wheels, ie: like the steering wheel is slipping a little, and when I’m done turning, the steering wheel ends up being approx. an 1/8 of a turn off-centered, towards passengers side, the car is lined up going straight, no pulling to either side.

Now, if I give the wheel a good hard, quick, yank left, the steering wheel will give a squeak and move back to being centered, the car will jostle left but not really turn, again, like the wheel is slipping somewhere in the steering column. And the steering wheel will be back to center and car will be headed straight.

My first thought was the one of the flanges attached to the couple was slipping, but both are new and both have been checked for tightness. Plus it only happens when I steer to the right.

Thoughts? Opinions? I’m sure there are opinions out there....

Tue Nov 13, 2018 3:10 pm

Steering box adjustment? Have a read-through at Rob and Dave's to see if something rings a bell. Scroll down to steering for a few articles.

http://www.vw-resource.com/mihov_index.html

Tue Nov 13, 2018 6:09 pm

My first thought was steering coupler/rag joint. After rereading I see you said it was new.
What happens if you turn the wheel right while not moving? Does it do the same?
Where is the squeak coming from?
Was the steering wheel or shaft replaced? Are they loose when standing still?
I know there were different splines or sizes and maybe they are mismatched?

Tue Nov 13, 2018 11:17 pm

Steering coupler loose. I would check it again.

Wed Nov 14, 2018 4:57 am

My money was on the coupler, but they are new and tight, been checked a couple of times as I figured that had to be the culprit.
The squeak comes from the top part of the steering column, right behind the wheel, around where the cancelling ring is. I haven’t taken anything apart on the column or changed anything up there, not sure of the PO ever did. It’s a late 74 chassis number.

Nothing feels loose standing still, no extra play in the steering wheel.

Going to dig into it again this weekend, pull the steering wheel and take a look in there, and once again check the coupler.

Wed Nov 14, 2018 2:25 pm

I've seen a couple where the feet that connect to the coupler are slipping on the ridges.

Mark the steering shaft to the part that goes from the steering shaft to the coupler and turn it a couple of times and I bet you will see the shaft has moved.

Wed Nov 14, 2018 2:32 pm

First picture of a marked shaft.

Next a shaft that had been slipping.

Now replaced, although I did tighten it up years ago and it seemed to hold. But don’t trust it now.

Wed Nov 14, 2018 3:09 pm

Thanks. again, I would have put money on the coupler too, except they are new and I’ve checked them...

Wed Nov 14, 2018 3:47 pm

When they have been taken apart and reinstalled or just put together is when they are most likely to slip on the ridges.

Sun Nov 18, 2018 8:14 pm

The bolt on the pinch clamp should be a 10.2 hardness , I put a new bolt in one that was a 8.8 and could not tighten the bolt enough. It was pulling the treads.