Baggy Steering Cabby

The steering wheel has been off centre on my 1991 Sportline which I have tried to remedy by taking it off and moving it around a few splines.  However, the steering around the centre has excessive play and when going round bends when the centre line of the steering wheel is passed it feels like it then pulls a little to the direction of travel.  It's hard to describe really…what could be the cause of why there is so much play around dead centre on the wheel?  thanks

Check your rack mounting bushes

Ok...are they easy to get to and what would i look or feel for to know if they are shot? The steering when more lock is applied feels tight and responsive.

It's not a good idea to straighten the steering wheel by removing it and putting it back on, best way is to jack up the front and count the turns from lock to lock then put the steering wheel back on so its in the middle, when driving it may be crocked then get the tracking done so it drives straight with the steering wheel in the middle, the track rods should be adjustable on both ends but if they are the orginal ones then only one is adjustable then it's a bit harder to straight things up.
While the front is in the air you should be able to see the 2 clamps which hold the steering rack on, they are know to come way from the body due to rust so have a good look and wobble, if they are coming away from the car DONT DRIVE THE CAR FAR as you don't want to lose the steering while driving…..

Also have a tug on the steering wheel up and down and side to side and grab the bottom of the steering colum inside the car by the UJ joint and wobble that end, sometimes the bottom bush on the steering colum fails as its made of plastic and the whole steering colum wobble around.
What does the spines on the steering wheel and colum look like, any wear on them making the steering wheel slip?

Any play in the track rods or ball joints? Grab the road wheel at 3 and 9 o'clock and feel for play/knocking in the track rods and again at 12 and 6 o'clock for play in the ball joints.

cheers Mark...a lot to go through there...I shall have a feel about in due course.

Can the bottom steering cv joint be purchased from anywhere as I think that is the biggest culprit?  I have looked at Vintage, Crazy Quiffs, Classic VW…and I can't seem to see any for sale.

There doesn't seem to be any play in other components and no knocking etc.  For £150 or thereabouts I wonder if I might be just as well to get a new rack, track rods, tie rods, CV's, boots, bushes etc.

Just another thought…. What size tyres are you running and have you had the tracking checked?

The joint at the bottom of the steering colum is called a UJ joint, it is not very often they fail, you can buy them but I think they are silly money for what they are, £140 ish I think? You may be able to find a place to make it for you cheaper than buying a ready made new one.

Not had the tracking checked Mark.  Tyre wise is 195x15x15 on BBS RA's.

Have ordered what I hope will be a decent conditioned second hand UJ from Rich at Crazy Quiff.  According to Pedro at VDubMachine this part is now obsolete.  As this car is destined to be a keeper then I think its worth replacing the rack, rod ends etc.

 I shall report back when I have collected all the bits together and have booked my brother in law to do the work!  

It is possible to change the rack with the engine in and the car on axel stands as I've done it, you will need to disconnect the exhaust down pipe from the manifold, if you have the C clamps they can be a pain to remove if you don't have the tool or I belive you can make a sort of tool from exhaust clamps but not sure how good it is as I invested in the proper tool to make my life easy.
You will also need to remove the track rods as there is not enough room to get the rack out with both attached.
There is only 4 nuts which hold the steering rack on.

Thanks for the heads up there Mark  

Nigel,

Did you get to the bottom of this in the end? I have the exact-same problem with my cabby. I've tried checking for slack at the rotors, looked at the mounts (admittedly when the front wheels are jacked-up off of the ground) and can't find any obvious looseness or movement.

Like you, I suspect the solution is somewhere in a new rack, tie rods, bushes and track arm (and I have all of the above ordered and ready to go).

Alas, we're on the verge of a house move and I would like resolution prior to then - deconstructing the whole lot and rebuilding isn't really an option.

Advice on the ease of which swapping the rack (and mounts) out would be welcome if you have recently done this!

Alex