scary steering

[nds03]

I have a non-power steering 65 mustang. latly the steering has acting strange. sometimes it works fine, others it gets harder to turn it and the wheel will not turn back after i turn the car. I know some of the bushings are going bad under there, but is this a sign of a bad steering box?

 

[JB66]

Check your upper and lower ball joints. You may have one ready to come apart. It's rare for manual gearboxes to go bad.

 

[nds03]

I replaced one of the ball joint about 4 months ago. the steering wheel has almost a quarter turn of play in it. I have a grant steering wheel and i can acyually move the steering wheel up and down about a half inch, is that normal?

 

[65fastback2+2]

I replaced one of the ball joint about 4 months ago. the steering wheel has almost a quarter turn of play in it. I have a grant steering wheel and i can acyually move the steering wheel up and down about a half inch, is that normal?

sounds to me like a bad steering gear box. those go out alot, especially being manual, more stress is put on it than a power steering car.

 

[nds03]

jb66 said it is rare for them to go out. Im trying to find a rebuilt one, but all i can find are these $500 rebuilds

 

[nds03]

woops, $500 flaming river steering boxes

 

[jikelly]

I've replaced my power steering pump and gear box twice since last january. I experienced the same sort of thing you did with both my "new" steering boxes. It sucks. I had been putting off getting another new gearbox for the last couple months and just dealing with the flakey steering, but a couple days ago something really went wrong. It is like I've got a manual steering box, and I really have to strain to turn the wheel now. I need to figure out how to put a rack in my stang before the steering wheel breaks off from cranking on it so hard.

 

[Ronstang]

sounds to me like a bad steering gear box. those go out alot, especially being manual, more stress is put on it than a power steering car.

Stop making stuff up young man.

If your steering wheel has up and down play then either the balls have fallen out of the bearing in the steering column collar of someone forgot to put the centering/preload wedge on the steering shaft with the spring before reinstalling the steering wheel.

As for the strange steering, as said earlier you need to check the ball joints and while you are down there take a look at the idler arm. My Shelby did the exact thing you described for a while and it turned out to be a completely destroyed lower ball joint.

 

[JB66]

Whew! This certainly is an interesting one. If I didn't know better, I would say you have steering linkage from a power steering car underneath. And that up and down movement! That means you can move it side to side the same amount. Wow! Best advice... Get a new front end. I don't know what kinds of steamroller tires you guys are running or what you've got your alignment specs set to, But steering gearboxes are overly designed for the application. I have seen many P/S boxes go out (integral) because of loss of fluid, but manual steering gears... Rare in my book. And what the early Mustangs have are manual boxes with power assist. Hope you figure it out soon... the way it sounds, I suggest you don't drive it.

 

[nds03]

I will not drive this car till i figure this out, it really scares me. this car definatly has a manual steering rack. i think it is a ball joint, i will check it tomorrow. I just dont see how my steering went from 2 inches of play to ten inches of play in less than a week

 

[nds03]

as for the steering wheel, the instructions told me is could loosen the colum and move it up to remove slack between the column and the wheel and thats when it started to move up and down, or side to side. how do i fix these bearings in the column?

 

[nds03]

it is missing the spring. I dont remember there ever being a sring there, but ill order one and see if it makes a difference.
i also read somewhere about a locknut and screw on top oif the box that tightens it, it seems to have worked

 

[limey66]

as for the steering wheel, the instructions told me is could loosen the colum and move it up to remove slack between the column and the wheel and thats when it started to move up and down, or side to side. how do i fix these bearings in the column?

Yeah, I read that bit in my Grant 'wheel instructions something like "Fords have a simple solution to the gap between the wheel and the steering column..." Simple solution to the problem, just creates a whole host of others.

Mine too has the play at the 'wheel you describe, I've yet to strip it down and find if the bearing has moved.

Damn cars, why can't they be more like women, you know where you are with them.

(Mine has the spring, and it still has the play, and the nut doesn't fit properly...)

 

[nds03]

i got the spring, and the wheel doesnt move. it is still very hard to turn the wheel, but it is inconsistant. i dont think it is the steering box. is there another bearing in the bottom of the column. i looked down there and saw a bunch of black stuff below where the shaft goes through the end of the steering column, maybe grease?

as for the ball joints, everything seemed pretty tight when i looked under there and had a friend turn the steering wheel

 

[nds03]

nevermind, i took off the column. its gotta be the box. it now makes whining noises like its going to seize. has anyone rebuilt a steering box? national parts depot sells bearing for it for $80. where is a good place to buy a rebuilt one?

just checked the part numbers, they say i have a power steering box!!!!

 

[JB66]

Pardon me for thinking this, but it sounds like you have a power steering box that has run low on fluid. Do you have a picture? Can you find any numbers on it? It's definitely NOT a 65 box if it's integral power steering! Manual steering gears are not whiners! Only P/S boxes. Let us know. And I have rebuilt some. It won't be wirthit to try. Get a used one that fits.