TR2/3/3A The steering box again?

When I rebuilt the steering box a few years the bearing was unavailable. The PO had swapped in a more substantial looking bearing of the same size. I see that Moss now carries them. Anyway when I installed the box and set everything up it all works properly but the steering wheel sits about 15 degrees off when I'm driving going by those banjo spokes on the wheel. There was a fair bit of play in the steering wheel so I tightened up the adjuster and that decreased the play but then the steering was too stiff so i backed off the adjustment a bit and now there is a couple of inches of play still there which I can live with. My question is :Can I remove the steering wheel and reposition it so as to get rid of that 15 degree cant of the wheel banjo spokes or would that not solve the issue?
Also in regard to the Revington spring loaded steering box adjuster. Wasn't there a thread on here that indicated it might not really be effective in holding the adjuster pin down for some reason? Anyone here using that Revington steering box top and what do they think of it.
Karl
PS Anyone heard from Randall?

What car model? PJ

Tr3a

I rebuilt my steering box last year. My steering wheel was off, so I slide it out of the coupler and rotated it. The stator tube, at the steering box, will have to be loose. It was really easy. If you still have a problem with slop in the wheel, make sure the steering wheel nut is tight. It can be staked from the factory, but still loose enough to wiggle. Mine had an 1" of slop until I retorqued it.

Prior to all of this, I replaced the silent block bushings with the Teflon / stainless steel bushings (ARE). They work well. I had an adjustable steering box cover from BFE but is did not really help. The Revington one has good comments in the British Triumph Forums, but I have no first hand experience with it. Revington makes a great set of steering arms to correct the Ackermann geometry. If you are running wide tires, its worth it. I have 195/60-15's and it is noticeable.

Good Luck, Roy

Thanks for the info Roy. What was the torque value you used to re tighten?

The answer is Maybe. The worm is cut so it has a center position with no lash, or play at all. In fact, it actually has a small amount of negative play, or drag. This way the steering does not wander while you are trying to go straight. Once you turn the worm out of straight, there is actually a lot of play...but you don’t notice it. The steering geometry is set up so the car wants to track straight ahead, so you have to hold the car in a turn. Therefore the play is there, but the steering geometry is holding the pin against the worm, so it is never felt to the driver.

Back to your question. Your steering wheel MUST be installed so it is centered on the center of the worm. American cars all mark this position...but I have not seen any marks on my British cars. If your wheel is installed off from the worm center, then it should be removed, centered on the worm, and reinstalled and then I recommend marking the location for future reference.

Telling center is a can worms (no pun intended). The only real way to tell is before you have the steering arm attached. You count the total rotations and then find the center. After the gear is installed, the suspension may trick you...for example. If a bozo installed the steering wheel in the wrong position, they will unwittingly adjust the tie rods out of whack to center the steering wheel. Now, if you count rotations, the steering will be limited in one direction...and counting the total turns will be thrown off.

When properly adjusted, the gear will have a very slight drag as you turn the wheel past center. The steering wheel must be centered on the drag. Then you adjust your tie rods to center the car steering. A quick check to see if you may have the wheel installed off is to measure the tie rod lengths. They should be the same length within your ability to measure them. If they are noticeably different, then you’ll need to start from scratch and center your steering.

Thanks for clarifying the issue. Do you know if there is an actual torque value for the steering wheel lock nut?
Karl

I have never seen a value.

One thing to watch for is if you have a split column. When attaching the wheel, make sure there is enough end play on the top outer shaft or leave the out shaft loose so it can slid down when tighten the wheel down on the tapper of the rod or the wheel will not bottom out on the tapper. It will hit the column and be held away from tightening down on the taper of the actual shaft and the wheel will come lose after time. The shaft is tapered and people usually tongue them at 30lb. There should be some punch marks on the nut and wheel. I think the balance number for the tie rods is around 7-3/8 inches center to center both sides. Then fiddled perfect.
steve

If you have the 2-piece column there should be a punch marked "dot" between the coupler splines and the bushing. The dot should be straight up with the steering straight ahead. This indicates the high point on the cam. The pittman arms hould also point directly to the rear.