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Steering question
- Thread starter Michael Oritt
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OP
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Can someone please enlarge about the 2" block Big Green refers to? BTW I found this old post by John Turney referring to this technique:
The top adjusting screw is for taking out the rotational play. The shims are to take out any play in the shaft bearings. I had to reshim mine when the bearings were reground because they were pitted. Sometimes the rotational play is too much for the adjusting screw, then one can replace the peg or turn it 90 degrees.
BTW, I've found the method in the manual for checking play in the steering box to be overly difficult. Try the following: Place a 2.0-inch block of wood under each upper A-arm of the suspension. There is a rubber rebound stop under one arm, place the block under the other.
Now, when you jack up the front of the car under the frame, the front suspension will be in its correct position. You can check the front suspension for looseness now that it's in the air and in its normal position. You can check and adjust the steering box so there isn't any play in the steering arm without disconnecting it from the tie rods.
Note that there is suppose to be less play when the steering is centered than when it's off-center. I've adjusted mine as tight as I can without binding in the center.
The top adjusting screw is for taking out the rotational play. The shims are to take out any play in the shaft bearings. I had to reshim mine when the bearings were reground because they were pitted. Sometimes the rotational play is too much for the adjusting screw, then one can replace the peg or turn it 90 degrees.
BTW, I've found the method in the manual for checking play in the steering box to be overly difficult. Try the following: Place a 2.0-inch block of wood under each upper A-arm of the suspension. There is a rubber rebound stop under one arm, place the block under the other.
Now, when you jack up the front of the car under the frame, the front suspension will be in its correct position. You can check the front suspension for looseness now that it's in the air and in its normal position. You can check and adjust the steering box so there isn't any play in the steering arm without disconnecting it from the tie rods.
Note that there is suppose to be less play when the steering is centered than when it's off-center. I've adjusted mine as tight as I can without binding in the center.
Bob_Spidell
Yoda
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You need to put a 2" block--I use a 2" x 1/2" bolt (Randy has a high-tensile steel block machined to 2.00000 +/- .000001" --photos forthcoming 
layful--under the flat 'tabs' on the shock arms when you tighten the suspension down after replacing, for instance, the A-arm or upper trunnion bushings. This basically 'locks' the suspension at the normal ride position; if you don't, the suspension will be under unnecessary tension and handling and wear will be affected.
layful--under the flat 'tabs' on the shock arms when you tighten the suspension down after replacing, for instance, the A-arm or upper trunnion bushings. This basically 'locks' the suspension at the normal ride position; if you don't, the suspension will be under unnecessary tension and handling and wear will be affected.
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Yep, the 2" block is used to keep the front suspension in the neutral position when you lift the front end by the frame. They go under the upper A-arm without the upper bump stop. I use blocks of 2x2 wood. Nothing fancy.
I found that my BN4 would wander with too little toe-in.
I found that my BN4 would wander with too little toe-in.
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Michael, the proceedure with the 2" blocks is discribed in the shop manual. But I will just state it another way. If you jack the car up and the front wheels are hanging down completely of there own weight, it pulls the 'A' arms way down deyond their normal travel position that they would be riding in when the car is weighted and on its wheels. In this extended lower position, pretty much everything in the front suspension usually will feel snug and you will have difficulty discovering anything loose. If you were to jack up one wheel to raise the "A" arms to their approximately middle position, you can then insert a 2" block of wood under one of the upper "A" arms (which is the shock arms) Then when you lower the wheel again, the block of wood being jammed under the Shock Arm ('A' Arm) will keep the suspension from hanging in that lower bound up position. Now all the suspension points should be in a position that they would typically ride in when the car is weighted on its wheels. This proceedure is discribed in the Manual in the area where it discusses reassembly of the front suspension. The point of this proceedure during reassembly is to be able to bolt up the upper and lower kingpin trunion bushings in the position that is closed to the normal riding position. Without doing this, and bolting up the upper trunion bushing with the shock arm all the way down, when you would then let the car down on its suspension and the upper 'A' arm would move up, it would unduly put a twist into the bushing rubber. With the block of wood in there it minimizes the potential of putting undue twist into the bushing rubber. Then with the suspension points tightened up, you jack the wheel up as high as you can and pull the blocks of wood out. Dave. Ps: In my previouse post, I may have decribed the tightness and loosness in the steering box in reverse of its true action. sorry about that, it's been awhile since I have done it.
Bob_Spidell
Yoda
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The spacer is only needed if your suspension is at least partially disassembled--e.g. springs are removed--and you want to set the correct ride height before tightening everything down.
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That makes sense.
Randy Forbes
Yoda
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On cue!You need to put a 2" block--I use a 2" x 1/2" bolt (Randy has a high-tensile steel block machined to 2.00000 +/- .000001" --photos forthcoming
This is the picture from the manual
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Both work. When checking the steering with the wheels up, it is best to have everything in almost the same angle as when driving.
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Because you have less leverage with jack stands under the spring pans, the suspension droops somewhat more than with the blocks. Also, what Bob says re: being disassembled.
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Sounds reasonable.
So when you lower the car to the ground, there's just enough slack to withdraw the blocks?
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Usually, although they will fall out with the first bump exiting the garage if I forget.
OP
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Update--
In my original post from earlier this week I stated that my car seemed to be wandering a bit at highway speeds and required a lot of attention--seemingly more so than in the past--in order to keep the car in the center of a lane.
In keeping with a number of suggestions I first went through the entire steering system to see if I could find any looseness, worn bushings, loose shock mounts, etc. I was only able to tighten up the shock mounts a flat or two--otherwise everything seemed tight. I again checked the feel of the steering, both with wheels up and on the ground and it still felt good with just a slight resistance at center.
On a whim I decided to recheck my tire pressures--this time with the gauge I use when I am racing--and I found that the tires were at 22 psi whereas when I checked them last weekend with my cheap-ass gauge they were at 27-28 psi. I carefully brought all tires up to 30 psi and took the car out for a ride at highway speeds. The car tracked straight and I was actually able to leave my hands off the wheel for periods of time.
I guess the lesson here is to not cut any corners or assume anything. Luckily I dropped all assumptions and went back to the beginning before I started pulling things apart.
Thanks to all for the help and patience.
In my original post from earlier this week I stated that my car seemed to be wandering a bit at highway speeds and required a lot of attention--seemingly more so than in the past--in order to keep the car in the center of a lane.
In keeping with a number of suggestions I first went through the entire steering system to see if I could find any looseness, worn bushings, loose shock mounts, etc. I was only able to tighten up the shock mounts a flat or two--otherwise everything seemed tight. I again checked the feel of the steering, both with wheels up and on the ground and it still felt good with just a slight resistance at center.
On a whim I decided to recheck my tire pressures--this time with the gauge I use when I am racing--and I found that the tires were at 22 psi whereas when I checked them last weekend with my cheap-ass gauge they were at 27-28 psi. I carefully brought all tires up to 30 psi and took the car out for a ride at highway speeds. The car tracked straight and I was actually able to leave my hands off the wheel for periods of time.
I guess the lesson here is to not cut any corners or assume anything. Luckily I dropped all assumptions and went back to the beginning before I started pulling things apart.
Thanks to all for the help and patience.
OP
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I should have read post #7 more carefully but assumed--wrongly--that the tire gauge I was using accurate, though even with it my pressures were reading 3 psi lower than they should have been reading. Laziness on my part almost cost me a lot of unnecessary work with the opportunity to screw something up that was just fine!
Bob_Spidell
Yoda
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Don't feel too bad ... Tire gauges are all over the place--analog and digital--and, unless you have a calibrated source, they're a SWAG anyway.