Excessive play in steering wheel - an issue?

[David2269]

It was pointed out to me that there is a bit of play in the steering wheel while the car is parked-up. I've not noticed this before but I wondered what is normal and / or what the common causes and solutions may be; or is there a better way to check if this is an issue?

I have a copy of the Stag ROM and Stag Haynes Manual, the Haynes Manual fault diagnosis for "excessive play in steering" is worn components so not especially helpful. As above I am not sure what could be considered as excessive play?

[marshman]

Two types of play -

1) Rotational, to check "wobble" steering wheel turning left and right a small amount and see what the "free play" is, i.e. how far you turn each way before resistance is felt and the wheels start to turn. The MoT is a little bit subjective but for cars with a steering rack up to 1/2" measured at the rim of the steering wheel is acceptable, anymore and there is an issue somewhere (could be universal joints in the column, wear in the rack, track rod ends, ball joints or even front wheel bearings). - as an aside you can get away with up to 3" at the rim of the wheel if the car has a steering box as opposed to a rack (not the Stag obviously!).

2) Play in top column bush, where you can move the steering wheel up and down or side to side a small amount. Movement here is down to the buses at the top of the column, as far as the MoT goes it's a bit subjective, a small amount (around 1/16" ? or 2mm if you are young!) is probably acceptable, much more and a less than sympathetic tester may query it.

Just for completeness there is a 3rd "axis" which is to pull and push the wheel "in and out", loose clamps on the universal joints could be the cause of any movement here here, though there will usually be excessive "play" as well.

[Lingen]

David.
To add to Marshman's good advice, try checking it with the engine running as the slack may disappear. This is the way the valve in the rack works, and when I was an MOT tester, the instruction was always to have the engine running when checking for rotational slack.
Mike.

[Rigid]

When I refurbished my leaking steering rack I wasn't happy with the amount of wobble possible at the wheel.
My solution was to swap the middle column bit - the bit with the 2x UJs.
It seems to be impossible to replace just the UJs on the shaft - the movement was detectable and obviously amplified by the time it reached the wheel.

[jbuckl]

Restoring the column is quite involved to do thoroughly … but it seems that quite a few stags do need it now….

intermediate shaft wear at the u/js is less common but does happen.

rack wear is super common now and tricky to eliminate as most cores have wear that is not always attended to properly.

A stag with its steering feel restored is so so nice though.

[ODProjman]

My Stag steering had a huge element of clairvoyance when I first drove it and I went through the easy options first of top up the power steering fluid check the UJ linkage and in the end it was the upper and lower column bushes that sorted it finally. Not a job for the faint hearted but also not that difficult once you know to remove the roll pin hiding in the upper column mounting bracket. Quite a low cost fix in the end - good luck!

[richardthestag]

grip the steering wheel, any up and down or side to side movement is the top bearing retainer. replace the serrated washer with the collar and grub screw setup. the bearing needs to be preloaded before it is tightened, this is not difficult.

Grip the steering shaft in the engine bay where it comes through the bulkhead, any up and down / side to side play will be the plastic sleeves that sit between the inner and outer parts of the extendable column. replacement is not difficult but there are a few gotchas and it will need to come out of the car.

If the column is good next I would be checking that intermediate shaft. They do wear and can degrade quickly, heat from the exhaust manifold will see them as fishing weights in barely any time at all. Remove the shaft, grip the end of the uj in one hand and the shaft with the other, if you can feel any play at all then it is dead.

Next up is the rack, which I will bypass mainly because proper refurb is a bit specialist. if the above is all ok then rock the steering wheel from one direction to the other, if that movement is not directly transmitted to the track rods that attach to the wheel hub carriers then the rack is most probably tired.

If the rack passes muster then the next place I would be looking is the wheel bearings, any play = remove, clean, inspect and if ok refit and set correctly

The hidden one is the bottom link ball joint. sits at the lower end of the stub axle carrier and connects to the bottom link. When worn it will be pushed down nicely against the bottom of the cup so play is not easily detected. when the car is jacked up, same thing. however when driving the ball will float in the space it has in the cup and not only give vague steering feel but also an irritating clonk.

More oft than not when removed the ball joint is drier than a witches tit and rattling around like a dick in a bucket

[KOY 23]

Is the ideal condition of the ball joint “as tight as a camel’s arse in a sandstorm”

[Philip Wardle]

Having overhauled the system from steering wheel nut to wheel bearings based on others' advice, for which I'm grateful, and with Chris Witor's roller bearing top mounts and springs made accurately to spec, I agree with Julian's comment on the end result. Several car restorers who have driven the car have commented favourably on the feel of the steering. It was a lot of work done over years during the overall restoration, but as with most things Stag, it seems you get out what you put in ... eventually.

It seems that all the wear and slack is additive end-to-end, some points of wear are difficult to assess without dismantling the steering column, mine was in a disgraceful condition and claerly the main cause of slop in the system. Not difficult or expensive to restore though, it just needs attention to detail and patience.

[David2269]

Thanks all for the help, hopefully no one has an issue but I have have summarised the comments into a helpful one pager using ChatGPT. If there is somewhere to save it or someone to send it I am more than happy to or possibly it could be edited as an article for the SOC Mag?

[Alacrity]

I rebuilt my steering column when the car was stripped for rebuild. I replaced the plastic sliding bushes (allows the column to move in & out) - you can't fit them with the steel shims behid the as peroriginal - or at least I couldn't. I changed both top & bottom bearings etc. Net result - still up & down movement on the top bearing - & no the steering shaft isn't worn & waisted. Not noticeable when driving though.