My steering wheel has developed a lot (several degrees) of free play recently…when I got the car about a year ago it was tight, but then a few months ago I started noticing that the steering wheel would wiggle while driving straight. Since then it has gotten worse. It still turns fine after you turn it the few degreese of looseness. It’s not the power steering…the same thing can be felt with the engine off. Its not the steering wheel itself…i took that off, and if I look the wheel, the looseness goes away. I figured it must be worn gears in the axle assembly, but this seems pretty unlikely, as the looseness is uniform no matter what angle the steering wheel is at. So I’m guessing its the u-joint or the tie rods. Any ideas? Any ideas how hard this is to fix? Can you do it without a lift? Or how much a pro would charge?
Check your tie rod ends and bushings. If it isn’t that, than most likely the problem is the rack and pinion gears. The tie rods aren’t that hard to do, but taking apart the steering rack can be a pain. Do you ever turn the wheel while the car is not moving? If so, this could be what caused the problem to begin with. Doing this puts extra stress on the steering assembly and can cause premature wear of the rack and pinion gears.
Hmmm. I can get a new rack for 200 bucks + shipping, so no reason to take it apart. But the freeplay is completely even throughout the full rotation of the wheel, and aside from the freeplay, turning is completely smooth and noise-free. Doesn’t sound like the rack, because gear wear wouldn’t be so even. I don’t really want to take the thing apart more than once, though, so should I order the new rack?