Anybody experiencing loose play in steering. Steering shaft suggestions.

[LuDamiKE81]

I have mm aluminum bushings also. Ill try the 2x4 and BFH!!!

 

[JSkwarek]

Subing for feedback on reseating the collar. The steering has been the biggest dislike on the Cobra since I bought it a few months back. I just assumed it was cheap Ford tolerances as my '01 Cobra and '03 Mach 1 had the same slop. Figured I'd upgrade to the MM pieces more sooner than later with this Cobra. I've got all the interior out of mine so I'll get up there and check the collar before putting everything back.

jason

 

[skratpiece]

This seemed to help. It was difficult to tell if it was going it when it tapped it, but it seemed to have tightened it up a regulation ****hair.

 

[zankylen]

great info any update?

 

[VincodeY]

bump

 

[srl135]

could any of these problems create a creak or groan heard while cranking the wheel from one side to the other?

 

[3Dglasses]

could any of these problems create a creak or groan heard while cranking the wheel from one side to the other?

That is typically the rack bushings..

 

[srl135]

ok...anyone had to replace those more than once?

 

[96stanggt]

ok...anyone had to replace those more than once?

Replaced mine with the aluminum bushings from MM two years ago and haven't had the creak since. The steering is much more responsive now also.

 

[srl135]

hmmm.... i guess i could do that, but i really dont want to throw money at something till i knw its needed. anyways, thanks for the help, i wont steal the thread anymore.

 

[SVT32VDOHC]

It could be more than the shaft. About 7 out of the 10 94-04 Mustangs I've owned had play in the wheel.

My 96 had it. I pulled the steering shaft out, but just before I slid it through the firewall, I noticed a needle bearing ring around the bottom of the shaft. What happened was, it cracked and fell out of the holder in the firewall. I bought a new one from the dealer $39, and replaced it. This solved 90% of the play. I still had some play, so Home for your Ford Mustang @ Blue Oval Industries (at the time) had a sale on 03-04 Cobra new steering shafts. I bought one of those and installed it and now...all the play was gone.

So mine, was a combo of the missing bearing...and the shaft. The 96 had this problem start at around 45K and I fixed it 54K.

Luckly, my 04 is tight.

 

[GR-40 Pat]

If none of the above fix the problem make sure to check your inner tie rods... I have a bad one on my car right now and experienced the same play/free movement in the steering wheel... I already have solid rack bushing and a Griggs/Borgesson steering shaft so it was easy to eliminate those as being the issue.

 

[rjs281]

As long as their integrity hasn't been compromised, the rag joint on the intermediate shaft and the rubber steering rack bushings only make the steering feel spongy and slow. They don't contribute to play.

If you have play - the kind in which the steering wheel feels like it's not connected to anything at all for a few degrees of rotation - then your culprit is probably the metal bushing in the firewall that the intermediate shaft passes through.

This bushing is just press-fit from the interior side and can back out. When that happens you end up with play. You might even hear a metallic clank when the steering wheel reaches each end of the dead zone when swinging the wheel back and forth.

To correct the problem, re-seat the firewall bushing with a block of wood and a hammer. You don't even need to remove the intermediate shaft to do this, as the bushing has a nice, wide flange to bang on.

This tip is based on firsthand experience, as I learned it the hard way after developing a bunch of play in my own steering system. First, I replaced the rubber rack bushings with the aluminum MM parts. No help. Then, I replaced the intermediate shaft with a Borgeson Universal shaft that completely eliminated the rag joint with a second U-joint. No help. Finally, I discovered the loose bushing and banged it back down against the floorboard. Problem solved.

That was 3 years ago.

I posted a thread asking about this a few days ago. I added a picture. Could you take a look at it and let me know if looks like i need to do this and where do you hammer on it? Thanks

 

[Thomas Morgan]

this thread seems to fit my 95 gts problems, I am going to try to beat the bushing back in and if that doesnt work then I will change the rag joint.

 

[fiveoh2go]

Why don't these cars come with a solid steering shaft to begin with? Is there some kind of safety reason why they don't or is it a cost cutting thing? I'm completely ignorant on this subject, school me please.

 

[Taz]

Why don't these cars come with a solid steering shaft to begin with? Is there some kind of safety reason why they don't or is it a cost cutting thing? I'm completely ignorant on this subject, school me please.

It isn't a safety issue. The Borgeson and Flaming River intermediate shafts will collapse on impact, just like the OEM shaft.

The only reason the OEM shaft uses a rag joint is to minimize noise and kickback. The rubber rag joint provides much greater isolation, which makes the car more appealing to a wider market. Unfortunately, it also degrades the car's steering responsiveness.

 

[fiveoh2go]

It isn't a safety issue. The Borgeson and Flaming River intermediate shafts will collapse on impact, just like the OEM shaft.

The only reason the OEM shaft uses a rag joint is to minimize noise and kickback. The rubber rag joint provides much greater isolation, which makes the car more appealing to a wider market. Unfortunately, it also degrades the car's steering responsiveness.

Thanks for clearing this up for me, I was wondering if a solid shaft eliminated the collapsible part of the steering column. So basically the stocker just waters down the overall steering feel and responsiveness of the car?

 

[Taz]

Thanks for clearing this up for me, I was wondering if a solid shaft eliminated the collapsible part of the steering column. So basically the stocker just waters down the overall steering feel and responsiveness of the car?

Correct.

The aftermarket shafts replace the rubber rag joint found on the OEM shaft with a second U-joint. They also provide a much more precise inner/outer sliding shaft assembly to eliminate the rubber grommet located between the ill-fitting inner and outer shafts of the stocker.

 

[Thomas Morgan]

where is a good place to purchase the Borgeson intermediate shaft?

 

[01cobravortech]

Boy am I glad I came across this thread. I've been having an odd steering feel lately and hear some squeaking when I'm turning left or right under 30mph. I did notice today that the collar on mine is not seated properly. You're the man Taz. Going to dig into it tomorrow.