Steering Gear Problem?

My car started vibrating while driving. (The vibration stops under acceleration.) I looked at the usual suspects (bearings, tie rod ends,) and noticed that there was play between the tie-rod end and the steering gear. There is enough play that the right wheel can be turned left and right about a half inch without affecting the steering wheel.

My guess is that I need a new steering gear. Does this sound right to everyone? Are there other things I should check first?

I will probably have to get one from an auto recycler. Does anyone know which cars came with compatible steering gears with the same turning ratio? I had started to ask about a steering gear on the parts wanted list, but then I realized that the shipping alone would be more than the part would cost from a local yard.

Thanks in advance for the help, advice, and suggestions.

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Mike Walsted

1986 5-speed TurboCoupe .

There are inner tie rods under the rubber boots that connect to the rack (steering gear). sounds like you may just have a bad one on the right side. In extereme cases it can seperate and allow the wheels to head in different directions. Yours sounds really bad, be careful. They can be bought from any auto parts store.

Tom

[This message has been edited by TurboCoupe50 (edited 04-30-2001).]

Yes, you can replace the one bad inner tie rod end (which I agree is the cause of your vibration), but you need a special tool to do the job. If one side is bad, the other side will probably go south soon also. When mine went bad, I found it cost me just as much to just replace the whole rack as it would have to replace only the inner tie rod ends. I got a rebuilt rack from carparts.com fo a little under $100 when I replaced mine last year.

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Jeff Korn

88 Turbo Coupe: Intake and exhaust mods, T3 turbo at 20 psi, forced air intercooler, water injection, bypass valve, Ranger roller cam, subframes, etc., etc.. // 86 Tbird 5.0: intake, exhaust, 100 HP nitrous, ignition, gears, suspension, etc., etc.... // 91 Escort: Bone stock winter car // 00 Windstar (wifes vehicle)

You were right about the costs, Jeff, so I replaced the whole rack.

Thanks for the advice.

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Mike Walsted

1986 5-speed TurboCoupe .