Steering Wheel Won't Return to 12 O'Clock

[Owen]

When I drive and make a tight turn, the steering wheel doesn't return to where it was before the turn. If I take a tight right, the wheel ends up pointing right, and oppsosite for left turns.

 

I've tightened the rack down and even put nuts on the opposite ends of the bolts to keep them from coming lose. No dice. I've also removed and remounted the splined hub on the steering column with no progress.

 

This leads me to believe that the slop is still all in the rack, how do I adjust this, at the big nut on the steering rack?

 

Thanks,

Owen

[blueovalz]

I ran into this same problem with my rack the minute I adjusted the slack out of the rack. I had to go back and loosen (back off) the adjustment that pushes the rack up against the pinion gear. Eventually, I gave up and instead replaced the bronze bushings at the ends of the rack housing.

I cannot verify this, but if I remember correctly, there are some shims that space the pinion gear up off the rack gear. I'm wondering if reducing the thickness (remove a shim or two) of this shim, in conjuction with some very slight adjusting of the rack's adjusting nut inward, would keep this from happening. It all made sense to me years ago when I did this, but I remember the adjustment nut (on my particular rack) actually instilling a slight bend in the rack when adjusted too far (due to a combination of worn components), causing it to bind at full lock.

[Owen]

Thanks Terry,

I checked the cdrom version of the factory service manual and there is a retainer that sits under the lock nut in the steering housing. But I can't tell if its a one piece spacer or more. I'm going to play with the adjusting screw a little and see if that gets me anywhere. Maybe the retaining spring is bad, but I don't want to pull off the whole rack to service it.

Owen