Slop in steering case - any suggestions

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Model T Ford Forum: Forum 2014: Slop in steering case - any suggestions
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jim Kelsey on Saturday, July 12, 2014 - 11:33 pm:

I took the T out for a twenty mile drive today and was irritated by the slop in the steering wheel. It has about 1-1 1/2" of free movement, which I have nailed down to the gear housing as everything is tight above and below it. I replaced the all of the gears and pins in 2007 with standard ones so it has to be worn teeth in the gear case. I don't remember if the oversize gears were available then, but that is probably what I should have purchased. I really don't want to buy the entire set again just to get the oversize pinion. Has anyone purchase an oversize pinion, decided against using it and would like to sell it??? Any other suggestions? Thanks.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Allan Richard Bennett on Saturday, July 12, 2014 - 11:52 pm:

Jim, you might also check that the gearcase is tight in the tube. Slop here can exaggerate any overall slop.

Hope this helps.

Allan from down under.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Roger Karlsson, southern Sweden on Sunday, July 13, 2014 - 04:05 am:

Check for slop in the frame bracket bushing, between the steering arm and the axle and as Allan says, between the housing and the steering post. Maybe something happened with your new parts, repro parts are rarely Ford quality.. Screw open the lid and check if the pins still are held tight to the axle.

Often used late steering columns with good parts can be found cheap at swap meets and auctions - or here at the classifieds?


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Seth from NC on Sunday, July 13, 2014 - 05:05 am:

Check the key and the two key ways. If lining up your steering wheel and getting it to go on isn't at least mildly annoying, you probably have too much wear in the key ways or key.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Terry Woods, Richmond, Texas on Sunday, July 13, 2014 - 08:39 am:

Lang's and probably Snyder's and others offer the oversize gear sets.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Tim Wrenn on Sunday, July 13, 2014 - 09:27 am:

Jim, I can "ditto" what Allan said above, before anything else, stand outside your car, "rock" the wheel back and forth, and carefully watch down into the quadrant to make sure the entire apparatus isn't sloppy inside where it's riveted to the tube. My '20 has albeit a "mere 1/16th." inch of slop, and you'd be surprised how much play that sets up. Everything else is good on my steering gear...including the gears inside the housing. Check that first. My friend checked his '26 after seeing mine, and lo and behold his does the same thing. Winter project coming up...remove entire post and somehow tighten it up. It's driving me nuts!


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Allan Richard Bennett on Monday, July 14, 2014 - 07:02 am:

Jim, somewhere I read of a cheap fix for gearcase slop in the tube. The repairer had partially ground down a piece of hacksaw blade to start it into the gap betwen the tube and gearcase. Then it was driven in until it would go no further and simply snapped off. Apparently it worked well, the teeth of the sawblade preventing it from coming out.

A bit on the crude side,but safe enough until a proper fix can be done.

Allan from down under.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Seth from NC on Monday, July 14, 2014 - 11:23 am:

You mean don't just hammer the rivets harder? That fixes the looseness right? =)


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Charlie B actually in Toms River N.J. on Monday, July 14, 2014 - 11:31 am:

I'll bet no bodies under about 1" play on average. Brand new they had some. I'ts not a great system period. Don't go too nuts. If you find some thing NG up top replace it of course but I don't think Zero play is possible.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By John Aldrich Orting Wa on Monday, July 14, 2014 - 09:54 pm:

I used the tierod shims with good success but I agree... zero play is a fable.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Wayne Sheldon, Grass Valley, CA on Monday, July 14, 2014 - 10:37 pm:

I hate to say it, but the Santa Clara club is very strict about that one inch for their Endurance Run tech inspection. I am amazed how so many people can get their Ts to pass. Including me.
Otherwise, I would be more lax myself.
Do drive carefully, and enjoy, W2


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jim Kelsey on Thursday, July 17, 2014 - 04:08 am:

Thank you all for the suggestions. The slop is definitely between the gear case teeth and the three pinion gears. I do not believe there is a fix for this, is there?


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By David Mazza on Thursday, July 17, 2014 - 07:52 am:

The suppliers sell new gears and pins, the gears are normally worn egg shaped on the pins. You can knock out the old pins and carefully press the new ones back in. Make sure the new pins go in straight. The kit is for the three new pins and center gear the goes through the case which the steering wheel attaches to. Do not be alarmed if the new gears are so tight they do not move freely at first, they are in fact over size and may need a little time saver compound to lap them in. You may get lucky and they may drop right in. I wasn't as lucky. It's not the point they aren't made right, I imagine its hard to spec parts to fit 100 year old worn out gear boxes! Depending on Which gear cover you have a bit may need to be removed from within the cover to allow the new gear to seat completely flush with the outside flange of the cover. If not when the steering wheel is tightened down it will seize the gear box as the wheel will tighten up against the cover.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jim Kelsey on Thursday, July 17, 2014 - 11:58 am:

I did put in all new gears back in 2007 and I had three inches of play back then. I was there was a way to shim the worn housing.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By David Mazza on Thursday, July 17, 2014 - 08:00 pm:

They do have oversize rivets, drill out the quadrant, tube and gear case. Then rivet tight. I suppose you could take the column apart and hammer it down on the gear case to tighten it up with the larger rivets as well.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By David Stroud on Friday, July 18, 2014 - 04:54 am:

My '25 coupe and my '23 TT both have nearly NO play in the steering gear. It isn't hard to achieve if everything is tight. JMHO. Dave


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