Any way to tighten the steering rack? Rattling and play issue

[S2kvee]

Well I have a 96 Nsx that had been hit in the front driver side before all fixed not. I purchased it like that.

Well my steering wheel has a few degrees of loose play in it. I can slightly turn left and right while still maintaining straight. At the same time I would hear something loose coming from the steering column or steering rack everytime I hit a bump. It sounds like the steering column is loose from the rack. Are there any adjustments that can be made to tighten up the steering?

Thanks

 

[Sylvan]

Have you looked under the car to see what wiggles when you grab a wheel and shake it? I had some vague steering and I was able to grab the front wheels at the 9 and 3 o'clock positions and shake them. Doing this, I could see the play in the steering rack tie-rods. I replaced both inner tie rods and outer tie rod ends for good measure, and then everything was rock solid. The outer rod ends were probably fine, but I figured, what the heck, since I was in there anyways I might as well.

 

[S2kvee]

I'll try to pinpoint the noise but as for tightening the rack.. Any inputs?

 

[greenberet]

Dear V, since you’re an Automotive Technician you probably know this already, but page 17-44 of the 1996 Service Manual for your car has a section titled “Steering Gearbox Adjustment” which describes how to tighten the rack.

 

[EdinKali]

If the gearbox is adjusted properly and the tie rod ends don't have any play check the steering rack bushings. They have a tendency to fall apart over time. You can get a set of urethane replacement bushings from various vendors.

 

[S2kvee]

Dear V, since you’re an Automotive Technician you probably know this already, but page 17-44 of the 1996 Service Manual for your car has a section titled “Steering Gearbox Adjustment” which describes how to tighten the rack.

I've actually only had the car a short period and had no time to fully inspect the underside of the car. I also did not have access to the Nsx service manual till you just memtioned it. Now I learned it is available online. Thanks for pointing me to that direction. Now I just gotta find a day to diagnose / fix this problem... I just hope I have access to a lift..

 

[S2kvee]

So I took a look under neath the car and couldn't find anything visually wrong, I do hear a loose gear sound when my co-worker was turning the wheel. I adjusted / tighten the steering rack in hopes to get rid of the problem. It lessen the play a bit but it's still there.. The car however drives a bit more stiff on the wheel. Sorta fixes the problem of bump steer a bit but feels like no power steering. It has it pros and cons..

Frustrated at the world, that day I took a look at the steering column itself and what did I see, a bolt missing which tightens the column to the rack... My problem is all fixed but I still went ahead and ordered dali's bushing kit to try out... Now I gotta fix my camber and caster issue... FML..

 

[LJSB]

page 17-44 of the 1996 Service Manual for your car has a section titled “Steering Gearbox Adjustment” which describes how to tighten the rack.

I adjusted / tighten the steering rack in hopes to get rid of the problem. It lessen the play a bit but it's still there.. The car however drives a bit more stiff on the wheel. Sorta fixes the problem of bump steer a bit but feels like no power steering. It has it pros and cons..

This adjustment is for the effort that it takes to turn the wheel not to take up play.

FYI. That is why your steering now feels more stiff and as if there is no power steering.

 

[d1 guy]

Hi guys, sorry I missed this. Usually folks describe this as a power steering issue, so I missed it since it didn't have EPS or something power steering related. What you're experiencing is the internals breaking down inside your rack. This is very common and will eventually happen to all of the eps units. If you have a moment, check out my page in the vendor section. Here is a link:

http://www.nsxprime.com/forum/showt...urb-Service-By-D1-Guy-1991-1996-amp-1997-2005

My cell is 662-416-0900

Feel free to call or text anytime. I'll help

- - - Updated - - -

I should also mention that the tightening procedure will not help your issue. See, Hondas "torque" spec for the rack is a whopping 4 Newton Meters. Then you back it off 25 degrees then tighten the nut. That means that your "tightness" is confined to the internals of the rack. When you tighten the pinion adjustment all you're doing is making your steering shaft clamp harder against the input shaft. This causes excess wear and erratic behavior.