In a message dated 4/22/2006 8:52:07 AM Pacific Daylight Time,
bpapaleo@distributel.net writes:
Hi everyone.
I recently replaced the ball joints, tie rod ends, and silentbloc pins on my
tr3 and have noticed that it's hard to move the steering by turning one of
the
front wheels, however it does move smoothly. Just wondering if this
tightness
is normal because of the new parts or should I be looking for another cause
(overtorqued etc)? Also, I have since removed the stator tube and control
head for repairs and refinishing and was just wondering if working on and
moving the steering with these parts out may cause me any problems with the
steering box, etc?
Thanks, Barry
Barry,
I have gone through this on a couple of TR3s now and I can tell you what I
discovered-which isn't something you'll read elsewhere and may be contoversial,
but here goes.
I tried to chase down tight steering by disconnecting bits and pieces of the
steering in order to isolate the source of the problem.
I discovered that the upright straightness has a big bearing on how hard
the steering is to turn. If the vertical rotational axis of the upright is not
co-axial top and bottom, then as it turns, it flexes the bushings, maybe
quite a bit, depending on how bent the upright is. In examining a large number
(20 as I recall), bent uprights were really common.
BUT, what will really make it hard to turn is to use aftermarket polyurthane
bushings which are harder than the OEM bushing. My conclusion was that if
you had a bent upright it had to compress the bushings more, and if the
bushings were harder, it took more force to compress them and therefore more
force
to turn the steering wheel. That was my take on it.I have OEM bushings and am
satisfied with the force to turn the wheel.
Good Luck!
Mike Moore
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