Quick observation. When adjusting rack make sure that the wheels are in marginal position (turn the wheels to max) in this position you have least amount of wear on shaft, you will avoid problems with stiff steering wheel this way.
I came down to comments to say this. The wheel play is because the actual rack and the pinion are worn down from new spec. it will always be worse in the center because most of the steering systems life is spent making the car go straight. Doing what you suggest and setting the preload lash tension at full right or left lock will ensure that you still have good clearance in the center, as opposed to doing the opposite which can make your steering lock up when you get more angle in it. and cause the wheels to not naturally self center when coming out of a turn.
@@fakiirificationI put a new rack in my daughter's pickup and it has play. Are you guys saying I should turn the wheel all the way one way or the other before I do this or with the rack being new should I leave it centered
Great info bud!! Word to the wise on this, always always always put some amount of relief in the tension “Back off the bolt” once it gets tight. It is critical that there is some amount of play, even if it’s only quarter of a linear inch along the circumference of the the steering wheel. If it’s too tight, you risk burning up your pump and wearing out the nylon preload bushing, overheating it which could cause catastrophic failure while driving, with almost no steering available!
Yes. It's those nylon end bushings that have worn to create this issue in the first place. You don't want to make them worse by putting a load on them. Hopefully people have enough finesse to feel the difference between removing the slack vs. creating tension.
I have been almost replace the universal joint/coupling since I have mistaken it as the culprit of vast steering wheel clearance. Thanks guy for the tip, now I will work it out without spending a single penny. 👍
Thank you, sir. I have taken my car to a mechanic and he recommends a new steering rack which will cost about $500, while your info did solve the problem. I can't thank you enough
if your car has this, you do need a new rack. adjusting gear lash like this is a bandaid that will hold you for a while, but to properly fix it you do need a new steering rack. Easy DIY on most cars, just need to get an alignment done afterward.
Excellent video man. This helped me find my play issue in my Mark 8. I was drifting a Miata for some time before. I miss mine. I hope you are doing well man. THank you!
Awesome video. I'll be doing this to my 06 Ram. The previous owner had a manufactured rack and all 4 ball joints installed. I recently replaced both inner and outer tie rods because they reused those. After getting an alignment done I noticed the play still there and narrowed it down to this.
Great information! I'm an old fart and am used to steering wheel play, haven't owned a rig newer than a 1977 for years, now I have a 99 subaru, steering always had some play, but I didn't think it excessive. Today it went pop and the wheel is now 90° off, thought it was a bad tierod, nope every thing is solid. Got to looking and didn't recognize any of the steering components, never owned a rack and pinion steering before, so here I sit learning , who said you can't teach an old dog new tricks 👍👍
As a fellow Maxima enthusiast, that's cool to hear. My wife and I have both owned 4th gen Maximas, and her current daily is a full bolt-on 5th gen 20th anniversary.
great VID, any mechanic will tell you that your rack got to be regenerated seeing that play BUT all that takes is the adjustable screw to get the play OUT, this is why the screw is there!!! GREAT thanks for the vid, thumbs UP!!!
I went to three different shops and they all told me the same thing. Tightened nut, noise is gone. Why do they do that? Is there a very good reason why you shouldn't adjust this? As the car ages, it will eventually require tightening due to the teeth getting worn down right? Presumably that is why they put the adjustment there?
Mechanic shops also have to warranty the labor they did. If they tighten a nut and end up retightening it 4 times and then you still have to replace the rack its on them or its bad customer service. If they condemn the rack they dont have to deal with the headache that is old ass cars falling apart. And putting a new part on they can blame mazda or the source the rack came from
I was suffering this play in my Honda civic 92, according to the service manual the play should not exceed 5 mm, I was having like 25 mm play, and I just tightened the what so called "Rack screw" that go inside to push on the rack & I solved it.. firm and rigid steering feel again ... Thanks for the video
Awesome ty I was thinking I needed to replace the dang thing so I checked on here first to see if it could be adjusted so ty for this video it helped alot !!!
I recently re built the rack (seals went bad leaked all over) and couldn't figure out why a rebuilt rack had so much play, spent over an hour at a renown race alignment shop going over it, had just put in new ball joints on all the front corners. Decided it was wear and tear among the suspension (24 year old car), going to try this next time i'm at the warehouse. Thanks for the video.
That's amazing, gonna have to try this on mine soon. And damn, I am quite jelly of that lift, meanwhile I'm here with a jack that won't fit under mine ;(
Thanks. I believe your C10 has a steering box, which is a bit different from the rack and pinion setup shown here, but it should still have a preload adjustment.
@@bryanmurphy26 Thanks for the reply I have installed a Uni Steer rack n Pinion on my c10 this why I reached out it have about a 1/2 " of lose play in the steering wheel
Man I was at my wits end went bout new control and tie rods from eBay notice still my steering was way off even paid $79.00 for a front end alignment to no avail the tire alignment guy even did it over again free he was able to straighten my crooked steering wheel use a computer system but he discovered that my rack needed replacement or something was missing and I found that little piece in my drive on the ground that adjusts the pressure somehow it came out due a fail also I was quoted anywhere from $1300 to $1700 to replace the rack and that’s with me supplying my own new one hell to the naw I’m glad I came across your video man many thanks ❤😂
MX5DoEtRick27 Lmk how it works out. My car drove so much better when I drove it home that night. 3 weeks later, I'm starting to feel a little play in the steering coming back though. It might be worth taking the adjuster out and greasing the part that slides on the rack.
MX5DoEtRick27 Good to hear. I ordered a new rack for mine. My rack has to work pretty hard due to having chopped knuckles for drifting. I'm sure that contributed to the wear on the gears.
Bryan Miata that adjustment made a big difference man, you ordered a new one? That’s awesome man, if you could please post a vid in how to. Thanks again man.
Thanks for posting this video. Had a similar issue on a car a long time ago and nobody knew how to fix. There is no info in this out there. Know I know if it ever happens again. Appreciate the info.
My civic steering has the exact same issue. I done some research and there is a similar method to adjust the rack. My mechanic told me the steering is fine and to not worry but its my car and I know that it is not feeling right so I will try this myself.
There is a somewhat similar bolt on our 2012 Infiniti G37 RWD that looks like a drain plug. Power steering fluid was leaking out ( car actually uses ATF for the steering gear ). the steering has always been loose feeling since we got the car in august of '23 with 81k on it. I tightened the bolt up now the steering is much tighter, almost too tight. The fluid resovior was low, so I topped it off and the steering got less tight, but still tighter than it was before for sure.
Definitely. That's an important detail. I used very little tension. Just enough to remove the slack between the gears. Once the gears were fully meshed, I backed off a little to make sure there was no load on the bushings inside the rack, which would certainly accelerate wear.
I assume this works by jerking the wheel side to side in the air also. If tie rods have no play, wheel bearing is solid and you get side to side play, or is this adjustment just for the steering wheel play
Will this stiffen up the steering. I replaced the rack but during windy conditions on the interstate I'm white knuckling. It rolls straight but steering feels like it's way to easy to turn.
Almost like you do a gear box. I replaced my rag / ujoint shaft on my steering couming and it got loose. I tried as carefully as I could to remove it but had to use the hammer ever so slightly to remove the joint from the shaft of the rack. So now to try this out. Had luck with gear boxes on rear wheel drive cars before. You just couldn't adjust them too much or it get worse.
That is a first for me, never knew about this til I saw your video. I replaced inner and outer tie rods on a 2015 toyota corolla and still had issues with it. Was about to go for the intermediate shaft next but i will try this first. What purpose does this bolt serve? Would it be on other vehicles as well?
It basically just moves the pinion gear closer to the teeth it meshes with on the rack. Confirm this is the issue before adding preload. Have someone move the wheel back and forth within the range of the slop, while you look to see were the motion stops. For example, if the steering shaft is moving right and left without any motion at the inner tie rods, then the rack may be able to benefit from a little more pre load. Only add as much as you need to remove the play. If you add more than you need, it will start to put pressure on the bushings, which can shorten the life of the bushings and seals. Also, don't forget to check your ball joints, control arm bushings, and your wheel bearings.
Awesome info. Is this adjustment only valid for cars with hydraulic power steering, or does this adjustment exist on electronic power steering cars as well?
Thanks for watching. I have a weird condition where I have patches of blonde in my mustache, beard, and in my hair. It's all there but the blonde parts are just don't show up well on camera. Its always driven me nuts.
Hello, do you know diameters of thread of the adjustment nut? I am looking forward some replace part into my rack in BMW e90. This seems to be same, but I am not sure. Thank you!
Was there any play in your wheel holding at 9 and 3? I have quite a bit on both sides, swore it was inner tie rods but both sides inner and outer are tight. The play I am feeling is in the rack somewhere. Apparently you cant adjust that screw on this vintage of honda without a special tool. I'd really rather not put a new rack in this car lol.
Give this post on honda tech a quick read. This guy lists the part number for the Honda tool, and he said it took care of all his slack. honda-tech.com/forums/acura-integra-6/steering-rack-adjustment-best-thing-i-ever-did-2572614/
What the F@#%!!!you are soo slick man.wow.i thought i seen it all.thats great using a nut as a tool.who has a hex that big? great job man.hats off to you.great job
There's still a slight bit steering clunk at the end. Have you went back and adjusted the preload a bit tighter to see if that gets rid of the clunk? I found this video while trying to get rid of this clunk.
celerondude I did adjust it a little more off camera. I couldn't get rid of 100% of the play because the rack is just plain worn out. This was a good way to get it to drive well for now. New manual racks cost a fortune😖
Bryan, on my car, my mechanic said that the pre-load adjuster has maxed out. Im wondering what would cause it to be adjusted until it can't be adjusted any more? Can the nut itself be replaced or does it mean the steering rack needs to be replaced with a new one which is very costly? I got a used Honda Stream 2012 and I'm really wondering what will cause the pre-load adjust knob to be maxed out yet the vehicle isn't very old?
Hi Jack. It is possible for the internal bushings to become so worn that you can't obtain proper preload. It is a common issue with your Honda's electric power steering rack. Some people rebuild them with more durable aftermarket bushings that won't fail prematurely as the the stock ones tend to do. Maybe you can have you mechanic look into this solution.
Before you do anything, have someone crank the wheel back and forth while you're under there. That much play will be very visible. Look at the steering shaft going into the rack. Check to see if it is rotating without moving the tie rods. Also check the bushings in the rack mounts, and check your control arm bushings and ball joints.
Hey did you notice a rattling or banging coming from the rack when driving? Or was it solely the movement in the steering which you noticed in order to make that adjustment?..thanks
