Jeff:
Sounds more like you might have excessive wear in the _inner_ tie rod. If
you want to check this, you'll have to drain the lubricant out of the
steering rack, and slide the rubber boot outwards to expose the inner tie
rod joint.
You can continue to drive the car with play in the tie rods, as well as in
other components of the steering assembly. The downside is the loss of
crispness that is such a part of these cars, and if it gets bad enough, it
becomes unsafe. Having just finished completely rebuilding my car's front
suspension and steering, I can attest to the joy of driving with everything
tight and new.
Doug Ingram
Victoria BC
1958 Sprite (AN5L/636)
1963 Sprite Mk II project (HAN7L/30003)
----- Original Message -----
From "Jeffrey H. Boatright" <jboatri at emory.edu>
To: <spridgets@autox.team.net>
Sent: Sunday, May 12, 2002 7:09 PM
Subject: more looseness
> Spridgeteers,
>
> As I wrote earlier, I get slight when I push/pull the left front tire
> with my hands at the 3 and 9 o'clock positions. There is no play with
> my hands at 6 and 12 o'clock positions, nor is there any play at all
> in the right wheel.
>
> I have cinched down the lock nut on the tie rod end. The nut was
> solid on the tie rod, so turning the nut turned the tie rod into the
> tie rod end. This is now tight, and a lot of the clunk-clunk play is
> gone, but there is still a little. And, as noted above, the right
> side does not have any such play.
>
> Is a little play ok? If not, what is suspect here? What is the next
> item to check. I haven't seen much about this in the manuals.
>
> TIA,
>
> Jeff
/// unsubscribe/change address requests to majordomo@autox.team.net or try
/// http://www.team.net/mailman/listinfo
/// Archives at http://www.team.net/archive/spridgets
|