Steering relay ??

[mudmuncher]

Hi all

I am looking at the steering system on my 40 year old series 2 as the steering wheel has to be turnned quite alot before the wheels move !!

I have replaced the steering box to steering relay arm and ball joint

The steering box is adjusted properly so i am wondering if the relay is at fault ???

Is there any way of testing this ??

Should they be replaced after a certain time ??

Many thanks chris

[rtbarton]

There is a solid connection between the input and output of the relay, it could be the splines are worn or the pinch bolts are loose on the top and/or bottom arms. This should be easy to see or feel as the wheel is moved lock to lock. The conical bearings in the relay could be worn, in which case the shaft in the relay would rock sideways.

I find a good way to check ball joints is to grip the whole joint in your fist and get someone to (carefully!) rock the steering. If a joint is worn you should feel it knocking.

[FridgeFreezer]

Checking for play in the steering is fairly easy - get someone to swing the steering wheel left & right to the limits of the free play (so to the point it just starts to turn the wheels), then work your way down the steering system looking at or feeling every joint - you can usually see where the movement of the steering wheel does not travel through a component properly (IE the "out" bit does not move as much as the "in" bit), although small play such as worn ball joints you may need to put a finger across the joint to feel it.

[Snagger]

A tiny amount of play on the steering box drop arm loses a lot of movement, so make sure the big not on the output shaft is very tight. Then check both steering relay pinch bolts, all six rod ends and look closely for relative movement between the lower swivel pins/steering arms and the swivel housings - worn studs can allow the arms to move significantly without turning the swivels.