Does the steering have a little free play in it? If so, how much? Does it wear? How to check for wear.
Measure Steering Wheel Free-Play
Measure Steering Wheel Free-Play. Sit in the car with the wheels set to straight ahead, then gently rotate the steering wheel from lock to lock. The distance before the wheel returns straight ahead indicates the free-play. If greater than about 30mm on the rim of the wheel then it is worth investigating further.
Rock the Rack at Centre Point
If there is any clunking when the steering rack is pushed and pulled from underneath the centre point while someone is holding the wheel straight, then it will mean that there is wear somewhere inside the steering rack. This would not be the case with a hydraulic or electric-assisted steering rack as there would be sufficient assistance to mask any wear.
Check the Tie-Rod Ends
Grip each tie-rod end and try to shake it up and down. If it moves noticeably, then a worn ball joint is likely the cause of the play. As stated above, this would commonly get mistaken for rack wear.
There is more on Manual Steering Racks at https://westernpowersteering.co.uk/steering-parts/manual-rack/.
Inspect the Rack Mounting Bushes
Worn rubber Mounting Bushes allow the whole steering Rack to shift slightly and produce a loose and vague Wander type of behaviour. Manual steering rack parts, including Mounting Bushes, for a steering rack can be found on the Western Power Steering website at westernpowersteering.co.uk/steering-parts/manual-rack/.
Decide Where the Play Actually Is
If tie rod ends and rack mounting bushes have been found to be OK and there is still play, then wear will have occurred within the steering rack itself. A sharp knock when checking for play at the centre point of the rack, will normally confirm wear has occurred internally within the steering rack.
Catching play early on a manual rack is straightforward and could save some unnecessary parts.
