How to best test a steering box? [SOLVED]

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Dub and Bubber

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Hi,
Obviously on the road .... but I have a spare RHD box that I'm offering for sale soon and want to give it an accurate description/assessment.
Its currently in place on a shell, but theres play in the column fixings so I'm thinking theres probably a more reliable way to see whether theres play in the box .....?
 
Hold the box in a vice and centre the steering (turn all the one way counting the turns, half that number, turn back by that amount).
Attach the input flange and output pitman arm.
Place a DTI on the pitman arm to measure movement, and clamp a piece of wood to the input shaft the same length as the steering wheel radius. Find a way of measuring the movement of that, I just stuck a piece of paper underneath with a pencil on the arm.
Move the end of that piece of wood and watch the dti- the amount that the end of the piece of wood moves before the DTI needle moves is half of your play.
 
Happystamps said:
Hold the box in a vice and centre the steering (turn all the one way counting the turns, half that number, turn back by that amount).
Attach the input flange and output pitman arm.
Place a DTI on the pitman arm to measure movement, and clamp a piece of wood to the input shaft the same length as the steering wheel radius. Find a way of measuring the movement of that, I just stuck a piece of paper underneath with a pencil on the arm.
Move the end of that piece of wood and watch the dti- the amount that the end of the piece of wood moves before the DTI needle moves is half of your play.
Click to expand...

Question as above ... just "quoted" to flag it up :)
 
Dub and Bubber said:
Thanks! ... What would be an acceptable half-play distance on the clamped steering radius arm?
Click to expand...

From the MOT manual, reason for failure:

1. A point on the rim of the steering wheel moves, without the road wheels moving, for more than:

a. 75mm for non rack and pinion (i.e.Box)

(this is total play)

So no play= good condition
up to 75mm total play= Useable, legally speaking
over 75mm total play= Spares or repairs only.
 

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