Steering Wheel Woes

[VW&MGman]

Hi Everyone,

I need your help in trying to figure out a steering wheel positioning problem that I have.

When I race my 1969 Beetle on tight race tracks the steering wheel position tends to slowly rotate. Meaning at the beginning of my race weekend, my hand position would be at 9 and 3 on the steering wheel when going straight, but at the end of the weekend, to keep the car going straight, the same hand position that I had, would be at 8 and 2.

Basically it seems as if the steering wheel is rotating on the steering shaft. I checked the torque of the bolts at the steering coupling and the steering wheel nut everything was fine.

Has anyone experience this issue before? I’m running Toyo R888 tires, 195/55/15 with a stock steering box.

Thanks everyone for your inputs.

[Marc]

You make this sound as though it's a recurring problem - it happens, you recenter the wheel, it happens again, and so on, always in the same direction....THAT's something I've never experienced, and cannot imagine a cause for.

The steering coupler can still creep even with the pinchbolts torqued to spec, (especially if the "splines" are worn down) but it can only go so far before the flats on the shafts limit any further travel in that direction. I used to use a stud and higher-grade nuts instead of the stock bolt/nut so I could torque the heck out of them...the copper-plated nuts from trans sidecovers can take about twice the torque without stripping.
Check that the steering box isn't shifting on the beam. The locating nub is supposed to keep the clamp from moving, but if it's been trimmed to improve the shaft alignment there could be enough play to let the box move.

Any other alignment specs changed by themselves? If there's a camber change (from the torsion bars/control arms shifting, or a camber eccentric rotating) that'll affect the toe & steering wheel position.

[FJCamper]

Above: Shiftin' steering? Mechanical problem or driver recalibration?


Hi Jason,

What have you been doing to recenter the steering wheel between events? If it has been self-centering, it's very likely the steering box shifting side to side on the axle beam.

Rememeber, we owe you a ride. It's been the very devil exorcising the detail demons from the Blitzwagen. As we fix some, others of an entirely new and rare sort pop up. But we're persistent.

FJC

[VW&MGman]

Hi Guys,

Thanks again for the feedback. I checked the eccentric nuts and they were loose! That would explain why the steering wheel repositioned itself. Another thing to check before going back to the track.

BTW, I welded a larger tap to the front beam to prevent the steering box from rotating, but it's not a bad idea to weld a small tab to prevent it from moving side to side. Thanks FJC!

[Marc]

Back in my off-road days I saw a lot of cars that had the steering box clamp half welded solidly to the beam...it kept the box from creeping, but looked like a rather scary way to address the issue (could be a real problem if you had to make repairs in the boonies). I took a less-committal approach and just added one or two small welds that could be easily severed with a cold chisel if the need should ever arise. This is another spot where replacing the stock bolts with studs and nuts is a good idea IMO - a broken steering box bolt can be nearly impossible to fix in the field (short of installing a spare box if you've got one), if you install studs they're much less likely to break off flush from overtorquing or a shunt on the track.
I've been bitten by the loose camber eccentrics before too - which is why I do NOT apply any anti-seize to them as some recommend. Just let nature's Loctite take its course and they should stay put; carry a 3-pound sledge to the track so you can pop them free if you ever need to.