What Causes Steering Wheel Play?
1 Answers
Steering wheel play may be caused by the following reasons: wear of the steering column universal joint, wear of the steering gear rack and pinion, and wear of the tie rod ball joint. 1. Wear of the steering column universal joint: The steering column universal joint is essentially a universal joint, whose function is to change the direction of the steering column torque and prevent the steering column from puncturing the driver in the event of a serious accident. Wear of the universal joint will cause excessive steering wheel play, and sometimes a clicking sound can be heard. 2. Wear of the steering gear rack and pinion: The steering gear rack and pinion will experience some wear, especially if there is a habit of not returning the steering wheel to the center position when parking, which will subject the rack and pinion to greater pressure and accelerate wear. When the rack wear is not severe, the tightening force of the rack and pinion can be increased by adjusting the screw on the steering gear, but the steering wheel will become heavier accordingly. 3. Wear of the tie rod ball joint: There are inner and outer ball joints on the vehicle's steering gear. The inner ball joint connects the tie rod to the steering gear rack, and the outer ball joint connects the steering knuckle to the tie rod. Lifting the vehicle and manually shaking the wheel can allow you to feel the play in the ball joint and hear a rattling sound.
