Steering trouble shooting

[beretta]

My 96 Z has started steering weird the past while and is getting worse

It use to be ok then it would pull to the right then it would be fine then pull to the left and just felt not right.

Latley it feels like its more jerky, if i pull out to pass someone it jerks all over and stiffer to turn left and when i pull back to the right its looser.

I have changed rear bushings on driver side and ball joint. today i just put a Genuine GM control arm on the passenger side with bushings and ball joint. it still steers funny but its a little better.

I had my dad crank the wheel back and forth because it also makes a clunky noise, i was looking at the arms off the rack to the tie rods and the driver side one has some play in it, you can see it moving and the bushing on it moving.
The clunky noise sounds more like its coming from the rack right where the steering shaft comes into it, you can hear it inside the car with your head down by the floor it sounds louder.

Is there something in there that normally goes on these cars where the steering shaft goes into the rack, could it be a knuckly on the steering shaft itself? possibly an easier job then tackling changing the entire rack then id have to get an alignment and mess around.

Some of the clunky noise could be from that arm but if you turn it back and forth slow you can still hear a clunky noise at the rack right where the steering shaft goes in.

Its been driving like this all winter, ive had winter tires on it up until last week and they still have the nubs on the otter and inner treads never wore them at all. but now with 16s back on it and 205 55's they are much wider and it pulls worse now

[scd88ga]

Here's is a GREAT reference page that should help you out! http://www.ifitjams.com/steering.htm

[beretta]

It doesnt tell me if the imput shaft on the rack is a known thing to go on these cars, and maybe there is a knuckle or pin or something on the steering shaft thats maybe a common thing to go..

the inner tie rod i guess maybe you would call it.. on the tie rod shaft where is bolts to the rack has some play but the clunk sounds likes its coming from the steering column..

[3X00-Modified]

He posted a guide, its not specific to a car or setup, you need to trouble shoot these things and figure it out. Unfortunately without hands on no one on here can tell you exactly whats wrong.

Try a few things and get more info.

The inner tie rod mounting location should not have any play, they should only rotate up and down with suspension travel, if there is play it's either loose or the bushings are shot.

[berettaboi]

i havent heard much of replacing the inner tie rods (complete bars), but they offer quite a few on rockauto i noticed a couple days ago (i'm shopping around for outers)

on another note, are beretta's known for 'memory steer' like the newer grand ams seemed to always get? due to the strut mount/bearing assembly.

[KFLO 93 GT]

Is the car rusty at all?

I've seen more than a few Berettas get a rust issue on the firewall and have one side of the rack start to rip the firewall.

Frankly, I've never heard of failure with the ujoint steering linkage in these cars. Furthermore, none of the GM cars I've ever been around that were daily driver types have had that part fail. I'd be looking at tierods and the rack or rack mounts.

[beretta]

car has no rust.. only around my wheels where the stupid paint chips off the primer.. underneath of the car is spotless.

The inner tie rod on driver side looks like a newer one, probably was a cheap aftermarket part and is failing.. i can see the bushing on it moving so alot of it is coming from that, but i can hear the clunky clunk noise from inside too thats why i thought maybe the steering knuckle if they were known to go.

I salvaged the inner tie rod from a 94 parts car i just stripped so ill get that changed this week sometime hopefully that fixes all my problems.. the only thing left i havent changed is the strut mounts or the entire rack.

[spacecadetz26]

jack the front end up and grasp the tire check for side to side and up and down play...

I had a steering knuckle go bad on my 96z the ball joint wallowed out the hole which it goes through on the knuckle. it was all over the road. followed ruts and made bad noises. if it is the knuckle its 96 only. they used smaller strut-knuckle bolts that are easier to take out.

You may also have a broken or stripped bolt on the rack straps. they are the two clamps that hold the steering rack to the body of the car. when you are turning they might be putting stress on it and slapping against the firewall.

there is no intermediate steering shaft on these cars, the column bolts directly to the rack. you should check to make sure the 11mm bolt is tight. its inside the rubber bellows under the dash where the column goes through to the rack.