MTFCA Forum

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I have a loose steering wheel on a 27 Dr's Coupe ... about 1/8 turn or 20-25 degrees at steering gear junction. Its been suggested by bush mechanics to fill the steering gear junction with "saw dust" so the gears would operate tightly !!! ... Any suggestions? Ideas? Hacks?

Forget the sawdust. Have you taken the quadrant apart to check the condition of the pins and gears? If that is where the slop is they make replacements - even oversize ones. I don't think you want to take a chance with your steering binding up while you're going down the road.

Why risk your safety or the safety of others by cutting corners instead of doing it right? Buy the proper parts and rebuild the steering box and check out the front bushings too. If your not sure what to do just ask questions for assistance.

My '27 had the same issue and the problem wasn't just one thing. The tie rod ends were loose, the drag link was loose at the Pittman arm, and the column was loose at the block that mounts the column to the frame. The sun gear shaft that attaches to the steering wheel was also loose in the steering box cover. Everything was replaced and or adjusted and now I steer the T rather then aim it. Steering ain't a place to cut corners.

I agree with John. I see you are located in Pasadena. There is a lot of traffic in the L.A. area and not a place to have steering problems.
Check and replace or adjust all loose problems. Another potential problem in a 27 is the diamond shaped part of the steering box which is riveted to the column. sometimes it is loose and turns back and forth as you rotate the steering wheel. Check the column for cracks and if not cracked you can put a shim between the box and the column. Also check and replace the rivets if they are broken.
Norm

I have the infamous movement at the gear to column fit. This is one of my winter projects with any luck.

There probably is slack in the steering box but there is some also in the rest of the front end.
The overall best thing to do is to drop the front axle assembly and replace all the bushings in it. If you check it might surprise you what’s worn.
A T is easy to do and you can put the axle assembly on the work bench and replace the bushings. Along with repairing the steering column your T will drive and be better in steering response.

For me, it was a combination of things.
I had my grandson wiggle the wheel from side to side.
Traced the movement down to the point it didn't wiggle.
After each fix the wiggle was less than less and the issue was in a different part.
Don't skimp or short cut the fixes.

Sometimes its just easier to find a better steering column if thats the problem.The hard part is dropping out the bottom of car or pulling to inside and taking out. I have a car lift so its easy

Wear everywhere magnifys at the wheel
Start jack up the car repair everything thats loose even radiouse ball and shackles
And at the top end make sure rivits and steering case up top is tight and secure

That "sawdust thing" sounds like some used car salesmans "TEMPORARY FIX" just to sell a car with loose and sloppy steering!

Hi Hambrick, I had the same problem with my 1911 touring.I went over the whole front end. I finally decided to change the whole steering assembly to the 5:1 gear ratio. It was very expensive, but the outcome was well worth it. The driving and the control of the car is very good. I do a lot of touring and sometimes encounter a little heavy traffic. Loose steering is very dangerous in a Model T. You have a enough to keep on your mind with out worrying about the steering. Lang's has the Kit.

Pull the steering column out and rebuild it. You will likely find that the column tube is cracked at the gear case. The cracks can be brazed up or the tube can simply be replaced. Careful inspect the steering shaft, planet gears, and pins and replace anything that is worn out. Make sure the pins are tight in the shaft and replace the bushing in the frame mounted steering bracket if the shaft is too loose. Also, make sure the wood block is in place and all three of the bracket mounting bolts are tight. This will go a long way towards improving the steering in your car.

Stephen

I've replaced a couple of 4to1 gear sets with 5to1 gear sets and they worked out great. I used original used 5to1 sets that had very minimal wear. I replaced the gear pins in the steering shafts with ones that I made from drill rod witch was .001 or .002 over sized. That made the pins fit nice and tight in the steering shaft and took up what little wear was in the planet gear bores. Took out all of the play in that assembly and everything went together great. Well worth the effort. Dave

Thank you one & all for your opinions & suggestions. The message is clear indeed.

Unfortunately I live in a property without storage or garage, I cannot even have an auto on premises, & working on it in the street is out of question. I guess I just have to find an apt mechanic somewhere near by.

Thanx again for your posts, we consider this subject closed now.

My guess is it is the very nice Coupe you have for sale. Rather than scratch up a bunch of stuff and suffer the damage and mal-repair a local mechanic will do, why not let the new owner take care of it himself? He/she will likely have the knowledge/tools to do this and will certainly be more motivated to do a careful and correct job than the local wrench. FWIW.