Anyone notice a bit of play in the steering?

[ILLSMOQ]

I recently picked up an SRT-10....and it has a little play in the steering wheel. Anyone else have this?

 

[quick2tr]

Nope,

11k miles and its pretty tight.

 

[Kai SRT10]

Mine has absolutely no play. Never has.

 

[Chris310p]

Yeah I think mine does also. It is an 04 with about 800 miles. This is the first Viper I have owned so I wasn't sure if that is just how they felt.


Chris

 

[Nader]

None at all.

 

[RichieSRT10]

Mine is tight and it feels just right.

 

[Viper Specialty]

The play you are noticing is just the intial movement of the rack & pinion. All SRT's have a "looser" section when the car is turned off, about .5 CM in either direction. this is just the amount of movement the rack mounts, ball joins, and tires can "give" before any large force is required. This will not be noticeable when the car is moving, as the force to move the tires during forward movement is less than the force of "give". Compare it to another SRT is possible to be sure.

 

[GR8_ASP]

I agree with Daniel as the on center play does appear slightly more than a Gen I/II. Not noticeable at all when driving. The benefit is a little bit of a dead zone when on center. That is a good thing as it prevents the near constant corrections that can occur when you have insufficient dead zone.

The only thing that really bothers me is the squawk from the steering shaft seal when hot.

 

[ILLSMOQ]

I've let a few people drive the car......and 2 asked me what was up with the steering..."Why is there so much play in the steering?"....They brought it up....both have driven Vipers.

Engine on or off, the play is still there, still the same.

This situation is not a good thing. Spirited driving on anything less than a newly paved road is pretty scarry.

The looseness is definatly inside the rack, the rack it self does not move. The steering wheel will go about 1/2 to 3/4 inch before the wheels turn. If that is normal, I don't like it.

Taking it in to the dealer wednesday.

Thanks for the input

 

[VipeRicK]

not a bit of play feels absolutely perfect in my 2005.

 

[Viper Specialty]

That sounds excessive. The most "play" I have seen is about 1/4-3/8"...and you really couldnt call it play, just a less-force-required area, it always springs back to center, etc. It is not at all like a "freewheel".

Perhaps check the steering shaft for a bad joint or a loose collar bolt on either end...?

 

[ILLSMOQ]

Fixed it.

I took a closer look and found I could wiggle the universal joint yokes at each end of the steering shaft......the pinch bolts seemed to be tight.

I torqued the pinch bolts down a bit - The universals no longer can be wiggled and the "play" that I was experiencing is now gone.

Anybody know what the proper torque specs are for the pinch bolts??

I also found the crank shaft pully bolt to be loose......lol

 

[ILLSMOQ]

Nice Daniel...that was it

 

[ILLSMOQ]

Caught a break with the rain so I took the car out for a spin. Night and day difference. This thing really does handle well.

 

[Viperfreak2]

Could you snap a picture of the joint and bolts?

 

[ILLSMOQ]

Kind of hard to get the camera in there to take a picture.

This is the universal joint at the top of the steering shaft...that is the bolt. There is another joint just like that one at the other end of the shaft. Both ends needed to be tightened.

 

[Viperfreak2]

Thanks, sorry to put you to the trouble, but I wanted to make sure I was tinkering with the correct bolts!

 

[ILLSMOQ]

No problem.....does your steering have play in it as well?

 

[JB/SRT]

The 2004 Viper Service Manual says on page 19-24 that the coupling pinch bolt torque is 36 ft-lbs.

 

[ILLSMOQ]

thank you