i was driving my camino last night and noticed that there is about 1/2" to 1" of "play" in the steering wheel. meaning i can turn the wheel slightly (back and forth) but the car still goes straight.

is this pretty normal?

i had the front end rebuilt 2 years ago (PST poly stuff). it tracks perfectly straight down the road. new tires last year. i think i noticed it becuase i have been driving my other vehicle so much (2004 f150) and of course the steering is super responcive on new cars. maybe its just me.

what do you guys think?

That is normal for a car with a steering box. Can't be compared to rack & pinion..

sounds like you need a steering box,id have it checked out,,,doing mine now..

First, check the rag joint that connects the steering shaft to the box.

That isnt too bad. Mine is rebuilt and has about the same amount of play.

Have you tried adjusting the steering box?

I'm with Jim. You may need to adjust the mesh on the gears in the box. A lot of times a small adjustment will eliminate the slop...provided the problem is actually the box and not a bad rag joint or worn front end.

thanks guys......

i looked at the rag joint and it looks good. all the front end parts are new so i wouldn't expect them (and i only drive it like 1500 miles per year) so i hope they have minimal wear on them.

how would one adjust the steering box?

If you look at the top cover of the steering box, you'll find a nut with an Allen head screw in the center. You loosen the nut, use an Allen wrench to adjust the play, and then tighten the nut again.

Note that this is the basic procedure, and I really don't remember much more as I haven't done this in many years. I'm sure that a good mechanic can play it by ear, but if you haven't done it before I'd say you better read what the manual says. Do not just tighen it up without doing your homework first, as you might ruin the steering box if you overtighten it.

thanks guys......

how would one adjust the steering box?

Be careful when you adjust that little screw. The proper procedure is to remove the steering column from the input shaft, the center link from the pitman arm, and use a scale or gauge to adjust it to the proper tension. There's a very fine line you can easily go over if you're not careful. My dad ruined the steering gear in his Ford Ranger by tightening the screw too much. Raise the wheels off the ground and tighten it until the play in the steering box JUST goes away. Make sure you only look at the input shaft and the output shaft of the box as you adjust. Don't try to get all the play out at the wheels by adjusting the steering box. I've tightened them up without disassembling the steering. Just be careful and get as much preload off the box as you can.

While the recirculating ball steering gears are not rack and pinion, you can get them pretty decently tightened up.