When you see a Spitfire with loose steering, you
may panic and assume that the rack, shaft coupling,
tie rod ends, etc, etc. are all shot.
But first check one little thing: The steering shaft
(from the wheel to the rack) is a two-piece telescoping
unit. Where they join there is a little clamp/setscrew
assembly. If this is loose, the steering wheel will
get an inch or so of looseness. Simply tightening
it makes the problem disappear. You do not want to tighten
excessively, because it is a safety feature
that is designed to allow the shaft to compress when
your chest slams into the steering wheel during an accident.
Some service manual should list the torque spec.
Doug Braun
72 MK IV Spitfire
At 06:27 PM 5/5/99 -0700, you wrote:
>
>Hi all - I looked at yet another spit this weekend. At least I could
>start and drive this one, but two things jumped out at me: There was a
>fair amount of play in the steering wheel, and the left rear wheel
>canted in somewhat. Are either of these two things common problems with
>a likely cause?
>
>Thankss
>
>Mark Gardner
>
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