steering wheel play?

[esskater892]

steering wheel has some play in it. what could this possibly be? tie rod ends?

[Tnwagn]

Could be tie rods or even the entire steering rack

Do you hear a knocking sound when you move the steering wheel during the play?

[esskater892]

the rack and pinion was just replaced not to long ago. and i mean i guess a lil? like turn then it catches and has a sound. is that what your talking about? lol sry

[wed3k]

measure it.

my steering wheel itself has play...but it is only about 3/16"

[Tnwagn]

Yeah, my wheel has a little play as well. However, if you are hearing a noticeable knock when going from side to side, there is most likely a loose connection somewhere in the tie rods. Mine began knocking after a long duty of highway travel. I went and got the car aligned and the problem went away.

[esskater892]

hmm maybe its norm. i asked cuz before i had the rack and pinion replaced there was no play in the steering wheel and now there is.

[Tnwagn]

Well then, there is most likely a problem. I would take it back to the place that replaced it and see if they can fix it. It sounds like a problem on their end too, so you shouldn't really be responsible so long as they back up their work.

[esskater892]

my steering wheel has play. and i know something is messed up because i took this turn ..yes norm speed...but there was this loud knock, thump sound and the steering wheel jerked, like i ran over a huge rock but i didnt feel the car go up or anything.

so the next day im driving and its handling weird. like i have to have the steering wheel more to one side than the other when going straight.. but the alignment is still ok from what i can tell

well today as i was driving around the steering wheel randomly had no play in it what so ever.. then two seconds later it was broke again. lol. so if anyone has any ideas on what this could be i would greatly appreciate the advice. ive had so many problems with this car and the thing is it never breaks when i dog it...only cursing normally.

fixed!