ClassicCar

Sodaholic

Alright, I'm the owner of a 67 mercury cougar that i had been using as my daily driver and am now beginning to restore it as I get the money.

My question is about the steering box, SMB-E. Over time the play in my steering wheel had gotten worse and worse to the point where i had about 1/3 turn of play, so i ordered a rebuilt off of west coast classic cougars put it in and it seemed to be fine. After a few months the play started getting worse again leading me to believe that the problem lies elsewhere. I now have the same 1/3 turn of play and the column shaft moves pretty freely inside the gear, even shakes back and forth a little bit. I was once told that i needed a special rag joint because i have tilt steering although it is not functional but sometimes pops out of place.

I was wondering if anyone has been presented with this problem and knows a possible solution. I am going to be ordering a rebuild kit as i dont want to spend another 250 for the problem to arise again. the box in there is only about a year old.

Any ideas?

THanks in advance,

-George

Oldcar_Mechanic

Welcome to the group George.

I think you need to further diagnose the problem to be sure of where the problem lies.

Have someone move the steering wheel back and forth without the car running and watch the steering shaft where it enters the box to see if the play there is excessive. You may need to move to other parts of the steering gear to see if there is play in any of the components like tie rods or center link.

If you are sure that it is in the gear box, then I would suggest you call the place you purchased it and see what they have to say.

Never assume something and do your homework.

Keep us posted as to what happens and your findings.

Ron

ClassicCar

Howdy, Stranger!

Categories

In this Discussion

We'd love to hear from you! info@classiccar.com