"Notchy" steering

[mrbodie]

I have a 1972 240Z. I have owned it two weeks. It steers like it has notches in the steering. How can I describe this? When I drive the car in corners, it steers OK, then it suddenly wants to jerk out of my hands. It does not want to return to center at all. Is this normal in a car with rack and pinion and no power steering? Or.......could it be a bad rack and pinion unit? Thank you.

[2ManyZs]

First thing I would do is to put the front up on jackstands and while someone is turning the wheel back and forth see it there are any strange noises.

Also, check your tie rod ends for any looseness, ball joints for play and look at the steering rack itself and see if it is moving in the bushings.

Look to see if there are two grease fitting in the steering rack housing, one on each side in the front of the housing. If you see a plug with a slot for a screwdriver, take those out and put a grease fitting in there and place a small amount of grease in the rack.

Another often overlooked item is the bearing in the top of the strut itself. It is sandwiched between the coil spring seat and the top hat that mounts to the inner fender. These can over time collect a lot of dirt, water and rust. All you would need to do is to pull the top of strut assembly apart and thoroughly clean and re-pack the bearing with grease.

Also, you'll find a bushing in the steering shaft below and in front of the brake master cylinder, check to see if there is play in that after you put the wheels back on the ground.

It could be a combination of a lot of small things, or just one problem that is in dire need of attention. I wouldn't drive it too much until you find the problem, as it could be something serious enough to cause an accident if it were a bad ball joint or tie rod end. If you don't find any mechanical problems, it could also be something as simple as the toe out is not set correctly, but this would show up as uneven tire wear which you didn't point out....

[mrbodie]

Over the next few days I will look at each item you suggested. I will jack the car up and place it on jack stands and see how it feels in the driveway. I will let the fourm know what I find in case anyone else has a similiar problem. Thank you again!

[mrbodie]

Found two problems with my Z. First and foremost, the entire rack moves with I turn the wheel from side to side. This is a BAD set of Rack mount bushings. $15 for the parts from Victoria British (they are soooo fast getting parts to me).Second is a torn boot and possible bad tie-rod end on the passenger side. $25 from Kragens. Thanks for the help.