markrazz

aloha on my 1969 the power steering works fine but the steering wheel has like 6 inches of play before it starts to turn..so what i mean is u can move the steering wheel back and forth without the wheels acually moving..any idea what to tighten or replace to remedy this problem>?

Derf00

Tie rod ends have too much play and the steering gear may need rebuilt/replaced. The play is caused by wear in these components. If you were to pop a tie rod end off the steering knuckle I bet the tie rod ball would just flop around.

Quick way to check this is jack up one side of the front end. Grab the tire that's up in the air and try to turn it left and right while it's facing you. You will notice a lot of movement. That movement is 'slop' and is the freeplay you're feeling. Multiply that times 2 (takes into account the other side) and that gives you an idea of how worn the steering gear and tie rods are.

69mach1377

The above is true for both power and manual steering systems of classic stangs which do not have rack and pinion steering. The power system also relies on play in the power actuator, which makes it even worse. Cheap fix is to convert to manual with all new components. Complete fix is to convert to rack and pinion.