Steering binding after turbo install
 

I'm posting this here do to the nature of modification to my car. So I've had a weird steering issue for going on almost a year now that I have been unable to solve. My car has the AAM turbo kit installed on it, so everything that is involved with removing the engine and subframe, disconnecting steering, ect has been done to it.

Anytime I make an abrupt right turn (usually 90 degrees) I encounter a point of resistance. The steering wheel "hangs up" but I can power through it. Once through this point, the resistance is gone. I can briefly feel it at the same point when the steering wheel is returning back to its neutral position. It only occurs when making right turns and the steering wheel encounters this resistance always in the same exact position. I've noticed that I can lessen the resistance if I adjust the steering wheel down, but it still remains.

I initially thought that the steering shaft U-joint was hitting the turbo. I didn't notice any marks on the turbo.

Does anyone have any ideas on what could have been done wrong when reconnecting the subframe/steering that could be causing this? I'm out of ideas.

Do the buttons on the steering wheel work?

Have someone sit in the car. Put the car up on a lift. Remove the left front tire. Have the person inside the car turn the steering wheel full left, then full right a couple of times. While you are looking the steering shaft through the wheel well. Pay attention to the joints on the steering shaft. Also look at the rack mounts too. If everything looks ok. You may have a bad rack. Is the problem worst in the morning when the car is cold? If it is worst in the morning or anytime it's cold. The rack has morning sickness. It's telling you that it's going bad. I've only heard of 2 racks going bad here on the forum.

Yes.

It does seem to act up more when the cars cold. I'll put it back up on the lift and check things out. It's just weird that it didn't have this issue until right after the turbo kit install. Thanks!

the aam kit is EXTREMELY close to the steering joint and requires quite a bit of material removal to the joint to prevent bind, if the installer did not remove this material then it will hit no question about it.


you may be able to remove the shaft with the subframe in-situ to modify the joint as needed...however there is also a chance it will have to be lowered to do this.

That was my initial thought. I looked very close at the turbo and U-joint to see if there was any indication of them contacting. There weren't any marks that would be the level of resistance I'm getting. I shaved down the joint a bit just to be positive and nothing changed.

I should note, the first time the engine was out I had the turbo kit installed and the car didn't have this issue at all. The car went back to AAM 3 months later for more work where the engine was pulled again. It was after this second time of the engine being removed that I first experienced this problem.

Haven't had a chance to put the car on the lift yet, but did gather more insight to the issue. I went and started the car for the first time in a couple days. Sitting stationary I moved the steering wheel full left then full right. I experienced the same resistance, again only on right turns. However, the resistance point seemed to be at a greater turn of the steering wheel than when I notice it driving. The resistance was also only experienced while going clockwise with the wheel. There was no resistance at all going counter-clockwise when returning the steering wheel back to neutral. The resistance was replicated every single time.

I'm having exactly the same issue with my AAM-TT equipped Z. Did you ever get it resolved? If so, how?

--ZOM

This may not be Z related, and it may not help but... On my Jeep I once had a steering issue and it was like it was binding. Best I could describe it was like the power steering would go out mid turn for a very split second, and then all the sudden come back. Didn't find anything rubbing, couldn't find anything obviously wrong, so I ordered a new power steering gear box. Put the new gear box in, same problem. Went to remove the steering shaft, as I figured it had to be in the column now, and this time I found one of the U-joints was binding in the steering shaft. New steering shaft, and it's been perfect ever since.

Now my Jeep had a reason to have bad U-joints in the steering shaft (its been wheeled), your Z, probably not so much.... But still something else to look at (think about).

Mine rubbed going around left curves at decent speed, also aam install. Took it back and they shaved some off the shaft, problem disappeared. Do you have stock motor mounts, I still do and was wondering if that may have been contributing to my problem

Yes, I am pretty sure my motor mounts are still stock. I hear that some folks had similar problems with the earlier GTM TT kits; there is very little clearance on that side with the steering shaft; and it was binding up. That fix was to add a spacer somewhere to create more clearance.

It would not surprise me that more flex in stock mounts would add to the problem.

--ZOM