Steering "Clunking" and Skipping

You likely broke the steering rag joint coupler.  If you have a red urethane one, do not replace with another.  Get a factory style couple.  Your life depends on it!

Sounds like the pitman arm is loose on the steering box shaft.  Getting that properly tight requires a serious pry bar and is not easy to get to.  I'd check that first.  Event if it seems tight, it may not be, but with that much movement, I'll bet you can tell.

I bet there are quite a number of familiar names on this forum who can probably point directly to one of maybe three failures that could have caused this.

But with only 850 miles, I would simply forward your post and picture to the speedster's builder and politely ask for it to be resolved.  I have no doubt they would eagerly send a flatbed and take the speedster to a repair facility they will have lined-up for the service.  Probably, they would prefer for you to do this rather than repair it yourself, considering their exposure if they knowingly entrusted this type of apparent defect in manufacturing or materials to the hands of an amateur for correction.

Good point.  The car looks like a Vintage, and I know Greg is known for his after-sale support.

Here's the video I referenced above: 2023 VMC Speedster Replica Steering

I checked and all the steering and suspension components are good to go; no surprise, as I do a safety check before each drive the way pilots do before they fly.

Luckily I found a mechanic 1/2-hour away that can take the car in 2 weeks. Until then, I'll do what I can to get the car there without killing myself.

I got under the car and saw that my steering box was leaking.

@LI-Rick @Lane Anderson @RS-60 mark

Thanks for the info. I will say this: I still have yet to understand what a Pitman arm is. I guess I must learn what it is now.

The one thing I'm for sure of is the steering box leak is a NO GO! So that will be a quick, easy win.

I was thinking of replacing the steering box regardless. I was thinking of splurging on this: Airkewld OEM-PRObuilt Steering Box

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the Pitman arm is located at the bottom of the steering box, attached to a splined shaft. In the pic I uploaded, it appears that all the torque markings are still aligned.

It is one of a few things.

1. Steering box adjustment(and please verify box clamp bolts to beam)

2. Pitman arm clamping bolt(This needs to be tighter than 43 lb.-ft. factory torque, more like 60-70, but that's me)

3. Rag joint failure(DO NOT USE URETHANE)

4. Steering column bearing or crush cage failure.

5. Check ball joints, trailing arm bushings, and tie rod ends.

It is very important to understand exactly what the problem is. If someone can turn the wheel while you feel/observe the steering components, you'll for sure figure it out.

Most likely the steering box needs an adjustment/rebuild.

A minor lubricant weep is NOT a problem, a lot of them leak a little. Today they seem to be filled with grease rather than gear oil(and both lubricant types can leak). No matter, as long as SOME form of lube is in there.

I adjusted two of them for other racers at the track last weekend. They were both happy and raced well.

@DannyP

Thanks, Danny. Maybe I'm not checking correctly. Everything is tight and torqued. I must have missed something. I'll get the car on jack stands and have someone turn the wheel while I see what's actually happening. The weirdest thing about this whole situation is that it's slowly crept up on me. No hard driving and no potholes etc. That's why I thought it was the steering box leak. With so few miles, I figure something just must have failed.

I'll go check it out now.

One last thing: are there tell-tale signs any of those issues exist? Frankly, I can only pull, smack, jiggle and jostle so much before concluding things are fine. As of now, everything is visually tip-top. If I continue to be stumped, I'll take a video of it all and see if anyone can see something I'm missing.

Thanks again, all.

Take driver's side wheel off. The rag joint (rubber or the failure prone red poly one) is easy to see.  The steering wheel crush zone should also be visible.  As probably loose connectors either side of the rag joint.

Good to go! I have the black rubber - no red poly here. I have a sinking feeling my steering box failed. It always seems to be the most expensive part that’s the hardest to replace fails first. womp womp.

If that’s the case, I’ll have to put some thought into whether I want to (or even can) replace a steering box on the ground. Everything I’ve read and watched indicates that replacing a VW steering box is a 4- to 6-hour job. And I’m assuming that’s with the little trap door in the trunk that I haven’t cut yet.

One other thing to check that has been sort-of mentioned.  

Someone mentioned checking the steering coupler just above the steering box.  You should check that the donut is not cracked or split or if it is a Urethane version (bright red) which should not be used (those are brittle).

BUT!  Given the symptoms you’ve described, you should also check the coupler’s top and bottom shaft connections because I suspect that one of them is loose.  

The steering box has a shaft that fits into the bottom of the coupler.  Both the box shaft and coupler ends are splined with very fine teeth and have clamping bolts that, when loose, can allow the two parts to slip, which lets the steering wheel get off center up to about 20° either side of center.  The shaft has a small cut-out in it that the clamping bolt fits across to limit shaft movement in and out if loose.  The bolt will also limit the shaft rotational travel to about 20° either side of center but no more.  It’s sort-of a safety thing.

All of this applies to the top of the coupler, too - It is the same slip joint, clamp and bolt, so you need to check both ends.

To check (you may want to remove the front wheel, but you can check this from below with the wheel on, too):

Using a Sharpie, draw a line lengthwise along the steering box input shaft and keep the line going up the coupler clamp for an inch or so.  Do the same line on the other (steering wheel shaft ) side of the coupler.  These reference lines will tell you if something is rotating that shouldn’t be in the next step.

Once the line is drawn, sit in the seat and turn the wheel until it clunks and stops.  Go back to the coupler to see which, if either, clamp has moved by checking to see if your lines no longer match and line up.  If neither clamp moves either way, the coupler is OK and time to look elsewhere.  If one moves, re-center the steering wheel and then re-tighten the coupler clamp bolts to 22 ft. Lbs.  That should fix it, if this is the problem.

Gordon, did you watch the video I posted?

Yeah, and that's why I posted the description of the problem (a loose clamp being limited in rotation by the clamping bolt) and details on how to fix it (if that is, in fact, the problem).  The video just added to my belief that a steering shaft clamp is loose.

The chances of your steering box failing catastrophically and creating all of the issues you describe are almost zero. Slop in the wheel and imprecise steering, yes -- a sudden movement of the wheel off center, no. The "clunking" could be a steering box horribly out of adjustment, but the "skipping" does not sound at all like a steering box unless it's completely worn out, and I really doubt this is the case. I'd almost guarantee Greg put a new box in when he built the car last year.

If the rag-joint is good, and the crush-cage is good, then something is loose on a spline.

@DannyP posted:

It is very important to understand exactly what the problem is. If someone can turn the wheel while you feel/observe the steering components, you'll for sure figure it out.

I'd bet you are turning the wheel until you get to a steering stop, then attempting to continue to turn which is when the wheel "skips". This makes me think gordon is probably right. I'd follow Gordon's instructions, except for the "22 ft/lbs" part. I use a torque wrench for almost nothing, and all of the things I do use them for are internal engine parts. I'd tighten those particular bolts until they were "normal 3/8" ratchet tight", which is a lot more than 22 ft/lbs. You'd like the thing that slipped to not slip again.

The steering and front ends of these things are kind of a Rube Goldberg arrangement with a lot of bolts and joints. You'll find the problem if you follow Gordon's instructions.

Thanks again, Gordon. I asked because I couldn’t find the link myself and was wondering if I screwed it up.

Thanks, Stan. I’ll get my neighbor to assist with the steering wheel while I visually investigate with a white sharpie handy. Hopefully it’s just a few subtle adjustments.

I bought a replica with 150 miles.  Built by VMC. Brazilian steering box came with car. Total trash, I could move the wheel almost 90 deg before it would engage, completely frightening. Bought an Airkweld, installed in 3 hours. Huge improvement. Don’t try to adjust the one you have, if you over tighten you will turn and the steering wheel and it won’t return to center. Just for fun, i disassembled the old steering box, and found that I had a lot of play in it.