i'm having problems with the steering on my xj6 being very vague. on investigation i see the rack housing travelling side to side, co-incidental with the road wheels not turning am i missing a spacer or something?

 

There should be a set of bushings that keep the steering rack housing fixed to the bottom of the front crossmember. The crossmember has small steel tabs sticking out where the rack is connected. The bushings are rubber and can wear out over time. Maybe yours are so worn out and deteriorated that the rack is now squirming around? Or maybe your steel tabs have broken off?

 

thank you fastkat. i don't see any bushings at all, what sort of size would they be and would there be one on each end of the housing?

 

You may find this thread useful: https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...ing-rack-6287/

 

Hi

Many newcomers to these cars can get puzzled when they find the rack can move from side-to-side without the roadwheels moving. This is because it is intended to do so !! This movement is designed to give a softer feel to the steering and stop shocks back to the steering wheel.

On one of the two rack mounts you will find two washers with rubber facings designed to limit the travel of the rack. The rack rubbers themselves are designed to distort as the rack moves, but eventually will perish and need replacing as will the washers. Many people replace with polybush mounts that are much more solid and give more feedback but can make the steering much more "sudden". I changed over around 1997, but it took a while to get used to the new steering feel. YOu can, of course, put the original-type rack bushes on, they are still available.

 

there is a kit sold by John's Cars in Dallas which corrects the side-to-side play of the steering rack in these cars. I installed the kit in my '84 XJ-6 back in 1992 and it is still solid, no more play since. This is a highly recommended improvement and a well known modification since the 1990's.

two people are needed to perform this mod, the front of the car has to be raised and supported by jackstands, chocks on the rear wheels for safety, transmission in PARK and emergency brake fully engaged. These cars weight over 3 thousand pounds, you have to be super-careful when working underneath these cars. Safety First! Otherwise the kit is inexpensive, it's all in the labor.