dodge vans - PLEASE READ

So, I was doing a bunch of work on the van, and was going to move the van around in the driveway a little bit with the engine halfway apart, so I opened the door and grabbed the wheel to just turn it a little bit the hard way.

Without very much pressure at all, it just turned in my hand! The spline connection between the steering sector and the steering column was almost totally stripped. I can reach down and turn the steering column by hand above the steering gear.

CHECK YOURS! THIS IS NOT SOMETHING YOU WANT COMING LOOSE ON THE HIGHWAY!

 

Chris,
Is the problem above or below the coupler box? If it's like my old Dodge, it had a funky coupler joining the two halves of the shaft, not a regular u-joint type thing, but a rectangular section with a shaft into it, with a big pin to keep it from spinning.

 

It's between the "rag joint" type of coupling and the gearbox itself. Literally, there's a splined shaft coming out of the gearbox, and a piece that slides over it with a roll pin through the side of it (like the way we attach a shifter, except with a roll pin instead of a lock bolt). The splines are junk - not sure whether it's the shaft or the coupler yet, as I don't have it apart, but something trashed.

cjs

 

Time for a VW Eurovan Chris.

 

oh no - I'm quite certain I'll never get 4 bikes in a eurovan and still have space for gear and sleeping. ;-)

The maxipad is here to stay.

cjs

 

I recommend JB WELD on the parts in question, and some reinforcement inside the roof area...I once had a VW (Joe-pay attention!) steering wheel go loose in my hands going down a steep hill in the Roxborough section of Philadelphia many years ago...the looks on the faces of pedestrians on the sidewalk were priceless as their early morning bus-waiting took on an entirely new meaning as I bounced over the curb and rushed by at a high rate of speed without control...thanks to a large extended stone wall, we came to a ear-piercing shrieking grinding halt as I sunk my foot through the rusted out floorboards trying to coax the brake pedal into action...so, slap on some JB WELD and live life!

 

At the very least, the replacement joint will be modified to accept a shift-lever style lock bolt rather than just a roll pin that will allow it to work itself loose over time.

:wow:

 

This has the over tones of a Harry Chapin song.... 30 Thousand Pounds of Bananas

 

Didn't Harry Chapin die in a car crash? Maybe a VW.......????
Again- trust JB WELD!!!

 

In an unprecedented response to my own question, some research reveals that Harry did indeed die in a VW Rabbit.

 

I think it was a Diesel Rabbit.

 

Joe, shame on you, trying to shift responsibility away from V.W.-
ohhh- isn't your 'van' a RABBIT???

 

Chris, what kind of Dodge van do you have? I have 1988 B150 cargo van that I haul the bikes around in. I have noticed loose steering lately, I'll check it today.

 

It's a '75 maxi - pretty old stuff, but only 150K miles...

I think the loose steering thing is normal, just play in the universal joints in the column, but you could feel this sort of "ticking" as it skipped each spline on it's way around when the van was off and you turned the wheel.

 

Kith, check your idler arms... they are a notoriously "weak" link in the Dodge/Plymouth vans. Also the locating pin in the steering shaft coupler is known to corrode and shear once the dust cap has deteriorated and allows dirt/moisture to gain entry.

About ten years ago I noticed a sloppyness in the steering of my '81 Plymouth Voyager (yes, a PB250 maxi van with a 318... the name was already in use prior to the minivan). I was running a few errands and was ready to pull out of a parking lot into the heavy traffic of a divided highway when I noticed my steering wheel wasn't centered when it should have been. I quickly turned the wheel back and forth just to see what would happen and suddenly heard a huge CLUNK... the steering arm broke. I huge peice of hardened steel almost 1"X1.5" fractured (obviously a small stress fracture that was getting progressively worse over the years)!!! Imagine the shit I would have been in had I pulled into traffic as planned.

 

man you guys are scaring the shit out of me... remember the Dodge 1 ton 1971 Ambulance I used to drive to the track... I can't believe I am still alive.... the dodge I have now is an 87 but I have noticed the steering begin to get a bit sloppy. Is this repair in the manual? Jens- hope all is well- hello to you and your family- and the kangaroos of dawsonville.....

 

Buff - that's not really the same thing. Sloppy is just play in the universal joints, which is going to happen. I had the spline on the end of the U-Joints start skipping it's teeth. I think it was doing it while the van was running, occasionally, but since the van had power steering while running, the resistance wasn't enough to cause alarm. It's just when it was OFF and you tried to turn the wheel that there was enough resistance to force it to skip over the splines on the shaft.

 

Yeah, sloppy steering alone is not cause for alarm. My '86 got so loose it was hard to drive, but nothing was coming apart. You can get new internal parts for the coupler in the shaft, and that will take up some of the play. Dodge sells the rebuild kit for a reasonable sum. I think it's under $20.

 

I've found this place to have a ton of parts for cheap. They're quick to ship as well.

http://www.rockauto.com/

 

Loose steering

The pins in those U-Joints can wear to the point they break also. If it's sloppy, spend the $$ and put in some new parts!!!! Also check ball joints occasionally. How many times have you seen a car or van sitting alongside the road with one front wheel hanging by one ball joint and the tie rod. That has get the adrenaline rushing for a few seconds.