Porsche Enthusiasts Club Forum

Hello TIPEC

I've had my 1982 944 for two years in May. I bought it in a state or requiring repairs which i have slowly been plodding along with but I need to start getting a lot more done to it. Simply Porsche is a date I'm hoping to have the vehicle MOTed by. With this recent kick up the chuff there are some aspects of the repairs that i am unsure of. I have repaired a lot of things but some issues i have don't seem to have a great amount of covering online, so i thought id ask.

Today my issue is with my steering, the column, top bearing, something in there isn't quite right and it is certainly an MOT failure.

My 944 is A 1982 model so does not have Power Steering. When driving the car and turning the wheel through 360 degrees i reach a point where the wheel has a huge amount of play in it, it feels as though the column is bent or something.

The play seems to only be present when the top of the wheel is at between 6 and 9 o'clock through 360 degree rotation.

If i firmly grab the wheel there does not seem to be any play, left or right, in or out.

Is this a possibility of the steering wheel assembly being put back together incorrectly? I understand there is a clear plastic collar that is part of the assembly and i cant remember seeing this upon removal.

I did wonder if the top bearing was at fault but i suppose if this was at fault then there would be some sort of lateral or axial play, which there isn't. I understand there is a lower roller type bearing. is there the potential that this is at fault?

As we all know Porsche parts are expensive, does the steering column on the 944 share any similar parts with MK2 golf, Jetta, Audi 100 or anything similar that my local VW specialist may be able to supply?

thanks very much in advance

i hope this helps a bit




Item 18 image 2 is the problem normally

i would disconnect the Rack from the steering column and then check the steering shaft as they are normally the culprit

Thanks very much for that!

Is it the UJ sections of item 18 that cause the odd play in the wheel?

What usually fails with the shaft itself?

Does the steering setup share any similarities with anything else possibly more available? My ignition switch and other associated parts are from a MKII golf.

Thanks again for the help.

The universal joints dry out and seize or just rust and then get very sloppy

The rack and linkage may well be from something else but no idea what, the only thing I would say is the number of splines is odd and might be hard to find

Think there is 26 almost all other racks that I have done over the years have been 25

Found this in another forum topic which seems quite useful.

That’s from JMG

and they are right about LHD being NLA

The current price for a 968 one from porsche is £107 inc vat

I rebuild them there is only one joint available that fits and a pair of joints is £35

So 160 quid markup is not bad

My initial thoughts was to rebuild the joints however I can only see them available throu JMG at £60. Are they available elsewhere for a pair cheaper?

That price isn’t as bad as I though. Perhaps I need to call my OPC for a price.

Take it off and go to your local bearing specialist shop

They will measure it and supply the UJ’s you need

That brings back some memories. I haven’t visited my local bearing shop for a good ten years, google says it is still there. I’m guessing it’s just a case of pressing the pin out, removing old bearings and pressing it all back together?

Am I right in assuming that I could lay with my head in the footwell whilst someone turns the wheel and visually be able to see the play in the UJs? Upon removal I’m guessing play will be pretty easily diagnosed?

Thanks again for all of the help.

That bit is in the engine bay, if you can see it from the footwell I would suggest you have bigger issues

I had a similar issue to this on my old 944. Turn out to be that the bottom UJ coupling into the rack was not seated properly. so for normal steering inputs it was not noticeable but for larger angles as you describe it would tighten up and then go slack.

The shaft that goes into the rack has a groove cut in it which should align with the bolt that is used to clap it in place. It is possible for it to be out of alignment and the bolt still be in place and tight but this puts the UJ out slightly causing the issue.

Thanks for the suggestion there. When I remove mine for inspection I’ll check it’s instillation is correct. There seems to be a few areas on my car that have been somewhat overlooked.

Upon diagnosing the bearings as knackered I have found a local bearing specialist, if that fails I’ve managed to find a brand new replacement at £100.02... that 2 pence must make all of the difference.