Wandering steering

[VWnut]

The steering on my girlfriends Mk1 cabrio has a mind of its own. The car seems to wander about all over the road. I have replaced the front suspension and had the geometry set up by vw but it still does it. I noticed that when driving in a straight line i can move the wheel slightly without the car responding. Is this the steering rack and can it be adjusted??
Cheers
Tom

[mk1]

Get someone to rock the steering while you look for any "free play". There is a "uj" on the bottom of the steering coloum, check that for any wear. Check the mountings where the rack is mounted on the body for moovement. Change the wheels front to rear to see if that makes any odds.
Steve.

[richandhazel]

Sounds like you might have some play in the rack. You can confirm this by carrying out the checks that Steve suggests above. If you do confirm that it is play in the rack then have a look at this tip that came from someone else here (sorry forgot to write down who was responsible for this gem)

'You can adjust out slight play in a steering rack as long as its not completely knackered, Look where the steering coloumn meets the rack and you'll see on the rack a plate with two securing screws and a screw in the middle, twist the screw in the middle in till you feel it starting to bind then wind it back very slightly.'

[VWnut]

Cheers chaps, i'll have a look this week end.

[golfvr6]

Other things to check, steering tie rod balljoints, lower suspension balljoints, and wishbone bushes.