Tiniest amount of play in steering column

[deloreandmcxii]

Hello! I need a sanity check – am I being too nitpicky or should I keep hunting?

My steering wheel has no play side-to-side, but I can grab the wheel and shake it up-and-down and cause a slight movement and ‘click’ at the top and bottom of its miniscule travel. You can cause this same movement by grasping the upper u-joint and shaking. It feels as if the column is slightly moving within the bushing. But this bushing can’t be meant to be **perfectly** precision fit, right? Since the steering wheel is adjustable up and down, there must be some intended slop at the bushing? The column pivots within this bushing, and by a reasonable-ish amount to move the steering wheel up and down many inches.

If you lower the steering wheel all the way (looks terrible and would be impossible to drive – this is not a solution...): this play is eliminated completely. Possible: at this angle is the column tighter within the bushing?


Bushing is 2 years old D-Go Delrin. As is the internal column bushing.
Shaft is Borgeson without vibration isolation u-joint. I have shaken the heck of both u-joints. Joints themselves and connections to rack/shaft/column are rock solid
Steering height/telescope knob is tight as I possibly can twist



I have a spare steering column on the work bench. NOS, never used. At the slidey adjustment point, even when tightened there is the tiniest amount of play. If you’ve examined this mechanism, you’ve seen the knob is a threaded bolt which tightens and presses together two outer plates against the column brackets. These plates have a pin at the top which keys thru the slots in the column brackets and the into a hole in a collar which presses the column (this collar is what loosens to allow telescoping). These pins measure around 8.9mm and the hole measures 9.05. This means the pressure the adjustment knob exhibits on the brackets/plates is the only thing stopping that~.06mm of slop.

Any theories? Ideas? Validations of my insanity?

All that said, the driving experience is just fine. Vibrations get thru to the steering wheel at around 75-80mph on certain road surfaces, but given the rigidity of my suspension setup and lack of the vibration reducing u-joint… I think this is to be expected.

[David T]

Check for any cracks in the collapsing part of the steering column "cage". Make sure all of the hardware for the tilt lock is correct and assembled correctly. You should not feel any movement. Any movement will get amplified, there is nothing to absorb the vibrations from the suspension or the steering like on most cars.

[deloreandmcxii]

Thanks! I will triple check those aspects.

Anyone ever had issues with the d-go delrin bushing? I suspect the play is there - even though it was installed just 2 years ago.

I ordered a DeLorean Parts NW delrin one and a rubber one from d-go, to compare options. I kinda like the idea of rubber at this point to provide a tiny bit of dampening...

[Rich]

Check for any cracks in the collapsing part of the steering column "cage".....

There is one part of the "cage" assembly that can come loose and cause the problem you have. At the forward end of the cage is a bushing that's pushed into the tube at the end of the cage. It keeps the cage aligned with the column shaft.

This "cage bushing" is separate and distinct from the Delrin bushing in the firewall. It doesn't show up on the parts diagram since it is a component that is a permanent part of the column assembly.

If that bushing is loose or not pushed in all the way (toward the driver) into that tube then you can get a little up-down wiggle of the steering wheel because the far end of the column isn't solidly supported on the steering shaft where it passes out of the cage.

Just get your eyeballs under the far end of the cage and verify that the shoulder of this cage bushing is pressed up hard against the end of the cage/tube. If it isn't then use a small hammer to get it back into place.

[David T]

Thanks! I will triple check those aspects.

Anyone ever had issues with the d-go delrin bushing? I suspect the play is there - even though it was installed just 2 years ago.

I ordered a DeLorean Parts NW delrin one and a rubber one from d-go, to compare options. I kinda like the idea of rubber at this point to provide a tiny bit of dampening...

The rubber bushings don't last very long. The Delrin ones last a lot longer. Because the shaft goes through the Delrin bushing at an angle, it may have been filed a bit to "open" it up so the shaft doesn't bind. Maybe it was filed a bit too much. Check the universal joint, make sure the bolts are tight, and make sure the bolt in the U-joint doesn't rub against the A/C hose. The rubber bushing is easy to install, the Delrin one is a LOT harder, you may have to make a puller to squeeze it in.

[deloreandmcxii]

The interior bushing is intact - was replaced 2 years ago.
The cage is solid and intact.
The tilt/telescope assembly is put together properly and the knob tightened.
Both the tilt assembly on the car and the spare on the bench exhibit the same small amount of play, even when cranked down very tight. The loose tolerance between the collar and the two plates/pins on outside of the brackets allow for this (see original post for details)




I received a new DeLorean Parts NW column bushing (referring to the typical firewall one now). Slipping it over the steering column I have on the bench: even brand new it's noticeably loose. This is makes sense - the delrin ones being hard plastic, they must have some tolerance to allow for the tilting feature.

Using digital calipers, I measured:
The steering column neck, where is passes through the bushing is is 14.25mm.
The interior diameter of the brand new bushing is 14.6mm.

I don't see how a hard plastic bushing can possibly work perfectly for this application. Honestly, the tilt function is almost useless and I wish we simply didn't have it (telescope only) and could have a hard bushing with tighter tolerances.

I'm waiting on a rubber bushing from DeLoreanGo. I'll measure and test it on the bench as well and report back. I'm hoping the rubber allows for tighter tolerance between the column neck and the bushing - the tilt being accounted for by the flexibility of the rubber. I would gladly accept this bushing as a wear-part, as it was from the factory.

[cis6409]

I have the exact same issue, delrin bushing fitted.
interesting to see how the rubber bush makes a difference if at all

[David T]

I have the exact same issue, delrin bushing fitted.
interesting to see how the rubber bush makes a difference if at all

Most people set the tilt once and never move it again. Usually all the way up and all the way in. Even if the rubber bushing is tighter, because it is rubber and can "give" you will still have some looseness. Also, as I said, the rubber ones do not last very long. That's why the vendors offer the much harder Delrin bushing. The Delrin bushing seems to last forever but can be a real b-tch to get in.

[Bitsyncmaster]

Most people set the tilt once and never move it again. Usually all the way up and all the way in. Even if the rubber bushing is tighter, because it is rubber and can "give" you will still have some looseness. Also, as I said, the rubber ones do not last very long. That's why the vendors offer the much harder Delrin bushing. The Delrin bushing seems to last forever but can be a real b-tch to get in.

I made a four cuts with a hack saw in the PJ Grady bushing where the lip has to compress. Those cuts let it compress when you push it in. Was no problem to install.

[r00b]

The Delrin bushing seems to last forever but can be a real b-tch to get in.

When I installed mine I used a large socket, washer, nut and bolt. I kept tightening and it wasn't difficult to get in.

[deloreandmcxii]

I already have a delrin bushing installed - it is what is loose. Are most folks just dealing with the looseness? This doesn't seem like a worthwhile trade off for replacing a rubber bushing every few years.

Alternatively, perhaps a vendor could design a tighter tolerance delrin bushing that comes with instructions to keep the wheel tilt adjusted all the way up?

Or, really dreaming here, a two piece spherical bushing.

Conceptually something like: https://www.mcmaster.com/product/2995K15

[deloreandmcxii]

Most people set the tilt once and never move it again. Usually all the way up and all the way in. Even if the rubber bushing is tighter, because it is rubber and can "give" you will still have some looseness. Also, as I said, the rubber ones do not last very long. That's why the vendors offer the much harder Delrin bushing. The Delrin bushing seems to last forever but can be a real b-tch to get in.

I think I?d rather have ?give? vs ? slop?. As is the movement includes the tap/click of the column moving within the bushing. With rubber, this -and road vibration- may be dampened.

[deloreandmcxii]

I received the rubber bushing. Its hard to measure well with my digital calipers because its hard to know if i?m deforming or pushing into the rubber with the sharp caliper tips. But seems to be 14.36mm.

Feeling it out: it fits far more snugly around the spare steering column.

However the interior is not a smooth cylinder like the delrin ones. It kind of comes to peaks in the center of the bushing (i guess sorta hourglass shaped if the thin center section were only SLIGHTLY thinner than the top and bottom. I?m sure there?s a mathy geometry word for this). This would allow for the tilt function while ALSO maintaining a small contact point between rubber and metal. I wonder if d-go?s rubber version is a closer recreation of an oem one? or is this coincidence?

I think I am going to install it. Monitor how long it lasts and report back (probably in a very long time given my mileage habits). Especially with how little I drive it, I think the snugness will be worth it.

Now the unenviable task of REMOVING a very new delrin bushing . . .

[David T]

That Delrin bushing should be snug with no looseness unless the inside hole was enlarged. As I said, I had to file mine a little to get things to fit. Another problem you may have is that I have seen where the rubber bushing was completely worn through or even missing and the hole in the firewall was enlarged from the shaft rubbing on it. Maybe your shaft is also worn?

[deloreandmcxii]

I?ll have more evidence when I get the column off the car.

So far Ive been test fitting on a spare column on the bench.

The lower/inside column piece on the bench is original to my car - it is possible as you say that it is somehow worn. It is loose inside a brand new unmodified DeLorean Parts NW bushing. This column is a somewhat older and crustier but the short section that goes inside the bushing seems a consistent diameter, so it is hard to think it was worn inside the firewall.

The lower/inside column piece now in the car has under 500miles, is NOS, and never known any bushing except the currently installed unmodified nearly-new d-go delrin one - which exhibits the same looseness.

When I get a day to tinker around in the garage, I?ll try the NW-delrin and D-go-rubber with the newer column (and take a measurement of it). See what we see!

If these delrin bushings were intended to be snug: what allows for the tilt?

[deloreandmcxii]

Prepare for the ramblings of a mad man...

Well that was faster than I expected. I just did this project 2 years back, so it was easier this time around. Managed it over a lunch break. To fair, I'm not done. But the column is off the car and D-Go Delrin bushing removed but mostly destroyed in the process. From what I can guesstimate the d-go delrin interior diameter is 14.5 or a little less. Tighter tolerance than the DeLorean Parts NW unit. I expected the opposite. Oh well, a hypothesis disproven is still a successful experiment.

The NOS & barely-used lower column (where it passes thru the bushing) measures 14.3mm. A tiny bit bigger than the old one. My calipers aren't perfect... or just manufacturing tolerances...or wear...

Inspecting the D-go rubber bushing in more detail, the narrowest part of the inside diameter appears to be un-intentional. It is a seem between pieces during manufacture, or the seem between mold pieces perhaps. So I suspect it will quickly wear, resulting in a diameter of the next tightest surface: around 14.5, matching their Delrin one.

However, the D-Go Rubber bushing is still the tightest and has a benefit: even has it wears, the rubber will produce less "click" as the column moves within it, which I believe is what most transmits the feeling up to the steering wheel.

To summarize.

The portion of the lower column which passes thru the bushing is 14.25-14.3mm
D-Go Delrin: 14.5
DeLorean Parts NW Delrin: 14.61
D-Go Rubber: 14.4-14.5

I don't have another D-Go Delrin unit on hand, only the DeLorean Parts NW one. Which I won't use, as it is the widest.

I cannot imagine how others have had to file theirs, unless some other vendor offers a tighter bushing. Where was your from, David T? Shipping is getting pricey for such tiny parts - I guess I could get a Houston, DeLorean Industries, and Grady one to do a full market review :rollin: But I also don't really want to wait to reassemble things.

While, removing the wheel/column, it occurred to me. Unless you're into removing more of the dash bracketry - you MUST angle the column during install/removal to finagle it around the two knee pad mounting brackets. So my desire for a perfect-tolerance bushing which also "deletes" the tilt feature of the wheel would be unrealistic.

David T, you mention how the rubber ones don't last long. I do recall them always being a point of failure during my 20+ years of DMC ownership. But they did last SOME year after the early 80s, right? Have you have experience with replacing multiple rubber ones before the community collectively moved to plastic? When you say "don't last long": how long are we talking? Anyone else have experience with this? Can anyone comment on the longevity the rubber ones? What about when they're cut for easier install, does this effect longevity?

If a vendor offered a $20-40 high quality, very tight, precut for tool-less easy swapping (tolerances designed to account for the cut), rubber bushing - that was expected to be replaced every third year or something.... I honestly feel like this is a better solution than hard plastic.

[Bitsyncmaster]

I made a quick hand drawing of my PJ Grady bushing before I installed it. If you want that drawing, give me your email address and I will scan it. Anyway I measured the ID of the hole in the bushing to be 0.572". All my machine tools are not mm reading.

That results to 14.5288 mm

[deloreandmcxii]

I made a quick hand drawing of my PJ Grady bushing before I installed it. If you want that drawing, give me your email address and I will scan it. Anyway I measured the ID of the hole in the bushing to be 0.572". All my machine tools are not mm reading.

That results to 14.5288 mm


Amazing! Thank you, Dave! No need for the drawing, just knowing that measurement saves me wondering forever if Grady's woulda been better.

Okay, who's got a Houston and a DeLorean Industries measurement for me?:hysterical:

[deloreandmcxii]

I installed the d-go rubber bushing. I did so without cutting it. The play/click is eliminated.

I don?t get why the community has gone to plastic for this part unless rubber wears FAR quicker than I?m hoping. I?ve noted my mileage and the date in my ridiculous spreadsheet of my DeLorean?s history. I?ll report my findings in the distant future. I drive like 1k-2k per year. And we just had a baby?

If you install the lower column without the upper column/cage, then add the upper/cage: I find the job far easier. If it werent for the two knee pad brackets just left and right of the wheel - this job would be a breeze.

[Timeless]

And we just had a baby?
Ya not sure? ;)

[deloreandmcxii]

:Headspin::Headspin:

Sorta yeah. Crazy couple months thats for sure!

But really for some reason special characters always get mangled in this forum 🤣

[David T]

I got my bushing from PJ Grady. I also based my experience on his recommendations and Rob said the rubber ones do not last. A "relative" term for a 40 year old car. Not only does the rubber wear, it also ages. Once it wears you get a LOT of slop and the steering shaft wears the hole in the firewall. Because it is a common wear item all of the vendors offer the Delrin bushing as a replacement and it does last a lot longer. Most owners do not have as much trouble as you seem to have had with it but most owners also do not do their own maintenance. During annual maintenance squirt some silicone spray on the rubber bushing from underneath to make the bushing last longer.