steering box play.

hey up chaps/chapessess,   apart from failing the mot on all the cab chassis points for corrosion , i have a fail that says slight play in the offside front steering box between sector shaft and drop arm.. the steering wheel does move quite alot , where do i head to take up this play?   swap the steering box?  any help much app,   cheers Liam.

There is room for some adjustment of the play on the nut/bolt on the top of the box, but when worn it is most worn in the middle. If you tighten too much when worn too much it gets too tight on the full left / right and still loose in the middle.

It is servicable but the worm gears are hard to come by. The internals is the same as on a Vitara / Sidekick 92-98 and US web shop Roadless Gear said they where going to make these but i do not think they got them yet.

Worm gears for the Samurai is available but does not fit the Jimny.

Oh by the way there where a few RHD Jimnys in Sweden as postal delivery cars. Some of these RHD parts where available in swedish junk yards the last time I checked and no one buys these parts here. But if anyone has swedish contacts..

The sector shaft is the big spindle that comes out of the bottom of the steering box. The pitman arm goes on the end with a big nut to tighten it on.
Assuming drop arm = pitman arm then he is saying that there is play between the shaft & arm, so the arm is loose on its taper.

If he means there is too much free movement in the steering wheel he would have said so- surely?

Our gen3 is within Suzuki spec for steering wheel movement, although it's really quite baggy compared to most other cars. The Pitman arm moves when the steering wheel is rocked in the "free play" range, so the actual wear in our case is further down the steering chain (ball joints, probably) not the box itself.

thanks guys, ill go look when/if summer comes back! so happen swap out the joint on the steering arm eh.