Steer Clear

I have an ’86 Chrysler 5th Ave with a
steering problem. It feels like when I turn
the wheel, the car goes the opposite way
for a second before turning to go the way
I want it to, sometimes being quite unpredictable
and creating (often twitchy) over
correction problems, especially on highways.
This has come up after replacing the
steering gear with a reman piece. Since
then I have had all the (very) worn out suspension
bushings replaced and checked
the ball joints for wear. I am thinking it
might be the K frame bushings or possibly
the torsion bar bushings.

The inescapable conclusion is that the
reman steering box is defective, which is
not uncommon. It may be as simple as a
misadjusted valve body, but most remans,
even the “non-defective” ones, are pretty
crummy. There’s really only one source
for good Mopar OEM-style steering boxes:
Firm Feel (www.firmfeel.com).
Replacing the K-member isolators with
iron or aluminum inserts is a stunningly
great upgrade, but even with mush in
there, would not be likely to create the
symptoms you describe.