Steering column movement in 328??

Mine flexes as well - I think it's normal.

 

There is some "flex", but hardly noticeable. I would highly recommend you check the adjusting bolts from below the steering column, and ensure they are secured tightly.

 

I fully agree with Hugh!! Check it.
Ciao
Eugenio

 

Noticable play in a steering column is not good! Have it checked!

 

The way the steering cloum is fixed is a terriable design. The metal is far to thin and over the coruse of time the metal weakens from using the steering wheel as a handel when getting in and out of the car. You are going to have to find away to rebrace the column. This may involve either drilling and nuts and bolts or welding. The play is were the adjustment bolt is for adjusting the "tilt" for the steering wheel.

 

You might also have a broken (tack) weld (or two or three) in the collapsible structure that holds the tilt adjusting brackets (shown at the bottom of the SPC illustration). The jpeg below shows the TR set-up from the same era -- a pleated "accordian" mount with a thin (like 0.5~1.0 mm) plate placed on top and tack welded where the plate edges intersect the pleat edges (not sure your 328 is exactly the same, but it will have a similar theme).
It's a tricky trade off where you want high rigidity for normal use and good solid feel but low strength if involved in a collision.
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Mine "flexes," too. I thought there was something loose. I had it checked prior
to a track event and it checked out okay. So far, no problems (but it still flexes).

 

I had a similiar problem in my 87 328, I finally traced it to the collar nut over the splines that attach the steering column to the rack. (Part#27 in the above diagram.) Up over the pedals you will see where the column fits over the piece that goes through the firewall. If the jam nut is loose the steering wheel can move up and down due to the movement between the two shafts. I finally figured it out when I moved the wheel with a finger over the two pieces and felt the play between them. Maybe not your issue, but worth looking at anyway.

Cheers,
dce

 

After looking at the diagram of the sterring wheel column, is the position of the steering wheel adjustable?
I was told by my mechanic that it is fixed not adjustable but is this true?

 

I believe your mechanic is correct. As far as I know the steering wheel and column is not adjustable.

 

Your mechanic is very misinformed. 308/328 steering columns are adjustable, but you must reach from underneath with a wrench to do it. You can then adjust the height only...and within a limited range. Tighten securely when finished.

 

Yes hes right. It is adjustable. When i picked up my car from its last service as i got in it, the mechanic said .. "no good".. upon seeing my seating position and without me even getting out of the car he adjusted "lifted' the steering wheel off my knees.

I wish ( and i have seen it done somewhere ) that the wheel could be brought closer to my chest and the top canted towards me a bit. ( less like a bus)

Being 6'1" in order to get my head in, i must lean the seat back and lie in the car. This makes me stretch for the wheel. If i lose it in a corner, there is no way i can counter steer with my arms outstretched like that especially since its canted away from the driver so the following hand is pulled away from the wheel even more at the apex.
Its happened on the track and all i could do was hit brakes and spin out on the inside, bum towards the rail.

Someone make some spacer thing to fix this please As it is i can't wear shoes when i drive this car....

My steering column flexes too. Additionally i get the impression that it "twists" on severe camber changes too. The combination of this flexing with the spindly shift lever adds to a sense of fragility .. like something is going to break if you push it too hard... about the whole car for me.

I still like it tho.

Skin.

 

The 3x8 steering wheels have limited adjustabilty for tilt, not reach. You can see the elongated slots in the bracket near the number 36 bolt in the diagram 91TR posted earlier. You need to remove the trim under the columm and loosen the 2 bolts from underneath and make your adjustment. One problem is that when tilting up the wheel, it can get ( too ) close to the top of instrument panel binnacle.
The steering columm should not be loose,
In the 3*8, Ferrari provide a "safety break away" function for the steering columm in case of an accident, if you apply enough force to the colunm the rectangular washers pull through the square hole to release the columm from the mouning bracket.
The rectangular washers can become bent and therefore allow some movement in the columm, without actually releasing the whole columm, even though the bolts are tight. It's hard to explain in words, but pretty obvious when you pull it apart and look at it.
Do resist the tempation to replace the OEM square washers with thicker washers, you will disable the safety feature that was designed in to the car.
The other problem with the 3x8 steering is the weak universal joints in the columm, they are too small for a car with no power steering, and nearly every 308 I have seen has steering slop associated with play in these universals.
They are super expensive to replace, however with some effort you can track down just the part to rebuild the uni joints.
One thing you should never do in these cars is turn the steering without the car moving, the combination of fairly wide tires, undersize uni jointa and a crappy "cam gears" steering rack will quickly produce a fair bit of slop in the steering.

Michael






I also have a 412 Ferrari and have discoverd the columm is the same as the 308 series columm, one feature of the 412 is that when I sit in the car and adjust the stee

 

Michael

When adjusting for tilt will "tilting forwards" drop the steering wheel down onto your knees too and "tilting back" raise it off your knees ?
What i really want to know is if there is a tilt as well as a separate height adjustment or is one a spin off effect of the other ? I need my wheel high off my knees but with the top tilted towards me and till now, "higher off my knees" has meant top of wheel further from my chest.

Regards
Skin.

 

Unfortunatley there is no seperate height adjustment, its' the effect of tilting the wheel that will move it off your knees and the top of the wheel further from your chest.

I looked at ways of moving the wheel closer to my chest, possibly using new brackets with longer slots, there is enough engagement length in splined part of the colomm to allow for this , however it's the steering lock key mechanism that limits the amount you can extend the columm and move it closer to you, it hits the inside of the dash, so it's a not a proposition.

I have heard you can get aftermarket spacers to suit the
Momo steering wheel, this is what I will try next.

With regard to the 412, I didnt finish the sentence.

In a triumph of Ferrari ergonomics, with the seat at the lowest position, and the steering wheel in a comfortable position, the arc of the wheel obscures the useful part of the speedo ( ie 40-120 kmh range and the useful part of the rev indicator 3000 -6000 RPM.
When I adjusted the wheel to be able to see the numbers of instruments, the top of the wheel is so close to the instrument panel that my hand lightly brushes past it as you turn the wheel.
I' dont have a solution to the wheel obscuring the instruments yet, I might try to get the viewing angle better by dropping the seat by removing the height adjuster assy on the electic seat

Michael

 

Michael,
In summary, am I correct to say that the only adjustment is to move the wheel vertically up or down. You can not bring the wheel in towards the driver nor push it out. You can not change the tilting degree of the wheel.
Right or not?

 

You can extend the steering wheel out by buying a steering wheel spacer. Hill Engineering sells them:
http://www.customferrariparts.com/homemainferrari.htm

 

My 328's steering wheel/column does NOT move at all. Not a single bit of flex to it....

I was under the impression that no flexing is "correct". I'm surprised to read that it IS adjustable. Thankfully, I am not having any problems with the current position.

Man, I sure do learn a lot about my car from you guys! Thanks!

 

Q
In summary, am I correct to say that the only adjustment is to move the wheel vertically up or down.
You can not change the tilting degree of the wheel.

A
You can change the tilt of the wheel, this also moves it up and down a little.

Q
You can not bring the wheel in towards the driver nor push it out.
Correct.
However you can move the wheel closer to the driver with a spacer, see link in earlier post.

Regards
Michael

 

I have a Momo wheel on my QV and addressed the above problems by installing the spacer. $22 and problem solved.


http://www.ltbmotorsport.com/momsteerwhee.html

 

The short answer is yes. It doesn't quite move exactly vertically, but near as damn it.

BTW, I can't get comfortable having moved it up and down a number of times either, but what-the-hell?

 

Thanks Michael, it is no big deal really as I was just curious.
When I first drove it I felt very awkward as I am 6'1" and the wheel seemed odd, it was like driving a Go-kart so then when I asked the mechanic. However, I have grown accustomed to it now and have no problem with the driving position.