Would like some suggestions please. My 1994 Z-28 convertible is a beautiful machine and I love it to death, but.... I have one problem I need to solve. I don't think my issue is unique, as i believe my car is particularly prone to loose/wobbly steering. I've had the whole suspension checked out by an A-1 certified mechanic and he has replaced the only problem found, a starting to go L.H. lower ball joint. All other parts are OK. Any suggestions ? Do they offer a replacement NON-power steering rack ? If this car had solid steering, it would be a world class performance machine. Help!

 

Assuming the issues is not in the column itself then it could be the rag joint between the column and the rack. Its a common issue. If you upgrade to an SS style connection it will get rid of the rag joint all together. Due to the fact there are so many non-SS' and so few SS the parts have gotten pricey.

This is how I fixed mine (see below link). I did not drive it very far after but it went from feeling unsafe to drive to super tight. I am embarrassed to say I had already replaced the rack and the inner and outer tie rods. In my defense I was looking for a reason to replace the rack with the quick ratio one that came with the Y87 optioned cars anyways, (Y87= the sport package). I am not big on changing how the factory designed something but the reality on this one is you end up with the same thing they put in the SS's. I guess the rag joint is there to absorb some of the feel of the road. What car guy wants that?

https://www.unbalancedengineering.com/Camaro/Rag_Joint/

 

Thought you were a V-8 guy.

 

The rag joints where in V8s also but my first 4th gen was a commuter. 56 miles one way everyday almost all highway. I was getting 30+ MPG I put over a 100k on that car.96 Camaro build in my sig. But even with 230,000 miles on it never had the steering issue.

My 93 LT1- 6 speed is the one I had the rag joint issue on. Not sure why the V6 never had an issue. I believe V8's are more prone to it and headers make it even worse.

The only 4th gen engine I have not owned is the 3.4 V-6 and I have no desire to change that. I would still buy a 3800 5 speed if I found one in good condition for fair money. Now if its in good condition people want crazy money for a 20+ year old V6,

 

Love to hear others Camaro ownership stories. Speaking of 3.4's, first Camaro I ever owned was a 1995 3.4 auto., coupe. Nice car, but I really wanted a T-top car, so I sold it. But as far as the 3.4 goes, not a bad engine. It was reasonably quick, and had a real nice growl sound to the engine when you laid the whip to it. I would not hesitate in the least to buy one. OK so I still would like to know if a Non- power (manual) rack is available for a fourth gen. Anyone heard of one ?

 

They are common in Drag racing if you just search Google for "4th gen camaro manual rack and pinion". Just about all the race part websites have them. They are pricey. It is a lot of money just to make your car worth less money. If you can cut and weld frame mounts you can use a much cheaper universal rack. A set of Koni shock would have a much greater effect on going around corners and they would increase the value of the car. I have driven a lot of real race cars back in the day and if the steering in a 4th gen is working right it is one of the better systems in its time. The only reason the manual rack exists is for drag racers that want to drop weight for a power rack and you get to drop the pump and hoses. I cannot remember any autocross guys dropping the power steering.

I do not want to annoy 3.4 owners but I am very familiar with the 3.4 engine. The 3.4 start is design life as a 2.8 in the very early 80's When it was originally rated at 103 hp. Back in the 80's I did modifying and building of 2.8s. I owned a camaro 2.8 and they were in S10s so they were very common. In the late 80's RWD version kept the cast iron block while the FWD version changed the design completely. The RWD 3.4 is the maxed out version of the 2.8 with all forged internals, bored and stroked. While it is MUCH stronger than a 2.8 it still has the limitation of valve size and head limits of the original 103 hp design. The factory was able to get a 180 HP out of the motors. Hot Rodders have not been about to improve that much. The 3.4 seems to hit its limit around 200hp with mods. 200 hp is where the 3800 starts and it has more toque in the lower RPMs. which means a lot in a 3300 pound car. The 3800 is legendary with hot rodders, with turbo version out running Lt1 and in some cases LS1's . GM usd the same motor in FWD and RWD cars. The 3800 was so good GM used basically the same motor up to 2009 and GM put a super charger on it in later years. The RWD 3.4 was discontinued in 1995.

Honestly IMO the only thing a RWD 3.4 is good for is if you have a fiero that needs a new engine and you don't want all the work of swapping to a new design, then a 3.4 in the way to go. 200 hp in a 2500 pound go cart that handles like it is on rails sounds like fun.

 

You might look into replacing the rack mount rubbers with poly. https://www.umiperformance.com/home/...ount-bushings/

 

Interesting info, Thanks

 

Thanks for the info. Will definately order a set. Did you convert to the poly ? How do you like it ?