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In article <187@drutx.UUCP> kec@drutx.UUCP (CarlsonKE) writes:
>My 1978 Nova (52,000 miles) "wanders" when I drive it, requiring
>constant, jerky steering wheel movement.  It feels as if the car is
>almost out of my control.  I've had this problem for quite a while, but 
>now it's so bad I'm afraid to drive the car at all.
>
>In the past, when I've taken the car in for regular servicing, I've 
>also described this problem, hoping each new mechanic would be able to
>correctly diagnose and then fix the problem.  Each time an alignment is 
>performed.  It helps only slightly and within a couple of weeks the car 
>is out of alignment again and the problem is as bad as ever.  By this 
>time, I think perhaps the poor alignment is a result of the problem, not 
>the problem itself.

I had a similar problem in a '75 Valiant:
	1) Once it was fixed for a while by replacing a left lower ball 
	   joint (which a couple of garages failed to detect)
	   You might be able to check for this yourself, the book says:
	   jack up tire, ensuring wheel is out of rebound, and see if
	   you can find any slop in up-and-down wheel movement 
	   while levering the tire up and down with a crowbar.
	   Read a Chilton's for more details.
	2) Second time it was frozen "cam bolts" (camber adjusters?
	   I don't know - this was AFTER they had realigned and weren't
	   satisfied with the result) worked much better after this
	   repair than after (1).
	3) It's doing it again (only this time the steering is very
	   "loose" too), and I suspect that it is the other lower ball joint.
	   (I had the car checked for problems with brakes, they said that
	   the ball joint was going too, but we only replaced the brake
	   parts because we figured that they were confused by a loose
	   wheel bearing, but maybe we were wrong, or the steering box is 
	   going...)
-- 
Chris Lewis,
UUCP: {allegra, linus, ihnp4}!utzoo!mnetor!clewis
BELL: (416)-475-8980 ext. 321

> My 1978 Nova (52,000 miles) "wanders" when I drive it, requiring
> constant, jerky steering wheel movement.  It feels as if the car is
> almost out of my control.  I've had this problem for quite a while, but 
> now it's so bad I'm afraid to drive the car at all.
> 
> In the past, when I've taken the car in for regular servicing, I've 
> also described this problem, hoping each new mechanic would be able to
> correctly diagnose and then fix the problem.  Each time an alignment is 
> performed.  It helps only slightly and within a couple of weeks the car 
> is out of alignment again and the problem is as bad as ever.  By this 
> time, I think perhaps the poor alignment is a result of the problem, not 
> the problem itself.
> 
> I would be very grateful to receive suggestions.

Check for a lose tie rod end.  If that doesn't help, then check for
correct sector nut alignment in the steering gear box (where the steering
wheel shaft goes) or a worn roller and worm gear in the box.

****                                                                 ****
From the keys of Steve Henning, AT&T Bell Labs, Reading, PA mhuxl!smh

> My 1978 Nova (52,000 miles) "wanders" when I drive it, requiring
> constant, jerky steering wheel movement.  It feels as if the car is
> almost out of my control.  I've had this problem for quite a while, but 
> now it's so bad I'm afraid to drive the car at all.

My father-in-law had this problem on a Nova. He solved it by throwing
away the old-but-hardly-used tires and put on a set of radials.  Now,
believe-it-or-not, it handles very well.

In article <187@drutx.UUCP> kec@drutx.UUCP (CarlsonKE) writes:
>My 1978 Nova (52,000 miles) "wanders" when I drive it, requiring
>constant, jerky steering wheel movement.  It feels as if the car is
>almost out of my control.  I've had this problem for quite a while, but 
>now it's so bad I'm afraid to drive the car at all.
>
>In the past, when I've taken the car in for regular servicing, I've 
>also described this problem, hoping each new mechanic would be able to
>correctly diagnose and then fix the problem.  Each time an alignment is 
>performed.  It helps only slightly and within a couple of weeks the car 
>is out of alignment again and the problem is as bad as ever.  By this 
>time, I think perhaps the poor alignment is a result of the problem, not 
>the problem itself.
>
>I would be very grateful to receive suggestions.
>
>
>				    K. E. Carlson
>				    drutx!kec
I agree with the other reply that it sounds like you have something
loose in your steering.  Try this test.  Park your car on asphalt or
cement for good traction and while parked and looking at your front
left wheel out the side window, turn the steering wheel one way until
you see movement.  Then start turning the steering wheel the other way
until you see the first fraction of movement in the other direction.
Note how much you had to turn your steering wheel.  If in the terms of
a clock, you had to turn the wheel from 12 at the start to 1:30 or 2
o'clock, then you probably have loose steering.  
Demonstrate this to your mechanic and have him crawl underneath and
find where the play is caused by.  It is easy to spot with this
method.

Bill Landsborough

----

"Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not 
arrogant or rude... Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all
things, endures all things."   1 Corinthians 13:4-7

> My 1978 Nova (52,000 miles) "wanders" when I drive it, requiring
> constant, jerky steering wheel movement.  It feels as if the car is
> almost out of my control.
> 
> In the past, when I've taken the car in for regular servicing, I've 
> also described this problem, hoping each new mechanic would be able to
> correctly diagnose and then fix the problem.  Each time an alignment is 
> performed.  It helps only slightly and within a couple of weeks the car 
> is out of alignment again and the problem is as bad as ever.  By this 
> time, I think perhaps the poor alignment is a result of the problem, not 
> the problem itself.
> 				    K. E. Carlson

This may not be The Answer, but I'd like to suggest some possible things
to check:

1) Check your wheels to detect worn suspension parts.  Raise the front
of the car, and put jacks on both sides.  Grasp the wheel and test
for looseness by wiggling the sides back and forth.  If it is loose, it
can mean the outer bearings need repacking/replacing (always in pairs,
if possible)

2) The "shims" or spacers they use in alignment are falling out.  This is
particularly likely if the roads are bad.

3) Other worn or bent parts (had the car ever been in a front-end accident?
if so, this may not've been fixed)...idler arms, ball joints, etc.  Do you
have the car lubed every other oil change?  This is important especially
with older cars.  If you have a friend with a grease gun, it's easy (although
messy sometimes).  Or you can check if it's dry by finding the rubber
'bag' that holds the grease...if it's hard and doesn't squish, it's over
due for a lube.  If you drive through water (rain puddles) you should
also check it, water can wash away the grease.

4) I don't know about the old recirculating ball steering, but rack-and-pinion
racks can become loose when the bushings wear, and this can cause steering
problems (I know from experience...grrrrrr)

Hope this helps.
(p.s. most places warrant their alignments, and will not perform them if
there is any front end damage...are you sure this is a good shop?)

{ucbvax!hplabs | nbires | decvax!noao | mcvax!seismo | ihnp4!seismo}
       		               !hao!kitten

CSNET: kitten@NCAR  ARPA: kitten%ncar@CSNET-RELAY

> In article <187@drutx.UUCP> kec@drutx.UUCP (CarlsonKE) writes:
> >My 1978 Nova (52,000 miles) "wanders" when I drive it, requiring
> >constant, jerky steering wheel movement.  It feels as if the car is
> >almost out of my control.  I've had this problem for quite a while, but 
> >now it's so bad I'm afraid to drive the car at all.
> >
> .... you see the first fraction of movement in the other direction.
> Note how much you had to turn your steering wheel.  If in the terms of
> a clock, you had to turn the wheel from 12 at the start to 1:30 or 2
> o'clock, then you probably have loose steering.  
> Demonstrate this to your mechanic and have him crawl underneath and
> find where the play is caused by.  It is easy to spot with this
> method.
> 


	I had a problem with my steering that was about the same, I 
	had it fixed by having my machanic tighten the steering at
	the gear-box. After that I had NO drift in the car, also
	made the handling FANTASTIC!!!


			I hope the helps some


-- 
          		John Wersan
UUCP : {decvax,dual,rocksanne,rocksvax}!sunybcs!daemen!wersan	
				    inhp4!kitty!daemen!wersan

	"The doctor said I had dain bramage...
	 But my friends don't know what 'dat shit is"