1st: What's the issue? Over time the cheaply made rubber housing and boot will lose it's ability to smoothly hold the steering shaft in place during times of small axis changes due to vibration & years of steering abuse. This bearing is on the fire wall of our cars that the steering shaft runs through. This helps stabilize the slight wobble in the steering shaft that some may or may not feel.
Here is the location of this part that goes bad over time.
So I've been trying to look for this part for years now and could never find it. Yah know the thing that's on the fire wall that your steering shaft runs through. It's like a type of boot with rubber around it to keep out moisture. Well for our 94-04 cars this part is obsolete from Ford. I've tried searching all types of re-manufacturing websites for this Ford part, but I came up with nothing. So then after a while I gave up searching for this part... After cleaning out my engine bay a little bit and upgrading my power steering rack and buying a new MM Steering Shaft, I decided to give it another go and find this...
After finding used versions of this part I figured that was the best I was going to get. A used part. So then I decided to try and find the best looking used part. Unfortunately there wasn't anyone that was parting this out or that had one that wasn't beat up looking. I found a couple on Ebay that someone had taken apart and freshened them up, but it still wasn't what I was looking for... So then after giving up. A month later it dawned up me. I had a parts guy look up some drawings and send them to me of the other makes and models of Ford vehicles that had this similar part... Because... well... surely Ford had to commonize some of these parts, not just for the Mustang.
So before spending a lot of time looking at different makes and models of vehicles, I decided why not try the newer model Mustangs... what's the worst that could happen? This car theoretically should have the closet thing to what I would be looking for.
So I called & took a risk and decided I may or may not be wasting money doing this research. So I ordered a 2008 Mustang's steering shaft boot. & to my surprise it was a common part. It has a greater pivoting angle to the bearing housing which accommodates for more steering shaft to suspension movement. So it's basically an upgrade in my book. Okay, enough of the story... Onto the pictures.
Here is the box & part number it runs about $40
Here is basically how most of them will look after years and years of exposure to the environment. Most people who have low mile cars, cars that have been very well taken care of, garage kept, etc. I would imagine that they wouldn't look as bad as mine. But none the less... I believe it is a very good upgrade.
Now I wanted to make sure that the part to the newer Mustangs was going to work for the older Mustangs. So I did some comparison and took some measurements.
Here you can clearly see that the rubber boot on mines has unfortunately met its maker lol.
You can see that the rubber boot of mine has fallen off and is completely gone throughout the years...
I actually have the new part flipped upside down in this picture. But the point I was trying to confirm was that it fits snug onto the shaft just like the older one.
Here is how it looks half way pre-installed.
Before & After Mock Up
Here is something that one Cobra owner said from another forum, this quote is from 2007 so I'm sure Ford still produced this product.
Tired of sloppy steering, but what's the fix?
I have the fix!! I just fixed this in my Cobra!!! I had a ton of play in the steering wheel, and it was ALL OVER THE PLACE WHEN IT HIT BUMPS!
There is a bearing in the firewall, that the steering shaft goes through. Mine broke, fell out, and was riding around the lowest part of the steering shaft. I could grab my steering shaft at the firewall and move it up and down. I looked at other Mustangs I have, and many had bad bearings in the firewall. Well, I finally found one that had a good one. It is held in a cup (with two 10 or 11mm bolts attaching it to the firewall.) A solid steering shaft will help as well, but I have had this problem in other 94-04 cars. Other cars, I just put a stock replacement shaft, it didn't solve the problem, and here I never knew of this bearing!! Well, I really looked into this on my Cobra, and I solved it!!
I have NO PLAY ANYMORE!! Car is like brand new!
#7SVT32VDOHC, Aug 15, 2007
http://www.stangnet.com/mustang-forums/threads/tired-of-sloppy-steering-but-whats-the-fix.715396/
Here is the location of this part that goes bad over time.
So I've been trying to look for this part for years now and could never find it. Yah know the thing that's on the fire wall that your steering shaft runs through. It's like a type of boot with rubber around it to keep out moisture. Well for our 94-04 cars this part is obsolete from Ford. I've tried searching all types of re-manufacturing websites for this Ford part, but I came up with nothing. So then after a while I gave up searching for this part... After cleaning out my engine bay a little bit and upgrading my power steering rack and buying a new MM Steering Shaft, I decided to give it another go and find this...
After finding used versions of this part I figured that was the best I was going to get. A used part. So then I decided to try and find the best looking used part. Unfortunately there wasn't anyone that was parting this out or that had one that wasn't beat up looking. I found a couple on Ebay that someone had taken apart and freshened them up, but it still wasn't what I was looking for... So then after giving up. A month later it dawned up me. I had a parts guy look up some drawings and send them to me of the other makes and models of Ford vehicles that had this similar part... Because... well... surely Ford had to commonize some of these parts, not just for the Mustang.
So before spending a lot of time looking at different makes and models of vehicles, I decided why not try the newer model Mustangs... what's the worst that could happen? This car theoretically should have the closet thing to what I would be looking for.
So I called & took a risk and decided I may or may not be wasting money doing this research. So I ordered a 2008 Mustang's steering shaft boot. & to my surprise it was a common part. It has a greater pivoting angle to the bearing housing which accommodates for more steering shaft to suspension movement. So it's basically an upgrade in my book. Okay, enough of the story... Onto the pictures.
Here is the box & part number it runs about $40
Here is basically how most of them will look after years and years of exposure to the environment. Most people who have low mile cars, cars that have been very well taken care of, garage kept, etc. I would imagine that they wouldn't look as bad as mine. But none the less... I believe it is a very good upgrade.
Now I wanted to make sure that the part to the newer Mustangs was going to work for the older Mustangs. So I did some comparison and took some measurements.
Here you can clearly see that the rubber boot on mines has unfortunately met its maker lol.
You can see that the rubber boot of mine has fallen off and is completely gone throughout the years...
I actually have the new part flipped upside down in this picture. But the point I was trying to confirm was that it fits snug onto the shaft just like the older one.
Here is how it looks half way pre-installed.
Before & After Mock Up
Here is something that one Cobra owner said from another forum, this quote is from 2007 so I'm sure Ford still produced this product.
Tired of sloppy steering, but what's the fix?
I have the fix!! I just fixed this in my Cobra!!! I had a ton of play in the steering wheel, and it was ALL OVER THE PLACE WHEN IT HIT BUMPS!
There is a bearing in the firewall, that the steering shaft goes through. Mine broke, fell out, and was riding around the lowest part of the steering shaft. I could grab my steering shaft at the firewall and move it up and down. I looked at other Mustangs I have, and many had bad bearings in the firewall. Well, I finally found one that had a good one. It is held in a cup (with two 10 or 11mm bolts attaching it to the firewall.) A solid steering shaft will help as well, but I have had this problem in other 94-04 cars. Other cars, I just put a stock replacement shaft, it didn't solve the problem, and here I never knew of this bearing!! Well, I really looked into this on my Cobra, and I solved it!!
I have NO PLAY ANYMORE!! Car is like brand new!
#7SVT32VDOHC, Aug 15, 2007
http://www.stangnet.com/mustang-forums/threads/tired-of-sloppy-steering-but-whats-the-fix.715396/
