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I have some steering wheel play in my non power steering Milano 75. At first I thought it might be due to horrible caster arm bushings or worn tie rod ends, but I now believe that the play lives in my steering column. I think that it is most likely in some joint. The best way I can describe this play is that it feels like a dead spot.
Has anyone here run into this problem? Are there replaceable u-joints in there that could be worn out? Or am I going to need to find a used donor and do a swap?

How many miles are on your rack? We have a Platinum with 300K plus miles, and there is a lot of slop in the rack itself. I have a Verde with 107K miles, and there is a teeny bit of slop in the u joint between the wheel and the rack.

You can check if it's the rack itself by popping the wheels off and having someone look for play at the ball joints or tie rods. If there isn't play there, it's either in your rack itself, or somehwere above that point.

Good luck.

Zambon,

It could be the link from your steering column to the rack. It has a rubber joint that will cause some play in it. Some people have taken it out and welded it together or try to purchase a new one if it isn't already NLA (No longer available) list.

Zambon,

It could be the link from your steering column to the rack. It has a rubber joint that will cause some play in it. Some people have taken it out and welded it together or try to purchase a new one if it isn't already NLA (No longer available) list.

It seems to be the splined part of the connection that is causing the play I am feeling. The part that slides in or out when you telescope the wheel. Is this the part that others have welded?

I would get mine welded, but then it would be a problem to change the rack, right? Does this mean that I need to get a different column from a parts car if I ever want to address this?

The part that slides in or out when you telescope the wheel.

Zambon, there is no such thing on the 116 chassis. The steering wheel only moves for height. The lenth is set.

The illustrated junction above is a rubberised connection which acts as damper to isolate steering vibration. If it has become deteriorated, it may cause some play ( I have never experienced this on my cars yet but have noted it being reported elsewhere on the site). If you weld it up, steering vibration will increase.

The most likely problem is in the rack ends and/or tie rod ends. Of course the rack itself could have some wear also. There may be contributions from all these parts as well to make up the some.

I would examine the rack components end to end first...

Mike, The 75 (Milano) and 90 came with reach and height adjustment.

Zambon, I have an old reach adjust column and there's no play in the reach spline. Unless it has been moved in and out a million times, I can't see that point creating the play you are talking about. Sounds like the rack/pinnion might be the culprit.

Thanks for the update Daniel.

Seems wierd, but I crawled down there and watched it move ever so slightly at the splines while making a loose noise as I moved the wheel. The tie rod ends on the rack could be in rough shape too, as well as the rack itself. I have decided that nearly every mechanical system on this car needs some sort of attention... These things could all be contributing to less than desirable steering feel.
This car is a 75 with the power steering deleted. Some have speculated that removing the power assist could accelerate wear on the rack. Anybody have an opinion about that?

Hey, I had the same issue. One cool thing about Milanos is the steering rack telescoping feature is adjustable for wear!

http://www.clanger9.org.uk/alfa/front/tighten.html

Worked for me on my 109K Verde. I have nearly no slop anymore...but I also have poly caster pads, which make a big difference too.

Thanks for the link Grant. I guess I know what I am going to do first thing tomorrow.

Hopefully it goes as well for you as it did for me. Let us know!

Problem solved, thanks again Grant. Steering feels really good now. No more rattling over bumps. I bet it will feel even better when I get rid of the worn stock castor bushes.

Do the poly caster pad conversion ASAP! There are no drawbacks as far as I know and it makes the car feel very different. If your car is significantly lower, consider the ball joint conversion, as the angle of the tension rod becomes large and puts a lot of stress on them.