plymouth 1987 turning is jerky

plymouth, horizon, 4 door, silver, 1987

Whenever we steer left or right sometimes the wheel will skip a bit. It is
not enough to cause a prob "yet" but it is a pain and I was told

Thanks in Advance

 

Please be more specific. Which wheel - the steering wheel or one with a tire
on it? What do you mean by "skip"? Jerk? Feel loose? Is it accompanied by a
noise? How fast are you going? How tight are you turning when it happens?
How often is "sometimes"?

 

Which wheel? = Steering wheel
skip? = Feel loose? = yes
noise? = a clunk
How fast? = doesn't matter
How tight are you turning when it happens? = very tight
How often is "sometimes"? = always right or left.
sorry for the confusion I a newbie
I sense a fear about you all Mwhahahahaha.

2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power,
and of love, and of a sound mind.

 

Almost certainly a binding universal joint. Unless you're very attached to
the car, it's probably not worth fixing, since the repair would be more
expensive than the car is worth at any legitimate repair shop.

A backyard mechanic who gets parts from a wrecking yard might take it off
your hands for a couple of hundred bucks as long as it runs well otherwise.

 

Can you get this "skip" effect if you turn the wheel full left to full
right with the engine running and the car standing still?

DS

 

No DS only when driving.

 

This binding universal joint is that the rack and pinon?
It the only thing I can find close to a binding universal joint.

 

It is in the driveaxle, between the differential and the wheel. There is one
on each side. Look underneath and they are covered by rubber boots (at
least, they should be).

Their purpose is to allow power to be transmitted down the axle when you are
turning and the power has to go through a bend.

 

Just found out that the last owner (only got this a month and a 1/2 ago) put
break fluid instead of steering fluid in. Could this cause the prob?

 

Oof. Yes. The system's been contaminated and a great deal of damage may
well have been done by glycol-based brake fluid.

DS

 

Break fluid is an apt description.


Matt