'90 CQ steering help needed

["Duff, Ian" <iduff@charter.com>]

My 1990 Coupe quattro is slowly developing a strange and unsettling
steering tendency: it has quite a bit of free play in the steering, like
maybe 3/4"-1" either side of dead ahead before the car turns, along with
what I have heard called "tramlining", where the car feels like it has
crossed a tram line, on the slightest camber change in the road. It also
clunks sometimes when I'm turning sharply at low speeds, like pulling
out of a parallel parking spot.

I have it up on a New Bedford Lift (jack stands) right now, I've tugged
and pried at everything I can think of to see if something is loose, and
it all appears tight. I also had my long suffering wife turn the wheel
lock-to-lock and wiggle it left to right while the engine was running to
see if something moved that shouldn't, nothing did that I could see. The
rack didn't move at all.

The two things I can think of that I haven't tried yet are Pentosin and
tire pressure. Mr. Bentley says the power steering system will bleed
itself, so I think I will top up the Pentosin reservoir, which is low
but not even close to empty. I will also check the tire pressure. Mr.
Bentley also talks about adjusting the steering play. Anyone ever had to
do this?

Any other ideas? TIA.

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Ian Duff, 1990 Coupe quattro 20v, Red/Black
quattro Owners Club member P877

Home: New Bedford, MA, USA
Work: Charter Systems, Inc., West Newton, MA, USA
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