djohnston

Here's the deal: Just got my baby back from having TSB 054 performed. As I'm driving away from the dealership, the steering feels "different" to me but it wasn't until about 10 minutes later that I realized there was a little play in the steering when the car was going straight. According to the tech manual, up to 10 mm of play is acceptable, but since the car had none before the service, it's making me nuts. I think I'm going to have to take it back in and have them try to tighten it up. Any opinions? Does anyone else have play in the steering wheel when the wheels are straight?

Slows2k

A little play is acceptable. The steering shaft coupler has to be loosened and disconected for the trans to come out. You can double check to see if the 2 bolts on the coupler are tight from under the hood with a long extension and a 10 mm socket. Or you could just be over sensitive after getting your car back.

cdelena

There should be no play. The steering shaft coupling was not properly tightened.

djohnston

Update: cdelena you were correct
Took my car to a different dealer this time for service (Joyce Honda) and had them look at my loose steering after the tech who did TSB054 at Madison Honda refused to admit there was anything amiss with my loose steering (in hindsight, his admission that the looseness was a problem would have meant he hadn't done the work correctly, and he wasn't about to admit to doing something wrong). So the service manager at Joyce immediately offers to go for a test drive with me to see if he can notice the free play in the wheel. He notices the looseness immediately, and is aghast that the guy from Madison Honda couldn't/wouldn't feel it. But Joyce had never performed TSB054 on an S2000, so they said they'd take a look for any loose connections under the car. Not only did they find the loose steering linkage connector immediately, they actually invited me out onto the floor to look under the car with them so they could show me the loose connector. How many shops are cool enough to disregard insurance issues and take a customer out to look under his car? This place (Joyce Honda) is the best.

So, long story short, my steering is once again tight as a virgin's ..... and I'm a very happy man. And Joyce Honda gets a huge

Billman250

Glad to see a shop do right by the customer. I always let my customers check out their cars, old parts, etc...It's not like a body shop where you have something tangeable, like a new paint job to look at. Most people who get their cars repaired wonder what they actually spent their money on. There should be ZERO play on the S2000. The internal rack to pinion clearance is easily adjustable on the S should you feel a little play.

mxt_77

Be sure to report this incident to the Service Manager at the original shop. While many service shops have a bad reputation for poor quality jobs like this, they can't do anything about it if the right people aren't aware that there is a problem.

djohnston

[QUOTE]Originally posted by mxt_77
Be sure to report this incident to the Service Manager at the original shop.

jeffbrig

Telling the manager about a bad tech doesn't mean you're burning bridges or making enemies. Stay away from having a negative tone and let him know what occurred. Make it clear that you're not bashing, that you just want him to know the work wasn't performed correctly. For all you know, it could be a bad tech, and they're waiting for a reason to fire him. You could be doing him a favor by bringing this to his attention.

djohnston

[QUOTE]Originally posted by jeffbrig
Telling the manager about a bad tech doesn't mean you're burning bridges or making enemies.

FormerH22a4

can you pretty much do this yourself? I have a bit of play in my steering after a new short block replacement.