Highly modified & now some problems

[mylongneckbottle]

Hello fellow van owners. I have 10 years of fun & stories + answers to many questions about fluids, filters & available & usful upgrades.
NOW I NEED TO ASK FOR HELP! van wanders in the lane, & has 2" - 3" of excessive play in steering wheel. I thought to look online 2 yrs. ago & read that worn out steering box is culprit if all other components are tight. So Pep Boys installed a lifetime warranty rblt. unit. had alignment done & much of the problem went away. but now it is back. I had the unit replaced under warranty ($100+ for labor) but still have the problem. ANY HELP YOU CAN OFFER? (recalls, stories you know about, fixes you have had done?)
Now, let me tell you of my van....trans rebuild with better shifting (I installed a on-off switch for converter lockup); eng. rebuild ('30' over, head bowl work, lgr. valves, stepped up cam); holley 670 cfm TBI; bosch -4 platinum plugs; magnecor plug wires; MSD Blaster Coil; K & N air filter; Turbo City air cleaner air flow enhancer; Fram HP fuel filter & housing; remote ooil & trans filters w/ coolers; Griffith aluminum radiator (equals a 5 row std. radiator); Remote radiator spin-on filter(keeps radiator & coolant like new forever); Edelbrock IAS shocks; Edelbrock headers; Gibson exhaust w/3" cat. ; New Torsen Posi;Firestone Ride Rite air suspension; Auto Meter Sport Comp Tach; Cyberdyne Digital Guages w/pillar pod; Flo-Fit Seats; Pioneer Audio w/ 6 disc cd changer & Infinity Kappa speakers.
I purchased the vehicle at 102K miles & switched to Mobil 1 synthetic oil for engine, transmision & rear end. I now have 262,836 miles & plan to probably be 'buried' in my van.

[the blur]

is it the original tranny and rear end ?
you may need new idler arms.

[mylongneckbottle]

Originally Posted by the blur

is it the original tranny and rear end ?
you may need new idler arms.

hello & thanks for the reply.
The trans was rebuilt shortly after I purchased the van, around 110K miles. High perf. parts. It died around 200K., just quit one day as I was driving. I then shopped for a replacement, ordered it, & it turned out to be a lemon. got it returned & rec'd another. it was defective as well. then a 3rd proved to be defective. I then just had the orig. rebuilt, but the shop only did a std. rebuild. It is not hi-perf. anymore.
The rear end was original. now it was rebuilt with new gears & a new positraction.
I have had the front end parts checked by 2 shops & am told that all parts are in good shape with no worn parts.
but thanks for the suggestion of worn idler arms.

[blazes9395]

The front end on these vans is really not that difficult to diagnose. Its all very straight forward. Put it up on a hoist, or jack it up, and check for play in any joints. Make sure pitman is in good shape, ball joints, tie rods, or any other joint. Make sure your wheel bearings are good and tight, spin freely and no play. Make sure the the A-arm bushings are good and have no play, and lastly, make sure you have your tires inflated to proper pressure. You have already replaced the steering box, so theres not anything else you can really check.

[mylongneckbottle]

thanks for the 411...but 3 times all of the checking was done, & although nothing was found loose, the excessive play was still prevelant. Problem was very well solved by visiting an alignment shop. The owner stated that the factory parts are 'better' than the aftermarket parts for the reason that aftermarket parts are "tight". factory parts are a bit looser, & an alignment expert can adjust them. my parts had already been replaced at 102K when I bought the van. The shop found that the alignment had been done incorrectly to wrong specs. They were corrected. I later installed a Rancho steering stabilizer, & now the steering is much more precise.

[blazes9395]

Glad to see you solved it, alignment something I forgot to mention....