Oh man, that will put hair on your chest.. It is amazing what people will do to get to their exit... I figured slop was the bit of movement in the steering wheel where you move it but the wheels don't move. I got a tiny bit of that.

Unfortunately i would agree that it CAN be dangerous to do this. I was taught about the little adjustment screw by one of the older techs at the dealership i worked at. He said to turn it real slow because if you go too far you can break something inside it. I chose not to play with said adjustment screw because one, I didn't like my chances of screwing it up big, and second I ended up getting new tires and bushings for my track bar that fix it up nice. BUT I am not discouraging anyone from playing with this screw. Just make sure you turn it slow and in small increments. My bit of "play" in the wheel is not a concern to me anymore, I figured I would update my vocabulary of "Slop".

 

My experience..I tried 1/8 then added another 1/8. We were on a trip then the wheel started needing more effort to steer back to center. I got a kidney stone five hours from home and the wife drove us home. Believe me, nothing less than a kidney stone would have let me tolerate the wheel jerking from one position to the next with her.

I ordered a Red Head the next week and resisted the temptation to adjust it when it was too tight initially. It broke in perfectly.

 

Dang, I will definitely look into a redhead later in the future when my steering starts causing me problems again.

 

I adjusted my excursion box twice......and the last "new" bronco box once....it will help if you know what you are doing......moderation is key....but it only helps for a short time.

 

Mitchells auto repair manual gives a detailed step by step repair procedure on how to adjust the steering set screw. You can find it online and its way, way more detailed and informative than chilton!!