BIG DAVE
OILBURNER FOR LIFE!
How can I adjust my steering wheel so it will be straight when i'm going down the road? It's driving me nuts 
Steering Adjustment?
- Thread starter BIG DAVE
- Start date
LCAM-01XA
Full Access Member
Is the truck driving straight if you let off the wheel? Or it tends to pull to one side, and you have to hold the wheel turned slightly to the other side to counter the pull?
If she goes straight and just the wheel is cocked to the side you'll have to stretch one of the tierods and shorten the other one by the same amount - say your wheels is 30 degrees to the left, you should lengthen your driver-side tierod by turning the adjuster sleeve between 1/4 and 1/2 turn, and then you should shorten the passenger-side tie rod by the same amount. I can't tell you which way to turn the adjuster sleeves tho, but you'll figure it out when you crawl under the truck and examine them carefully.
If she goes straight and just the wheel is cocked to the side you'll have to stretch one of the tierods and shorten the other one by the same amount - say your wheels is 30 degrees to the left, you should lengthen your driver-side tierod by turning the adjuster sleeve between 1/4 and 1/2 turn, and then you should shorten the passenger-side tie rod by the same amount. I can't tell you which way to turn the adjuster sleeves tho, but you'll figure it out when you crawl under the truck and examine them carefully.
BIG DAVE
OILBURNER FOR LIFE!
I wonder how much it cost to get it aligned?
smolkin
Stuck inside Mobile
Does it have a lot of play? I can turn it more than 1/4 either way before it moves the wheels...which is why I'm replacing my drag link and tie rod ends this weekend. Check to see if your tie rods are OK, otherwise you'll be eating up tires like I am. Tie rods are cheaper than tires! I wish I'd known that sooner...
edit: beaten a bit...my regular shop charges 70 for an align, this is prob. cheaper than most
edit: beaten a bit...my regular shop charges 70 for an align, this is prob. cheaper than most
BIG DAVE
OILBURNER FOR LIFE!
It pulls the the left alil bit.
BIG DAVE
OILBURNER FOR LIFE!
I hate I-beam's
LCAM-01XA
Full Access Member
While you're in the slow lane too? And you hold the wheel a bit to the right to counter it, correct? What if you get in the hammer lane on a divided freeway with a wide grass area between both directions of traffic, does she pull stronger to the left then, and you gotta hold the wheel more to the right to keep her going straight?
smolkin
Stuck inside Mobile
I hate I-beam's
me too, esp. because my camber is messed up too...I understand that is hard to fix with the I-beams, I think it involves bending them
BIG DAVE
OILBURNER FOR LIFE!
The closest freeway is 4 hours away lol but it always pulls to the left alil and yes i hold it to the right.
BIG DAVE
OILBURNER FOR LIFE!
They make adjustable upper ball joints for them.
LCAM-01XA
Full Access Member
If your tires are at equal pressures on both sides of the truck, then you got a caster/camber issue. Check both sides to see of one of the front tires is wearing out unevenly, but if you've never personally done any alignment on this truck then you may be better off just taking it to a shop that does that kinda work.
smolkin
Stuck inside Mobile
I don't see how on this truck...it's 2wd '84... looks like this from the front:
Code:
O===O
| \(slight exaggeration)
LCAM-01XA
Full Access Member
Oh, a kingpin jobbie, never really messed with one of those, or shall I say I haven't had to yet. So they got no adjustment at all?
On the old kingpin 2wd trucks you have to bend the beams to change camber. When I was working at an alignment shop we didnt have a beam bender and it wasnt worth it to get one for the amount of trucks that needed it, so we sent them to another shop.
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