Alright guys I've noticed play in my steering wheel just recently. I was thinking of replacing the steering gear but unsure if that is it. It had a dual steering stabiizer since I'm running 35x12.50.20s on -51 offset wheels. But the steering wheel had a little play up and down so wondering if it could be in the steering wheel and now in the gear.
Steering questions
- Thread starter Fordfan90
- Start date
Play in the wheel as in up/down, side-side? That could be column bearings.
If you mean play as in a dead-spot, like in the 11 oclock to 1 oclock position... thats down-stream of the column.
The drag-link and TREs are common wear items on these trucks... especially with bigger tires. Prove that out before you suspect anything else.
If you mean play as in a dead-spot, like in the 11 oclock to 1 oclock position... thats down-stream of the column.
The drag-link and TREs are common wear items on these trucks... especially with bigger tires. Prove that out before you suspect anything else.
I agree, up and down is the column. If you have lots of "wiggle" play, get someone in there to wiggle the steering wheel back and forth while you follow the whole system down through. If the shaft from the column is wiggling, but the shaft going into the box is not, then check the rag joint. If the shaft going into the box is wiggling, but the pitman arm coming out of the bottom is not oscillating back and forth, you know it's the box. Keep going till you find where you are losing it. It's got to be somewhere if the tires are not wiggling back and forth.
Steering boxes get replaced way too often when uneeded, if you find the box is the slop point, adjust it don’t replace!
All the steering in the front has been replaced besides the gear box. The column has both side to side and up and down and has the dead spot in it. It was all fine up until a couple days ago
Tell me about it I've adjust some but it never made a big difference but then again I didn't really have anyone helping me to do it.
I rebuilt my whole front end, put in a used gearbox that doesn’t leak like the worn one it had, adjusted it and it’s still sloppy. I do have a bad bearing somewhere far down in the column but I don’t think that’s the actual problem with turning the wheel side to side slack. Oh and I replaced the rag joint even.
You should not adjust the box in the vehicle. I am hard headed and tried it anyway, and it has never resulted in positive results. If you turn the adjustment in too far, you end up with a hard spot in the middle of the steering wheel travel. There is another adjustment that should be made also, it's the very large nut on the far end of the box, and it cannot be adjusted properly in the vehicle.
If you are hard headed like me and want to try the top adjustment, loosen the nut and then turn the adjustment screw in, I would not go over half a turn. Then road test it.
I have always adjusted it in the frame. If I have it out then I’m going to replace it. The trick is to go a quarter turn then drive the truck for a half a day at least and then adjust it again, continue until you get it where you want.
Macrobb
Full Access Member
I adjusted mine by jacking the wheels off the ground and tightening until it felt a little stiffer when moving the wheels back and forth(engine off). I then loosened it a hair and locked it down.
On my '88, that mostly eliminated box-play, but the shaft itself has play in it, where the two halves slide together(stupid plastic bushing in there).
On my '88, that mostly eliminated box-play, but the shaft itself has play in it, where the two halves slide together(stupid plastic bushing in there).
chrlsful
Full Access Member
i've hear adjusting them too far creates damage. Not sure about the details & may B this is just on older models (60s, 70s).
79jasper
Chickenhawk
Well, the damage done will be from when you wreck because you went too far and the box locked up. Lol
Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk
Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk
I adjusted it todsy first time driving it this week wasn't to happy about driving since we had about 4inchs of snow and they started laying down mag today. Anyways it feels better not still happy with it. Probably wait til the roads dry back up to pull it out of the shop to drive it again.
Similar threads
