Knocking Sounds (Steering?)

[andrewbourdeaux]

Hey guys,

Been a minute since I posted on here. I've got a knocking in the steering that you can feel and hear when driving over any bump in the road. I thought it was the wheel bearings at first because I can get it to knock when rocking the front end side by side (first video), but both wheel bearings are good and tight.
Today I seemed to have tracked it down to the steering column linkage (second video)?

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Let me know what you think this is or if there is something that I can check. Thanks a lot!
Andrew

 

[IDIBRONCO]

It could be, but it looks like you also have too much free play in your steering box. From that angle, I couldn't see much play in the steering shaft.

 

[andrewbourdeaux]

@IDIBRONCO

It could be, but it looks like you also have too much free play in your steering box. From that angle, I couldn't see much play in the steering shaft.

Do these wear out and need replacing in the lifetime of the vehicle? It's got 158,000 miles right now. Thanks!

 

[IDIBRONCO]

Yes they do. You can test to see where your play is at. Start by grabbing the shaft with one hand on the upper and one hand on the lower part. If you can turn them independently from each other it needs to be taken care of. If you have movement in the shaft (like in your video) but not any underneath in the steering components (this requires a helper), then you have too much play in the steering box. An old timer once told me his method for testing the steering. He said to grip the steering wheel with one finger and your thumb (with the key on, engine off) and rock the wheel back and forth. You should only have about 1"-1 1/2" of free play while using minimal force. I don't know if it's accurate, but I still use that method today.
How long a steering box will vary greatly with use. Generally, having oversized tires and/or driving off road (or even on a lot of rough roads) will cause the box to wear out faster than one that's just driven up and down the highway.

 

[TNBrett]

You can try adjusting the backlash in the steering box. There is an adjusting screw and a lock nut on the top of the steering box. Usually on our trucks I believe it’s a flat head screw, some times it takes an Allen key. Hold the screw in place, and loosen the lock nut. I like to turn the screw in about 1/4 turn, tighten the lock nut, and check the play. Stop tightening when you get to about an inch of free play, and road test it. You’re basically trying to balance between removing the free play between the gears in the steering box and making it too tight where there is a stiff spot in the steering and/or the wheel won’t return to center on its own.

If you can’t get to a good spot with adjustment, then the steering box is worn out, and should be rebuilt or replaced.


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[IDIBRONCO]

You can try adjusting the backlash in the steering box. There is an adjusting screw and a lock nut on the top of the steering box. Usually on our trucks I believe it’s a flat head screw, some times it takes an Allen key. Hold the screw in place, and loosen the lock nut. I like to turn the screw in about 1/4 turn, tighten the lock nut, and check the play. Stop tightening when you get to about an inch of free play, and road test it. You’re basically trying to balance between removing the free play between the gears in the steering box and making it too tight where there is a stiff spot in the steering and/or the wheel won’t return to center on its own.

If you can’t get to a good spot with adjustment, then the steering box is worn out, and should be rebuilt or replaced.


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I didn't mention this on purpose. The same old guy who told me about how much free play to have in the steering wheel also told me that if you over tighten that screw, it can cause something to break inside and then you'll lose steering. I don't know if it's true or not, but he swore that he saw it happen. The guy who did it totaled out his truck when he wrecked it. I've decided to err on the side of caution and not go too much at one time.

 

[andrewbourdeaux]

@IDIBRONCO @TNBrett

if you over tighten that screw, it can cause something to break inside and then you'll lose steering

I have heard this too. About a year ago I had my shop look at tightening that screw and he told me the same thing. He tightened it little by little and after a full turn on the screw got no noticeable improvement.

You should only have about 1"-1 1/2" of free play while using minimal force

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[IDIBRONCO]

That's too much free play for sure.

 

[TNBrett]

I’m not going to say that the stories you guys have heard aren’t true. I’m going to offer an explanation that seems more likely to me. But first some visual aids. These pictures are of a manual steering box, but it was the best I could find for showing how the parts are fit together. The main difference between a manual box and a power box is the addition of a hydraulic piston and valving.

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If you notice, the gears on the sector shaft are cut on a taper, and as you tighten the adjuster screw it forces the taper further down. This reduces the space between them, and removes lash. The likely scenario that I would expect, and have experienced myself although not actually driving is that if you over tighten the sector shaft adjuster screw with worn gears, it can bind up the gears. Depending on how the gears are worn it can get bound up on center, where it takes more effort to turn the wheel from the straight ahead position, or it can bind up off center where after you turn, you literally can’t return to the straight ahead position. I can easily see this causing an accident. Imagine going around a corner and not being able to straighten out the wheel coming out of it.

FWIW, here’s the what the factory says about adjusting the gear lash. The reason they instruct you to compare the turning force with the wheel centered versus with the wheel turned is that the gears are cut to allow more clearance when the wheel is turned.

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