steering loose

[guhfluh]

Bigfoot, it sounds like your box is worn if you still have that much play after everything else you've changed. Check your kingpins as well since you didn't mention them, but they shouldn't give that much play in the wheel. They will cause unpredictable steering at times though.

Following grooves in the road and wandering over bumps and changes in road geometry is mostly attributed to alignment, and wheel and tire choice. You need caster for return to center, but it also affects straight line stability and cornering as well. Toe affects straight line stability, how darty it can be and cornering as well. The most overlooked aspect is wheel and tire choice! Put on some wide wheels and tires and change the offset and it can make it horrible to drive. It can follow every groove and dip and you'll have to hold on to the wheel for dear life! Always try to keep the stock offset on whatever wheel you run and the thinner the tire, the better for the most part. Scrub radius is also a big role in how it handles and follows grooves. Keeping the scrub radius the same is stock will be best, but when tire hight changes, scrub radius does as well, and without changing the offset of the wheel or playing with spacers, you can't get it back to stock...

Anyway, check the tire type, size, wheel sizes and alignment.

[abyars111]

390bump, I have the exact same issue and have done the same things except the stabalizer. Did you find out anymore on your alignment specs? I'm thinking I may take my truck back to the alignment shop.

[390bump]

Really late responding... anyway, took the truck to the alignment shop (way across town but only one I found that can bend the axles). Hade them increase Caster (ended up around 4 1/2 degrees). Good improvement. When I make a turn, wheel does not snap back to the straight position like on a modern car... But, driving on the highway is good now. Can take my hands off the wheel and truck will go in a straight line. So I'm done - no need to fiddle with it anymore.

[tqwrench]

What 390bump is describing sounds like wander. Having to constantly correct over center; In nearly every case I've installed a steering gear, they were set too tight. I've had to take up to a full turn out of the sector shaft adjustment. That's the screw on the top held down by a locking nut.

[motzingg]

This is a good thread, glad to see it bumped!

I just got done going through and replacing all my tie rods, that made a huge improvement. I aligned it myself based on feel, not actual measurement or numbers or anything.

Going straight its great, down to about 10-15 degrees of steering wheel play, which i'm pretty sure is all the better i'll get out of my stock manual box.

My problem is that when i take a sharp turn the wheels aren't tracking, they scrub a little bit and want to pull themselves straight pretty hard.

What is wierder is that when i'm backing up, they want to keep turning whatever direction they have been turned.


I don't remember this happening with my completely shot tie rods, but they were so far gone, the wheels just kinda did whatever they wanted relative to each other. I'm not sure what other adjustment i can play with to even change this, all you get is one adjustment for toe in/out.

[tqwrench]

It sounds like you have too much caster angle. Caster is what makes the wheels want to return to center after a turn. The effect is opposite going backwards. Think of a chopper for comparison. You get on the freeway and it doesn't want to change lanes without some persuasion. Now get on a dirtbike, they'll go where ever you point them in a hurry.

[390bump]

This is a good thread, glad to see it bumped!

I just got done going through and replacing all my tie rods, that made a huge improvement. I aligned it myself based on feel, not actual measurement or numbers or anything.

Going straight its great, down to about 10-15 degrees of steering wheel play, which i'm pretty sure is all the better i'll get out of my stock manual box.

My problem is that when i take a sharp turn the wheels aren't tracking, they scrub a little bit and want to pull themselves straight pretty hard.

What is wierder is that when i'm backing up, they want to keep turning whatever direction they have been turned.


I don't remember this happening with my completely shot tie rods, but they were so far gone, the wheels just kinda did whatever they wanted relative to each other. I'm not sure what other adjustment i can play with to even change this, all you get is one adjustment for toe in/out.

Try adjusting toe out some more... For Camber and Caster you need to find an old fashioned place that has ability to cold bend the axles... not too many around.