Howdy- My 74 F350 SCS, which is 2WD, and 43k miles seems to have a mind of her own and likes to wander while goin down the road. It's not terrible, like changing lanes on her own, but yet enough to make me have to have a firm grip on the wheel at all times while driving and making corrections. The front end drives solid (no clunking,rattling, vibrations, etc.) and doesnt "pull", just wanders. When I had my 72 F250 2WD with 73k miles, it also had some wander but not as much as this truck.

Some info:

I've checked the front end suspension components and seems straight and tight.
New Firestone 16.5" tires and balanced
New front brakes
New HD shocks
Wheel bearings serviced
The rag joint visually "appears" to be in good condition
No accidents and straight

Do they all just wander like this or do I need a new steering box? Is there anything else that I can check? Any assistance is greatly appreciated.

 

Did you check for play in the king pin bushings?...

 

Not sure about others but mine has about 4" of play in the wheel but no wandering.

Do you have some play in the wheel?

 

Mine wonders around too like it's lost. I'm changing the whole suspension out next week as soon as the shop gets my extra axles ready. Changing to heaver front springs, 1-1/16" sway bar, heavy duty gas shocks . Then after the toe in is set i will plan on a new gear if it's not right.

 

The bushings seem to be solid and tight.

 

I estimate about 2 1/2" of play in the wheel.

 

One possibility is the steering box. The sector shaft, that's the output shaft that the pitman arms connects to, rides in the cast iron housing, there are no bushings or bearings to support it. The housing can wear and cause the wandering you're describing.
Have someone move the steering wheel back and forth while you're underneath watching the sector shaft. There shouldn't be any side to side movement of the shaft. Another tell tale sign is power steering fluid leaking around the sector shaft.
If you replace the box, go with Redhead Steering Gear in Seattle, WA. One of the improvements they do is bore out the housing and press in needle bearings for the sector shaft to ride in.

 

I thought I was going to have to mess with my steering box. Turns out it was just a little loose on the frame. Bolts had backed off a bit. Easy fix, but not something I thought to check right away.

 

when was the last time the alignment was checked (especially toe-in)?

 

It's been years. It looks "straight" and doesn't pull so I thought the alignment was probably ok but I should have it checked. Thanks.

 

Thanks Mike. I'll have to crawl under it and have my son move the steering wheel so I can check for movement as well as any leaking.

 

you would have to have a good eye to determine "straight" as far as toe goes. Pulling is normally caused by too much camber (or caster) on one side compared to the other (or "radial pull" caused by a tire). The total toe-in (or toe-out) will be split between each tire when driving. Too much toe-out can cause a wandering effect as each tire tries to roll "straight" which pulls the opposite tire. You can get somewhat close with a tape measure.

 

Mine has about 2 1/2" in the wheel as well, steers fine and drives strait but still has some play to it.

 

My crew used to wander horribly. It was almost at the point where I did not want to drive it at highway speeds. I had a wheel alignment done at a place that said they could do it on my truck. What a waste of time as it didn't solve anything.
I took my truck to a heavy duty truck shop that could bend the I Beams if they needed it and had them align it correctly... night and day difference! It tracks straight and handles better than I ever thought it would. You may want to find a place that knows how to work with I Beams to have a look at it. The I beams may not need to be bent but chances are the shop will know how to perform an alignment with these types of front ends the right way!

 

Hello 74 F350 SCS, I am having the exact same problem and have checked the same suspension stuff as you, had it laser aligned and shop said everything was perfect including ball joints and everything else, my 73 SCS wanders empty but when I put my trailer on the truck it was down right scary at hwy speeds, people were backing off instead of passing me! I just posted the same info that you have in the FTE Towing section. Here's a link, https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...holy-crap.html. I will be following your post and if I figure it out first I will let you know! So far I'm replacing the Radius arm bushings with urethane bushings, will check the tow in with a tape, it is said the tires should be towed in 1/8" in the front from the back, then I will be looking at the redhead steering box, I do have a truck alignment shop that can bend beams about 35 minutes away and will be giving them a call today!