Any part that is loose between the pitman arm and the wheel. I am assuming the wheels don't turn when the arm moves.

 

I have voiced this in other threads, but rehead would NOT issue my core return until I threatened to do a charge back on my credit card. They acknowledged they had it for over 45 days. The guy sounded stoned/bored and just did not give a ****. I had some issues with my box after I installed it but I never attempted to contact them after that fiasco.

 

Video'd it until my battery went dead, wheels move fine once the pitman arm decides to move, no play in any of the end links, I yanked, pulled, pushed, watched, wiggled, I can find nothing other than the input to the box can be turned 1/4" turn and the output of the box does not move.....

There isn't anything else downstream to fix. If it's there I am missing it. I took some videos of the entire linkage moving but didn't post them.

 

So you are saying when the arm moves in the video is moving the wheels are moving? The input shaft should have some play but downstream from the arm there should be almost no play anywhere. Leave it on the ground, start the engine, and have someone jiggle the steering wheel while you are looking at all the connections between the Pitman arm and the wheels. Did you adjust the box?

 

The arm starts to move after only 1/8 turn of the input shaft...............look again. When you jiggled the input the arm did move a tiny bit in both directions so half of the slop is downstream and an adjustment on top of that should correct it.

 

Not going to adjust it and I change any other slop. Will post the other video showing everything moving.

 

Adjusting is easy and not an admission of a bad unit, that's why they have that adjustment there, take advantage of it. Also have someone look at that first video with you with your eyes trained on the input and theirs trained on the Pitman arm, you will see the arm moves after only 1/8 turn. (the jiggling part).
I am thinking; 1/2 adjustment, and 1/2 fixing a part between the arm and the wheels (downstream from the arm). If this is right you will be back in the same place after the same time frame if you just replaced the box.
You also need to take a close look at everything with someone working the steering wheel. There should be little or no slop between the arm and the wheels. Also; if the wheels are towed out it will wander and you can do a quick check on them by standing back and sighting from front to rear and vice versa about you have gotten them pointing straight ahead, you can also measure across front and back of tire, and you can run a string from back to front (both sides). Done it all and never had an alignment done.

 

Might be worth trying to add a little more toe in. Take a white marker and make it across the ajusment sleave and rods so if it doesnt help you can take it back to what it was set at.

 

Didn't someone just say that adjusting it would void red heads warranty?

 

My last reply yesterday was sent from my phone and makes no sense...

Let me clarify

1. I have checked for slop in every moving part of my steering. I have done this in the air with a helper moving the wheel while I looked. Truck on and truck off.

2. I have pushed, pulled, pried, yanked, kicked, rocked....pick any verb you like on all the parts with the truck on the ground looked for any movement that should not be there. There is none, except for the play in the prior video between the input and output shaft of the gear box.

3. I am not adjusting the box, one because it voids my warranty and two it is the principle of the matter. I should not have a adjust a box that I have had for 8 months that is advertised to be "better than OEM" upgraded box made by experts.

Here is the other video I took yesterday of the entire steering movement, if anyone sees something I didn't notice please let me know know. Thanks

<iframe src="//www.youtube.com/embed/rJVmCQhqBiQ" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" width="420"></iframe>

 

Brent on this one I think I need to modify my wording, 1/8 a turn of slop in the input shaft before the pitman arm moves. But I think that is the cause of my steering wheel play and bad handling. Once the pitman arm moves there is no slop, but that 1/8" turn equates to several inches at the steering wheel and results in the following:

Long S turn, you start to turn the wheel and you feel a lag, then the steering catches and you can feel "that catch" then it feels great through the turn when you reach the end you start to turn back and instead of turning you keep going then it catches back and you feel that again, then you start going back the other way. Straight line driving is the worst because road surfaces are uneven - when going straight especially at high speeds it is constant 3-4" corrections of the wheel - then "catches and straightens" - repeat. Bumpy roads are terrible, my direction changes but the wheel at first doesn't move then catches and jerks, I move it back and then I dart, it bounces back the other way and catches - it's a viscous cycle. I was originally leaning toward it being a bushing in the steering column but since i can see the play turning it right at the input shaft of the box I think that rules out anything from there up to the steering wheel.

The odd thing is that these symptoms started when my pump started to go south, and were associated with a "whining, screeching, hissing" pump sound. So I assumed it was an assist problem due to a pump that was about to die. New pump solved the noises - but the steering symptoms remain. Now I am thinking the pump giving out was a symptom of poorly made or at least poorly adjusted box that pushed what was an already old and probably on it's last leg pump anyway; over the edge.

 

I don't see anything there but the truck needs to be on the ground (read former post) with someone jiggling the wheel and someone watching underneath. It needs resistance to reveal anything under there and especially after I saw the Pitman arm move after 1/8 turn in the first video. I see your point about not adjusting the box and it shouldn't need it after only 8 months. My input moves at least 1/8" and it tracks very well. Can someone else out there turn their input shaft and give us a report? Also Christina, check the wheels like I said, and they could be compounding it.
Also, to possibly eliminate the box; lock the pitman arm up somehow (bungee cords from both directions etc) and then turn the input shaft.
Sorry, I didn't know about the warrantee and the adjustment or I wouldn't have mentioned it. (another reason I wouldn't buy one though).

 

Here you go, wheels on the ground, truck not running but key on - someone turning the wheel me taking video. Excuse the bouncing around at the beginning - I'm trying to get the light positioned but keep watching last 10 seconds or so are a clear shot of the arm to wheel movement, also a clean shot of the output to arm with the weight on the wheels.

<iframe src="//www.youtube.com/embed/W3hI8kaYxOY" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" width="420"></iframe>

 

It's hard to tell much from the video but have someone just jiggle the steering wheel hard at the middle (straight) position while you look closely with good lighting for anything loose between the arm and the wheels. Check the tow with any or all of the 3 ways I mentioned also. I'm still wondering why the arm was moving after only 1/8 turn and that would require a lock-up of the arm and a re-test.

 

I had them do that - nothing loose. I will check the toe measurement later. I'm not good at eyeball methods, but I think I can do the measure point on wheels roll it forward and measure again. But it was aligned after the adjustable track bar and was fine, so skeptical the alignment is off since nothing has been touched on the front suspension since then, if it's off then well I got an issue I haven't found yet. Will also strap down the pitman and do the shaft turn again, tell me what exactly I'm looking for in that test? I immobilize the pitman arm - and turn the shaft by hand, the point is that with the pitman locked down - do I have the same amount of shaft movement - more or less? That the point?

Thanks for all your help - on my rep list when I get out of jail.