My power steering was pretty sloppy, but I tightened up the gear box thanks to an old thread I found on FTE. Though the steering is MUCH better, I've still got some play in the steering wheel, maybe 2-3" or so. There is a bit of play at the U-joint immediately forward of the fire wall, but the whole shaft rotates, all the way up to the steering gear box. I can't tell if my rag joint is shot (I wouldn't know what to look for) but even forward of the rag joint, the shaft appears to be rotating.

Is it time for a new (salvaged/rebuilt) power steering gear box, or should I try to replace the rag joint first, then the steering shaft, in an effort to reduce play even further? I could pull the gear box out of a '79 salvage truck. According to my (crappy) Haynes manual, it sounds like it'd be pretty simple.

I should mention that when I rotate the steering shaft by hand that the pitman arm does not move.

Thanks -

Fish

 

Please help us.

Thanks in advance

Lars Eriksen

 

Fish,

IIRC you have a 73 or 74 with a 78-79 set up. I also believe your drag link came loose @ 60 on your way home - correct? 2"-3" of play is quite a bit.

My steering also had a lot of play. I got a new shaft from LMC for $300 -you can get the same one from JBG for about $220 - Borgensen. It did help. I would check everything on your steering including drag link, tie rods, ETC and replace as needed. I can move my drag link easily with little effort so I am repalcing all of it. Safety first! Then recheck your steering box adjustment.

Lars, I'm guessing Danish right? My uncle name was Lars.

Mark

 

Lars, thanks for the bump.

Mark, yes, you recall correctly. The castle nut on the pitman arm/tie-rod connection came loose at ~65mph on my way home from the purchase! Since then, I've replaced the castle nut and I've gone over the steering assemblage and it looks and feels like everything else is pretty tight.

Regarding the loose/sloppy steering, the steering wheel is turning the wheels whenever the wheel is turned, but it just feels exceptionally loose. So, there's not "play" in the wheel (I misspoke), but the steering is just really, really loose. Perhaps that's just the nature of these old trucks? Is there a way to make it tight(er)?

Thanks for the heads up on the Borgeson steering shafts at JBG vs. LMC. I'll keep that in mind.

Thanks -

Fish

 

Worn suspension bushings will cause them to wander a bit and just not feel as precise as it should. I currently have the same issue with mine. Tie rod ends, ball joints are tight and I have already put in a rebuilt steering gear due to a worn out input shaft that I couldnt get to quit leaking. I am going to have to replace the radius arm bushings, C bushings and track arm bushings on mine soon. Just having a tough time deciding wheather to use OEM rubber bushings or go with aftermarket poly bushings. I had a 77 years ago I went the full poly route but it made the suspension to where you felt every pebble on the pavement. They were OK on the 77 since it was lifted and mainly used for wheelin. My current 79 doesnt see much off road time so Im not sure I want to give up the ride quality. Hope this helps.

 

Fish,

78 PEB is right - check all of your bushings too. I replaced mine several years ago - one of the radius arm bushings was completely gone. I went with the poly set about $100 at Checker. Double check your drag link and tie rods. Have someone turn the steering wheel for you while you are under the truck.

So you don't have any play it's just really easy to turn? Mine is easy to turn - I'm not sure if there is a way to tighten it up. If you need a new steering box check Red Head Steering in WA. A lot of members here have mentioned them.

Mark

 

First i am form Norway and i have a 1979 F 150 2 wheel drive.
Sorry but English is not my native language.
My little problem is that the stub shaft into the steering gear box can be moved about 1/2 ' without the Pitman arm moves. this corresponds to about
2' on the steering wheel.

My qustion is then:
Is this somthing that i can adjuste on the steering gear box or do i need a new steering gear box.

Thank you for your reply.

A warm greeting from Norway

Lars Eriksen

 

Well, I took Patience out for a spin today to try and identify what the problem is, loose steering or play. Honestly, I'm not certain what, exactly, the problem is. Sitting still, I can turn the wheel a bit (maybe an 1") and the wheels do not turn. Driving, it feels like the the car is wandering from side to side along the road. I can control the direction, but I'm really moving the wheel back and forth; there is no point-the-wheel-in-one-direction-and-it-goes-that-direction way to drive.

When I turned the steering shaft, I noticed that the whole steering gear box flexed. After tightening up the three bolts that hold the box to the frame, the play in the steering shaft was greatly reduced. As a result, there is still play in the steering shaft, but not as much as before.

A search of "drag link" on the dentside forum suggests that those who have had the same problem as I (wandering truck) replaced their drag link and their truck started driving like new. In my still-newbie state, my question then is what, exactly, is the drag link? Is changing the bushings simple? My Haynes manual says nothing about the bushing. On my truck, the pitman arm comes from the steering gear box and connects to a tie-rod end which is then connected to the front-right tire. Is the drag link the arm that the pitman arm is connected to? My ****ty Haynes manual doesn't have a description at all of the steering linkage, just directions of how to remove the whole linkage. Also, it seems like there are so many different steering methods (e.g., crossover) on these old trucks that I haven't found someone with the same kind of steering set up that I have.

Again, thanks for your help. The power steering system is out of a 1979 F150.

For now, this is the only picture I have of the pitman arm linkage. The bolt and lock washer has been replaced with a castle nut. If necessary, I can take better photos.



Fish

 

Yes the tie rod that connects to the pitman arm is the drag link.

 

Fish,

I'm still new at this too, I've just been reading as much as I can every day. In your photo that is the drag link that is connected to the pitman arm. The tie rods connect the two wheels together. You can't repair these you have to replace them. Yours looks to be worn out like mine. You can get the entire set at JBG for $200 from Elgin - drag link and tie rods. Or, Moog seams to be what a lot of people talk about for around $380. I think I'm going with the set from JBG.

If your steering shaft still has movement I would consider a new one. Check your bushings on the front end - C, radius arms and track bar and replace if needed. Also, check the ball joints for any movement - replace if they move at all.

Lars, sorry about that. My dads family was from Denmark and my moms from Norway. You might be able to adjust the steering box for that. Do a search on here and you should be able to find the info. Always wanted to visit Norway, maybe after I finish my truck.

I hope this helps.

Mark

 

Ok thank you all i will do search on this

Best regards from Lars

 

[QUOTE=Fish_Scientist;9707472]. Driving, it feels like the the car is wandering from side to side along the road. I can control the direction, but I'm really moving the wheel back and forth; there is no point-the-wheel-in-one-direction-and-it-goes-that-direction way to drive.

Fish

If everything in your front end is tight, and your front end is aligned properly, this is a classic misadjusted steering box problem. There is a proceedure for perfoming this adjustment.

PS: Get rid of that nut and lockwasher on that tie rod end. Put the castle nut and cotter pin back in. There is a reason NO manufacturer uses thet setup. If you cant get a castle nut to fit, break down and spend the $20.00 for a new tie rod end. Sorry, safety is a pet pieve of mine.

 

I'm going to double check the steering linkage bits and pieces for play tomorrow. If anything is sloppy, I'll try to tighten everything back up. If it's all tight, where could I find the procedure for adjusting the gear box?

The nut and lockwasher is/has been gone off the tie-rod end for some time. It was a temporary fix but has since been replaced with a castle nut and cotter pin. Thanks for your concern though.

Photos of the steering linkage from tonight:







The drag link/passenger side connection looks old and crappy, but feels tight.

Fish

 

The best and easiest way to check out all your tie rod ends is to have a helper, have them shake the steering wheel side to side while you inspect each end. If they are worn you will be able to see lateral movement in them. You will want to perform this with the front tires on the ground, since this will provide resistance that will make wear in the ends easier to spot. Checking the rubber bushings on the radius arms, track bar and C bushings is pretty much just a visual inspection. Look for cracked, deteriorated rubber. Also using a prybar on them to try and move things around helps. If you dont think all the bushings have ever been changed it wouldnt hurt to replace them after all that rubber is 30+ years old. I just looked at my JBG catalog and they arent that expensive if you use the poly bushings. $44 for all the c bushings, radius arm and track arm to fit my 78 F150 4X4. I also see that we are pretty much "neighbors" where in SW Montana are you? I'm in SE Idaho Pocatello to be exact. Good luck

 

I'm outside of Bozeman, so in the grand scheme of things, you are just down the road from me!

I'll have my wife give me a hand later on this afternoon in IDing what's loose in my steering linkage. Do you know of any steering linkage diagrams anywhere on the internet? I've been looking around for something to help me identify what the trac bar and radius arms are. I've figured out what the drag link and tie rod are (along with the tie-rod ends), but am a bit lost when it comes to the other steering components. This may be remedied if I had a better manual than a Haynes...

Thanks -

Fish