In the few miles I've put on my van since I got it, I noticed that it would walk a tiny bit at highway speeds, but nothing major. So I put 4 brand new tires on it and just picked it up today. On the drive home I noticed that at highway speeds that it would walk a ton, almost to the point to where it was unsafe to drive. Once at home and parked I saw the left tire to be turned to the left slightly, and the other tire pointed straight. Is this an alignment issue? I'm wondering if since the old tires were so worn, whats why I didn't notice it. Is there a way to adjust the tie rods?

Eric

 

Yes, and no.
If it were me, I would get the tape and measure for toe in/out before anything else. I don't have specs, but by trial and error I set my '95's toe and got it just right. No steering wheel pull or funny tread wear. So it can be done, or if you want, just have it aligned.
Other things to look at... Steering box play should be adjusted so there is just slight play when wheel is straight. Check front wheel bearings, and pack some grease in there. Check tie rod ends and ball joints. On the other hand, if that all checks out, it seems E-series have a tendency to do that to some degree anyway, I even noticed it on my '08 with under 25k mi. Tire style may contribute to the condition, but I saw a helpful thread on a steering fix in this forum a few weeks back. It had to do with installing a tie rod stabilizer for an E-350 ambulance chassis. I found the same unit on a '95 E-350 cube van and plan to use it on mine, with a new KYB shock. The brackets are also available new from Ford, should cost around $100 for both brackets plus $35 or so for the "shock" from Monroe or KYB. My van has the frame holes, but the factory bolts must be self tapping so I will run a tap into them before I bolt it on.

 

As to the toe in, on a flat slab of concrete, place some flat sheet metal/plywood in front of the front wheels and with the wheel straight, drive onto it. The idea is to allow the steering to work with less strain. Lay some wood 2-byes up against the sidewalls so they contact the tire above the bulge. Now get the tape and measure at the front and rear of the tire, across to find the distance between the boards. The front measurement should be slightly less the the rear, (toe-in), if not you can adjust the tie rod end sleeves to get a little toe in. Back off and drive forward again to recheck the setting. Drive around the block to see what you did and if it helped. That's pretty much how I did mine.

 

i've heard of certain models of tires producing handling problems when installed on the front, and since there was such a severe change at the moment the new rubber was installed, that would be my first guess.
so before you go back to the tire shop to have them swap something else on, start by checking a few things: tire pressure (should match factory specs on door post), alignment - toe is easily measured with a tape measure, and nearly all highway vehicles specify a toe-in somewhere between 1/16" and 1/8", with 3/32 being the most common. honestly, anywhere in that range is good enough. for convenient aligning, find 2 scrap pieces of sheet metal at least 8" square, put a layer of grease between them, then place them under one of the front tires. this will allow every adjustment you make to take place immediately, instead of allowing friction to hide your adjustments from you.
while checking the alignment, also check for worn out tie rods, ball joints, and other components, as any failing components will cause your alignment readings to be inaccurate, and the task hopeless.
if no problems are found/solved here, take it back to the tire shop and have a talk with the manager, let him know your concerns and your attempts to remedy the situation, and suggest that maybe he take it for a test drive to feel whats going on, maybe even suggest swapping tires front to back to see if that changes it.
if the tires you chose are anything other than a highway tread, they may just be unsuitable for your needs, and may be causing the problem in themselves. if this is the case, a different model of tire is required for safe driving, at least on the front.

 

Thanks for all the replies. My first guess would be the actual tires themselves due to the fact that it did not do this before the tire change. The only thing that makes me think its not the alignment is because instead of the tires looking like they're at an angle, it just looks like one is slightly turned and one is straight. I don't know why this would happen with new tires though. They are Cooper radial tires. Thankd for the suggestions, and keep them coming!

 

While the "joints" on tie rods, drag link & pitman arm may justifiably be called "ball joints" Bandvan appears to be discussing a '91 Econoline. Before '92 model year Econolines had king pins.

Don't think Bandvan's inquiry: "saw the left tire to be turned to the left slightly, and the other tire pointed straight. Is this an alignment issue?" can be resolved remotely & requires hands on inspection.

Considering Bandvan just "put 4 brand new tires on it" my 1st reaction was: Why not ask tire dealer? Some tire shops still offer deal, buy 4 tires, get free alignment. In any event they had to lift van, had opportunity to inspect suspension & very likely do the kind of repair work that seems to be indicated.

I seriously doubt "certain models of tires" or merely "an alignment issue" caused "the left tire to be turned to the left slightly, and the other tire pointed straight". Symptom suggests something important is worn out, broken, or bent & must be repaired before van can be aligned.

By eye, few can distinguish 1/16" and 1/8" suggesting Bandvan's alignment is way out of whack. If it's easy to see front wheels pointed in different directions the situation is well past checking alignment. Bolting on a steering stabilizer won't fix what's broken either.

 

Yes, I goofed, sorry about addressing the ball joints on a '91 . Agreed, this may take more than an adjustment. My thinking is that by going in and looking things over the cause will be discovered. After that, If you want to address the tiny bit of walk at highway speeds, keep in mind the things I mentioned in post 2 above. And grease the king pins, so they don't seize up. Regarding tires, not saying Coopers are bad ( I bought 3 sets for my '95), I got good service from all but one tire which when rotated to the front, caused a serious pull. When I swapped the fronts, it pulled the other way. This was on an E-150 with xl rated tires. (35psi front, 41 rear)