Today I began 12-step program with the Ex when I realized that the first step is admitting that I have a problem.

This thing takes entirely too much work to keep on the road. Seems to be a combination of an intermittent brake pull that will attempt to drag me over the yellow line and enough steering play to make it a PITA to deal with. I'm at a loss as to what could cause this, as the pull is intermittent and I've measured the rotor temps with an IR thermometer on several occasions and one isn't getting hotter than the others.

I also can't find any loose steering components or balljoints. No perceptible movement in any of the linkage or joints when I'm under the Ex while my wife turns the wheel. I suspect it's a suspension, steering, or balljoint issue that's causing the pull, and probably a loose steering box that's making it hard to control.

I'd appreciate any suggestions, but I have an appointment with the dealer on Friday if I can't get this figured out. I do have a warranty on the Ex for another 4,000 miles that will cover balljoints, the steering box, and a bunch of other stuff. So with any luck it'll all be broken so I can get my warranty to pay for itself!

 

Steering box adjustment (get a Red head! ) and ball joints (hubs maybe?) were my first two thoughts.

Stewart

 

I would REALLY like to take part of that Red Head group buy, but I'm pretty broke at the moment and don't want to spend the money if I don't have to. We'll see; with any luck the dealer will be able to get my warranty company to pay for a new steering box, balljoints, hubs, and axle shafts! But of course that's about as likely as winning the warranty lottery, which would involve blowing the engine and tranny sky high and having them replaced under warranty. Pretty unlikely, but one could hope!

Of course I'm not likely to be that lucky. If I do end up going out of pocket for a steering box I'll certainly be getting a Red Head box.

 

i hope you get it worked out, get all new parts up there a good alignment fingers crossed your good then.

best conclusion i have come to about these trucks is some are just a bear ti deal with and others drive perfect. out of 3 i've had #1 was all over the place ever after springs, ball joints..ect never changed the other 2 drove perfectly totally stock. not constantly give it input they just tracked well.

luck of the draw? i know some guys fight it for years and never fully fix it and others have no issues.

 

It's hard to say Russ, as I've never felt that mine wandered. I remember driving Monster-4's F250 during one of our meets and was surprised how much it just didn't want to stay in a straight line. Mike said that it had been plaguing him for months, and while we both agreed it felt like an alignment issue the shop that he took it to insisted it wasn't.

So Mike ended up finally taking it to a competent shop where, just as we though, the caster was out of spec. After that the truck drove straight as an arrow. I'd be willing to bet that this isn't uncommon, and Mike had a Red Head steering box and all Moog steering components and balljoints.

But my Ex doesn't do that. Honestly if the steering were tight the brake pull wouldn't be that bad, but even then I'm concerned that something is worn that I'm not seeing. For example last time I had a problem like this it was on my old Contour, and it turned out that the lower control arm bushings were trashed. This feels similar because of the varying rate of pull, and while I have no lower control arms to wear out bushings in there are parts like balljoints that can wear and develop excessive play.

Hudson Ford finally figured out my Contour, and I have confidence that they'll figure it out. Sucks to have to take it in though; there is nothing that can be wrong here that I'm not capable of replacing myself. And I HATE paying for labor!

 

yeah i hate having to take my trucks in. but there are times i don't have the time or ability to figure out the said problem.

i still dont understand why that 04 was so bad. oh well not my problem anymore lol

keep us updated!!

 

Good news: They can't find anything wrong. And they aren't charging me.

Bad news: They can't find anything wrong.


Got a call from them this morning around 11:00, they blamed my brake pull on a relatively rough brake resurfacing job and said that they can't find anything wrong with the front end. Oh...and the steering slop is normal. I informed him that I've had an F250 and F350 prior to owning this, and an inch of steering play simply isn't normal. I was kind of frustrated, but he agreed to have their senior master tech look at it when he had the time.

Got another call around 4:00, and their master tech had looked through everything with a fine tooth comb, and there is nothing loose in the front end and apparently the steering play is normal. Not really happy with the outcome, but I walked over there from the office to pick it up expecting to pay for at least an hour or so of diagnostic time. They cheerfully handed me the key and told me that it was no charge, which significantly improved my mood.

Their explanation for the brake pull makes absolutely no sense to me, as the rotors may not look very shiny yet, but they are relatively uniform in their un-shininess. So how would one side be grabbing harder than the other if the rotors are relatively uniform? Furthermore, if this was the case it wouldn't pull hard one brake application and not pull at all the next. So it's official: we're all stumped! The only thing I know for certain is that I really need to get my hands on a Red Head steering box, but at the moment I can't spare the funds. I'm glad that the Ex isn't costing me money at this point in time, but I really wish there was a simple explanation for my troubles.

 

Crazy. Have you tried changing front air pressure?
I find that makes a big difference in how much
the tires grab at seams on the hiway!
Hang in there..

 

Nope. They're at the factory spec 45 PSI, what would you suggest?

 

I run 60 front and about 70 on the rear.
I also had wear on the inside tread of my
Tires when i bought it. Air bags helped raise
rhe front up a bit to fix the camber? And an
alignment have really helped.
I have put 20k miles more on the tires and
They look more even than when i bought it.

 

Tom, have you tried tightening the box yet?

 

Nope, but I guess that should probably be my first step. I've been reluctant to mess with it because I can't find it anywhere in the factory shop manual, as the fix for a sloppy box tends to be replacing it. If it needed to be replaced it would have been covered under my warranty, but unfortunately they are saying it's just fine.

I'll mess with it tomorrow and see if I can make any improvement.

Sounds like yours is a two wheel drive if airbags fixed your camber angle. While I haven't had the alignment checked I'm fairly confident it's not a problem here. It doesn't pull one way or another and it also doesn't wander on its own. My biggest beef is the sloppy steering, and if something in the suspension isn't flexing it shouldn't be affecting the brake pull.

 

A little is a lot when it comes to the box. If you over tighten it apparently it will not return to center as easily. It made a big difference on my truck when I tightened it 2 years ago.

 

Dude, I thought you had already done that!

Here are the instructions I've posted in a few different threads over the years:

Locate the allen bolt and locknut on top of the steering box. The steering box is close to the radiator. The locknut should be a 5/8".

Mark the allen bolt so you’re oriented and know where the starting point is, then loosen the locknut. Turn the allen bolt clockwise a quarter turn to tighten the gear mesh. Tighten the locknut and road test your vehicle.

Be careful not to over-tighten the allen bolt. If you do, the steering may become tight and stiff during a turn with a noticeable lack of a return-to-center feel, possibly causing you to drive off the roadway.

Keep repeating the sequence, turning the allen bolt a ¼ turn at a time, followed by a test drive, until you're satisfied with the performance. If you over-tighten the allen bolt, turn the allen bolt back a quarter turn, counter-clockwise.

There is a risk of over tightening the box and causing it to wear out prematurely, so I suggest you tighten it to the point where the slop is gone, and no further.

Most people will turn the allen bolt three-quarters of a rotation to one-and-one-half rotations before they’re happy with the results.

Stewart

 

Nope. I was hoping the dealer would simply condemn the steering box and I would get one replaced under warranty. Monkeying with it would void the warranty, and I'm not one to throw away the chance at a free part.

Thanks for the instructions, I'll be giving this a shot over the weekend.

Here are the instructions I've posted in a few different threads over the years: