I know there are many threads..............on the subject.

It is 2WD, absolutely stock, excellent tires. 106,000 miles.

I have owned it for a month and now it is time to diag the slight wander that it has.

The ball joints are slightly loose. The steering wheel seems to have no play, but I have to correct from time to time. It will vary also, depending on the crown in the interstate too, it seems.

Is it ball joint related or steering gear box related? Or?

I don't understand the "science, if you will" of ball joints causing the wander. I can understand the possibility of steering gear slack. Can a steering box adjustment be a permanent fix, or just a band aid?


I am in need of advice, as you can see.

Does this same problem apply to F250 pickups?

Looking forward............

Thanks for your help.

 

Truck being in excellent aesthetic shape doesn't mean there can't be steering wander. BJ's could cause it, loose steering too. Thing is it could be many other things aswell...

 

Could this be your problem....

 

I don't know what to say... find some free time, buy a six pack and sit down for a long read...

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/7...ml#post6722938

 

Most of the wandering threads are on 4wd trucks. That doesn't really apply. There's a lot less moving parts in a 2wd truck. He needs to fix his front ball joints and make sure his steering is tight and that will take care of the front. With the rear most people do the RAS or the spring swap.

 

Correct, it's mostly the 4wd trucks that wander when driving...

Per a few of the others, I'd do the ball joints, tie rods, and I'd also look at shocks then the Roadmaster Active Suspension, as well as the Hellwig Sway bar.

Spring 2010, my truck was down after a few engine issues I had, so I decided before I put her back on the road to fix and freshen her up a little.

(make sure you have that six pack jayjjcc was talking about)

I started with the balljoints:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/9...ml#post8929582

The only thing I'd add to my advice in post #3 is to pull the hubs off, clean, grease, and pack the bearings again. This is a great time to catch any type of unusual wear in the hubs and/or bearings. (autozone sells Timken bearings if you find you need some) This is also a good time to do brakes if your truck needs them as well.

Moog Parts list:
Upper Ball Joints K80028 x2
Lower Ball Joints K80027 x2

If you buy from Advance Auto Parts, they come with a lifetime warranty and they are good about not asking questions and just replacing the part.



I then did the tie rods seeing as I'd already be breaking them loose and have one more point to break loose before I could take the complete assembly out. (that and I didn't want to have to pull all that stuff apart again)

You'll use the same tools as the ones in my post about the ball joints, but these are the part numbers you'll need:

Moog parts list:

Left inner connecting tie rod- DS1434
Right inner connecting tie rod- DS1433T
Left Outer Tie Rod- ES3418
Right Outer Tie Rod- ES3417T

It's up to you, but you can re use the adjusting sleeve from your old tie rods on the new ones. Once more, these are available from Advance Auto Parts and they almost always have some sort of online coupon to redeem saving you a nice chunk of change. It saved me almost $40 or $50 when I did the tie rods and almost $30 when I did the ball joints.

You can also buy these parts online from Rockauto and the like, but I just don't like the down time waiting for a warranty return.

Early 2012 I had the opportunity to purchase the RAS from Jdadamsjr, he sold his Excursion and bought an F250. I watched a few videos on Youtube and when I saw what it did, I had to have it for my truck. It honestly made a difference, the rear doesn't bounce around when going over railroad tracks or certain bumps like it used to. It's also given me back the factory rake and worked great with my lift.


This video especially convinced me as to why I needed it:


I don't feel or see the need for a rear sway bar with the RAS, but I have a feeling it would increase the stability of the truck when either driving or towing.

Start with the tie rods and ball joints, then move to the shocks and/or sway bar or RAS. Either way when everything is said and done, you'll have a truck that drives straight and true on the front end.