I bought two front tires and got an alignment done on my 1992 F150 and truck is very sloppy in steering now. it was fine beforehand. Pisses me off.
My friend at work (who drives a 1980's vintage F250 diesel) gave me a place to go the next time...a bit more expensive but well worth it.
I will be underneath the truck tomorrow morning to see if I can find something that they broke and didn't tell me about. What gets me is that it was fine going in, and now it's scary to drive.

 

Surely they took a test drive, right? Everything was good to go?

What did they say then, when you brought the now-dangerous steering to their attention?

 

They are going for a test drive this time...I don't think they do that anymore...
They tightened the steering box...Still sloppy, but now the steering is harder to turn. Very frustrating! I will post tomorrow after I look at it...

 

Just sitting in the driveway not jacked up, with my son turning the steering wheel back and forth, I don't see anything obviously wrong, although I'm not a steering expert. The tie-rod assembly looks and feels real tight. They move when the steering column moves...no more, and no less. During the alignment, I can see that on the tie-rods, the only adjustment they made was on the left-hand side inner, because the other adjusters are so rusty, they would have had to cut the bolts off to move them

 

Looking at the service manual, Toe-in is seen looking down at the tires, and measuring the distance btween them in the front of the tires, and in the back. With a tape measure, it's kind of cheesy, but in the front, my tires are 57"apart, but in the rear of the front tires, they are 57-1/2" apart. Could this be causing the issue?

 

.5" is a little too much toe in but its pretty hard to be accurate with a tape measure. Why dont you take it back and let them take a look at it? Maybe its your new tires. You could try messing with air pressure or rotate them and see how it drives. What tires did you get?

 

I agree too much toe-in

 

Guaranteed they didn't follow the shop manual on this, to set the mesh load of the steering box you have to disconnect the pitman arm or drag link, remove all fluid from the gearbox and then put an inch pound torque wrench on the steering wheel nut and set it that way over center. Being that they didn't do that your steering box is way too tight and will not stay centered and wonder all over the road. I'd go back tell them to set the mesh load properly and if they can't demand a new gear box as they screwed yours up.

 

@ bashby & whomrig: bringing it back this week. they said after that if they're not successful, they will give me my money back, but I'll still be left with a truck that was fine on the way in, but not out. I will tell them I'm bringing it to Superior Spring (highly recommended) to have it corrected and I will call the corporate office to discuss what it costs to fix.
@ ifrythings: I was looking at that as well. Although the truck was way on the other side of the shop from the waiting area, I watched, and in order to follow the procedure, you need two guys. there was no time at all when two guys were at my truck, with one in the cab and one underneath!

 

the tires are Cooper Discoverer HT's, the rears are XL's, but not the fronts, which I think I need on a 4WD truck, according to the label. Uh-Oh...

 

so if they cant correct your issue, you get your money back, that's ok. go to a better shop get it done right. Before an alignment is done, the tech needs to be thorough in inspecting all joints starting with the steering box play.

 

Explain to me why you think you need two guys? One person can set up the machine and do the tire swing to measure caster, camber & toe.

 

Toe-in spec 1/16" 0.0625 inch


Steering Gear: Adjustments Sector and Rack Teeth Lash


NOTE: Preload (thrust bearing adjustment) and worm-to-rack preload cannot be changed in service. The only adjustment that can be performed is the total overcenter position load to eliminate excessive lash between sector and rack teeth.


1.Disconnect pitman arm from sector shaft.


2.Disconnect fluid return line at reservoir and cap reservoir return line pipe.


3.Place end of return line in a clean container and cycle steering wheel in both directions as required to discharge fluid from gear.


4.Carefully remove airbag assembly from steering wheel hub, then turn steering wheel 45 degrees from right stop.


5.Using an inch pound torque wrench on steering wheel nut, determine torque required to rotate shaft slowly through approximately 1/8 turn from 45 degrees position.


6.Turn steering gear back to center, then determine torque required to rotate shaft back and forth across center position.


7.Adjust if meshload required to rotate shaft back and forth across center position is less than 7 in lb greater than the force required to rotate shaft from 45 degrees to stop. Loosen adjusting nut and turn adjusting screw until reading is 10-14 in lb greater than torque measured 45 degrees from stop. Hold screw in place, then tighten locknut.


8.Check readings, then install pitman arm and steering wheel cover.


9.Connect fluid return line and replenish reservoir.

 

@myfordtrucks: it seems that you w need one at the wheel with an inch*lb torque wrench while the other is adjusting the steering box. Tat's just the way I read it, but I would be mistaken...

 

What I found last time I got my pickup aligned, 87 ford f150 which should be kind of similar, is the shop wouldn't even do it. They said there was a major problem. I took it home, got under it and my wife turned the wheels back and forth and to my surprise there was movement all over where there shouldn't be movement! The sub frame assembly that the motor sits in was moving, the steering box was flexing, you could see where the rivets were not holding things in place, there were cracks where the steering box mounted to the pickup as well. The first thing I did was drill out as many rivets as possible (putting the X in the head with an air grinder with a skinny little blade and then air chiseling the tops off and then air chisel them out) and replacing where the rivets were with grade 8 bolts. I ended up taking it to a friend that owns a welding shop, I cleaned everywhere around where the sub frame cross that holds the motor could be welded, you could see where it was somewhat spot welded at the factory but that wasn't doing anything. I removed the steering box and cleaned all that area up, it was cracked where the steering box mounts after I got it off you could see it (very easy to remove, I didn't take the p arm off or anything, anywhere there were rivets where the motor sub frame attaches I cleaned and the guy welded it all over the place where he could reach making twice as strong as it ever was. I also removed my 10 wheels and 33x12.50x15's and went with a 33 inch tall tire (cant remember the size off the top of my head) that was not as wide and a stock width size wheel to take some stress off the front end. Everything is great now, also tightened the steering box setting (or had it done at the alignment shop) and experienced the strange feeling steering you explained where it kind of feels tight like you turn but when you let go to go straight again it doesn't straighten out by itself, but it seems to be getting better as time goes on. It feels great going down the hi-way, goes straight, don't have to move the wheel for long lengths of time. So there are some things you can check out that are pretty easy to fix yourself.