Had the embaresment of having the truck return home on the
back of a tilt tray.

I was slowly turning out of back street looking for a parking
spot when the was a bang and suddenly I have no steering.

The photos show what broke.













I was under there the other day fitting new arms to the sway bar
as the bushes were shot and checked all the steering and suspension
while I was there, no sign of any problems.
Went over it all with the grease gun.

I have no idea why the stud snapped, looking closly it shows no
sign of wear or damage and I can only suggest it is a dodgey bit
of steel. It is not the original as there a signs on the pitman arm
of it having been brutally removed at some time in the past.

The drag link end has no brand or any other marking so I guess
it's a cheap clone part but I have no way of knowing.

Now I'm wait for Moog replacements for both ends of the drag
link to arrive from the US.

The scary part is that 10 minutes before the drag link ball joint
failed I was doing 110kmp along a busy freeway.

 

Could have been very nasty Brian, bet your glad you where just parking.
It always pays to use good quality parts for that part of the truck.
the only part you can't buy from the US is the connecting rod from pitman arm to pitman arm.

 

You are not wrong, dropping that at 110 could have flipped me
right over.

What worries me is that there was absolutly no sign of any
problem before it failed.
I decided that if one end failed the other was worth replacing
just in case so I have bought both ends.
I suppose I should have gotten the two tie rod ends as well.

Do you know where to obtain the rod that ties the two pitman
arms together?
Do you know of a source of Moog or similar quality parts in
Australia, someone that does not charge ridiculously inflated prices?

 

I got that part at www.allamericandriveline.com.au , it cost about 250 bucks, that's the connecting rod between the two pitman arms.
I did purchase another one from a company in Qld but it only lasted a couple of months and got sloppy, that one was 400 + bucks.
I went with Moog grease-able tie rods and front end parts and re-newed the complete front end, just for piece of mind.

 

Yeowch. Nasty failure.

Brian, if you didn't buy your truck new, chances are they could have been replaced. I know a lot of owners that replaced their drag links because the factory ones had quite a bit of slop in them.

You can contact Brian here: Ford F Series Truck Parts & Truck Accessories
He should be able to help you get some.

 

Thanks for the link.

I will check them out although from what I have found
so far it is still cheaper to buy from the USA even with freight.

I believe it is not an original part as I see evidence of it
having been hammered off the pitman arm in the past.
I have new Moog ones on the way from the USA.

On the subject of steering does anyone know what the
correct camber, castor and toe in settings are for crew
cab 4x4 F250s are? My manual does not say.

 

F#%k Brian,
You are sooooo lucky it didn't happen at 110 kph.
Don't know how your front end is set up or tyres and rims you are running
I would defintly post in the US thread to see if a simular problem has happened
Cheers,
Patchy

 

You are dead right there mate.
I shudder to think what would have happened 10 minutes earlier at 110.
I suspect I may not have started this thread.

My front end is not too radical, 2" lifted leaf springs, Procomp MX6 shocks
and a Rancho steering damper. One lower ball joint has a grease nipple
so I figure it has been replaced but I can find no brand name on it so I
don't know what brand it is.

There is no sign of any wear in my ball joints and the truck steers well.

I have replaced the automatic front hubs with Warn manual ones

I have 16" x 10" rims and 315/75R16 Cooper tyres.

I am pretty much certain that the stud on the drag ling ball joint was
a faulty piece of steel. Probably a cheap knock off replacement made
in some asian sweat shop.

As there is no sign of wear or damage there can be no other explaination.

New Moog replacements for both ends are on the way.

 

The caster can't be adjusted except with a new caster bush with a different offset , here's the settings for mine.
The Ford manual will be different as there LHD with different setting .




This was done last year.

 

Blue,
Thanks for that.

Here is the figures for my truck.
Done by the previous owner just before he sold it.



As you can see they are a bit different to yours.

It is my understanding that you lose about 1 degree of caster
for every inch of lift.
As I have 2" lifted springs I feel like I should have the caster
corrected with new bushes.

I had this done when I replaced the Landcruiser suspension and it
made a big improvement to the steering response

I have a pair 2 1/2 degree Moog K8968 bushes for the Ford.

MOOG-K8968 - Front Caster Camber Bushing - 2 1/2 degree of adjustment made by MOOG

I don't plan on doing that job myself but I wanted to have
them with me when I get the alignment done.
I figured it wont be easy finding someone who is familiar with these
trucks, especially non-standard setups.
That's why I wanted to know what the angles are meant to be
so I can tell the wheel alignment guy to fit the bushes and
where to set the caster, camber and toe-in.

I am having wear on the inner edge of the drivers side tyre,
but not the passenger side, so something is out of alignment
on that side.

I will need to get it done ASAP, I don't think the minister of
finance would be happy if I have to buy another tyre.

 

Here is the specs for the US built trucks.



caster and camber, toe in, toe out for US built trucks from their manual.

 

The specs are identical to the F250

 

The specs will be the same for US trucks, with the exception of Caster. The front axle has inbuilt more caster on the right (from when it was LHD - to deal with the road crown). RHD specs will be the same, but you want ~1 degree more caster on the left side of the truck, than the right.

Brian, even lifted slightly, your caster should be the same as stock, as you have leaf springs at the front. Lifting a vehicle with coils&radius arms will require caster adjustment, but yours should not unless your replacement leafs caused it to skew outside of specs (which they shouldn't).

I'd only get the replacement Moog caster bushes in either of the following situations.:
a. You get a wheel alignment done, and it is out of spec.
b. You find the vehicle pulling to one side when you are going down the freeway.

 

Thanks for the info guys.

I have fitted the new drag link, both ends, and once I finish getting
the wastegate actuator fine tuned, now the other batch of repairs
finished, I will take the truck for an alignment and see what the
situation is.

I do need to get to the bottom of what is causing the wear on
the inside edge of the drivers side front tyre.
I really don't need the expense of another tyre right now.

 

AB, did you end up using those new caster bushes?
Interesting to see how the wheel alignment come out.