Please Help.....

79 F-150 4x4 Reg Cab Short Bed 460 C6.....6" suspension lift, 3" body lift, and 39.5 TSL Boggers.....

Just bought this truck and steering is all jacked up. Well, the guy I bought it from said that it worked fine with no problems then one day it just wouldnt work right...he said that you had to be popeye the sailor to even turn the wheel with those huge tires on it......so he replaces the power steering pump. He then said it did not remedy the problem. It's like the pump wants to work and at times it will but you still gotta be heman to turn the wheel.

Any ideas or suggestions? Has anyone had this problem before?

Like I said I just got this truck and cant drive it till its fixed...

 

Was the problem at, after, or before the lift was installed? What have you checked over so far?

 

The guy I bought it from bought it the way it sits now for his son and they drove it together for about a month on his son's learner permit. It wored fine when they had it until something happened then he replaced the pwr strg pump. So as far as I know it worked and drove fine when he got it. I have yet to pick it up myself. I am in Missouri and the truck is in Illinois. I am going this weekend. But I want to go into it heads up.

I have heard of bad cab mounts breaking and putting undue pressure on the column that can make it nearly impossible to steer.

Also, if he replaces the pump thinking that it was the problem and did not replace the pressure hose I have also heard that the hose could have collapsed which would render the pump useless basically anyhow. And if this were the case then it could explain why he said that it seems like it is "wanting" to work on occasion but is still extremely hard to seer. I mean with 39.5 inch by 18 boggers it's going to be a little hard to steer, but with power steering you shouldnt be having to muscler the crap out of it to get around a corner.

Thanks and hope to hear some positive comments and replies that are going to tell me EXACTLY whatcould be causing all this trouble so I can fix it for NEXT TO NOTHING anf be on my way in a matter of MINUTES...LOL, in a perfect world everyone would drive truly indestructable and unbreakable ford trucks but as awesome as they are these old Fords have their share of bad habits and problems......so any old cuss out there with experience is a much more values tool than any old tech or repair book as far as I am concerned.

 

Yeah,, sounds like the first things I would check are the adjustment on the steering gear itself, the lines for blockage/sludge, and make sure all your joints are sound and greased. With the truck running,,, open up the power steering pump and turn the wheel,, make sure that fluid is even being moved. A detailed visual inspection will usually give ya some sign of where the problem lies. More than likely it's not anything too expensive or time-intesive. Probably some little thing that was overlooked. Good luck this weekend and hopefully more users can add to a thorough checklist for ya.

 

I don't know if I can be much help but I also have a simular problem.

I took my 78 F250 with power steering from bone stock and did the following:
I put a 6" skyjacker suspension and a 3" performance body lift on and I have 39.5" swampers.

The problem I have with my steering is in two spots.
1- The easy one. If I crank the wheel all the way in one direction, the drop pitman arm/drop drag link hits the spring pack clamp just before the steering reaches full lock, thus limiting how sharp I can steer this monster in one direction.
2- It seems to act up off and on, the mystery. I get some kind of binding in the steering column. I can steer through it but something inside the column is not right. I reluctantly removed the pin that keeps the steering shaft locked to the gear box and I don't adjust the tilt, but it doesn't help. I was hoping it would relieve any tension on the steering shaft.

If there is anything custom or different from your setup to mine, I would be interested. I don't know if I need a custom steering shaft or a new column or what. The body lift company wasn't any help either, but I'm sure that it is part of the cause of problem 2.

Later HighProCam

F250 351M-carb,intake,cam,headers
6"susp,3"body,flares-easily clears 39.5" Swamper
BUT 460-possibly 501 Stroker in garage

 

Raising the body off the frame can put a severe amount of stress on the joints in the steering column, just as a suspension lift that maxes out drive shaft angles. I had the same problem on a AMC Jeep CJ5 that I installed a home made body lift on. I vertically slotted the hole that the column went through the firewall so the angle of the joints was reduced as I lowered the column in the slot, and loosened the mounting bolts on the mounts under the dash and installed shims that lowered the upper section of the column in the vehicle to get a more friendly steering wheel position. It freed up the bind in the column as good as stock. It has power steering also, and a tilt column. Don't know if you can do this on Ford's, but it might be worth looking at. Hey, it was a free fix!

 

Check the U-Joint in the steering column just below the brake booster under the hood. Soak it well with WD-40. Had it happen to me on a 78 Bronco. Water drips onto it from between hood and cowl causing internal rust in U-Joint, which puts it in a bind when it rotates. With a lift you may be increasing the binding effect. Also found rust in linkage going to brake booster causing brakes to not fully release, (immitates a stuck caliper). Good luck.

 

You might want to try bleeding the powersteering pump. I have heard of pumps having air in the system making things act weird.

 

Thanks alot guys....if there are any other suggestions keep them coming, I am taking notes and will check them all out as soon as I get the tuck back home. If you are interested in what it looks like check my galleries - it is the one entltled "New Truck".

Thanks Again

 

If all else fails, then your steering box may be bad. I replaced mine a couple months ago simply because the bearings in it were shot. A week or so later my truck started displaying symptoms very similar to yours. After replacing the pump and bleeding the system multiple times to no avail, I decided that the reman box must be faulty. I took it back to the parts store for warranty and picked up a new one.

Bingo... my steering now works like a charm!

 

Also check the rag joint. When I lifted my 78 (3" body lift) I had some binding in the steering. The shaft was a slip yoke type and didn't slip. This stretched the rag joint enough to cause it to bind.

On the rag joint, there's a metal disk with two prongs, the rubber-like disk, and a metal disk with slots for the prongs to go in. What was happening to mine is that the two metal disks twisted enough so the prongs didn't line up with the slots, and it bound up. I pulled the whole shaft off the column and gearbox, pulled the slip yoke thingy apart and cleaned and greased it so it would slide. As stated above, the u-joint at the column was also pretty tight and had to be lubed and worked free.

To help find the problem, jack both front wheels off the ground and turn left to right WITHOUT the engine running. It should turn easily. Watch the u-joint, shaft, and rag joint as you (or a helper) turn the wheel. If it moves easily, I'd bet it's the pump.

Good luck.

Kevin K.

Oh, yeah. I wouldn't rule out the stuff out at the wheels either. Make sure the ball joints & stuff are well greased.

 

Will do it ...... thanks alot

 

While you are doing this, you can verify that your P/S system is fully bled.
WIth the axle off the ground on jackstands, engine running this time, turn the wheels lock to lock, center up, top off fluid. repeat multiple times or until steering is smooth and assisted. If someone can turn the wheel for you, you can watch the tie rod/drag link/ ball joints, etc. for any slop or play also.

 

Yea definitely check your PS box I have a 79 w/ 35s (info below) and it has always steered super easy (pinky finger with the truck not moving has no problem whatsoever turning the wheel) until one day it just stopped. I had to like put all my weight into it to turn it and I changed the pump. No good. I eventually ripped my rag joint right off and put it in a ditch because I hillbilly rigged it together w/ wire haha not smart. after going through two rag joints I finally changed the box and it worked perfect.