When I turn my wheel I hear something kinda like clank clank.. hard to describe... You could almost feel it when you turn the wheel. I have 33 in tires and I do a bit of 4 wheeling so I was thinking that I may have abused my tierods or ball joints?

Is there some type of upgraded steering system for this truck?

Could this noise be hazardous or dangerous?

I looked as much as I could for crossover steering kits but I could not find anything. I do eventually plan to get 35 in tires... My truck allready has a 6 in lift, and the steering itself is sloppy at the moment. I can move my wheel from side to side 2-3 inches with out moving the tires... Please help...

 

The "play" sounds like typical Ford truck steering.

Your ball joints might be able to use some grease. If they're dry, they might creak. That's what happened to mine last year when I got it. My steering was horrible. I had an alignment and loosened the steering box a tad. Maybe your steering is set too tight.

Do you have a steering stabilizer? If not, it couldn't hurt to invest in one with larger tires. If you do, maybe there's something wrong with it, though I couldn't tell you what because I don't know that much about steering stabilizers.

 

I have a steering stabalizer... and I think its in good working condition... anyone know anything about upgraded steering systems?

 

any help? Please?

 

Those clunks or clanks you hear when turning the wheel mean that something is worn or loose. There are some easy checks that you might want to perform. If you have an assistant to turn the wheel while you look under the truck, troubleshooting is easier.

Check the steering box mounting bolts - all of them need to be installed and tight. There should be no movement of the steering box when turning the wheel.
Check the tie rod ends - you can grab the steering linkage and try to move it back and forth. There should be no side to side play in the tie rod ends. It is OK if the linkage rotates forward and aft, but there should be no play in the joints.
Check to see that there is no side to side movement around your axle pivot bushings. These bushings are located on the inboard ends of each IFS axle. When the rubber bushings wear out, you can get slop and clunks.
Look at the lower control arm bushings and make sure that they are intact. The rubber insert in these bushings can deteriorate and cause metal to metal contact between the control arm's rear mounting bracket and the control arm.
Last but not least is upper and lower ball joints. Each joint should have less than 1/32" play in the joint. Use a crow bar to check the joint.

Good luck on finding the clunk!

Lou Braun

 

I also had a clunk sound recently. All of my joints are tight and looked fine. Then I checked the steering box, with an assistant, for movement with the truck off. The steering shaft from the colum was turning in the gear box, but nothing else moved. My gear box is old and probably needs to be replaced soon. Untill then, I was able to temporarly fix the problem by tightening the pre-load up.
If yours has internal play...
Theres a bolt near the front on top with a screw in the middle. Back the bolt out a little and turn the screw in 1/4 turn(you will have to hold the bolt while doing this). Then snug the bolt back down. Check for slop, and repeat as needed. Stop when there is a hair of slop left as that is normal. You do not want to overtighten that pre-load.

 

I had that same noise when I turned on pavement. Ended up being the ball joints. Jack up your front end far enough to where both tires are off the ground, then go to one side, reach underneath the tire and pick up. If it moves, you got ball joint problems.

Chances are from past experience, your right tire will be worse than left. Only reason I came up with is cause your right tire goes off the road more often if you're on a narrow road and someones comin at ya? I dunno though...

 

WOW thanx guys I cant wait to go check it out!