Steering wheel free play
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Tuned
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 400
Likes: 57
From: Saskatchewan
Steering wheel free play
Hi, new guy here 
. This site was highly recommended by someone on a snowmobile site I frequent, so I thought I would give it a try.
My 1988 F-150 SC, L/B, 4X4 with 5.0 and five speed has some free play in the steering wheel. It is most noticable with the wheel on centre and the truck does not wander or dart. The ball joints are worn a bit, but there is not any major slop apparent in the linkages.
I was mucking around with the adjustment valve on the steering box thinking that it just needed a little tightening up after 266,000 KM and I believe I found the source of the free play. There is very obvious slop in the shaft between the u-joint at the firewall and the steering box. The section of shaft is two nesting tubes that have two flat sides and slide on what I assume is a teflon bushing on the inner shaft. The outer shaft most definitely turns before the inner shaft.
Is that bushing on the inner shaft the only wear item? Can I reasonably expect the sloppiness to disappear if I replace that bushing with a new one? Is there some other way I could make a tighter system without destroying the required slip, or movement in that shaft?
Thanks for any thoughts and suggestions.
. This site was highly recommended by someone on a snowmobile site I frequent, so I thought I would give it a try.My 1988 F-150 SC, L/B, 4X4 with 5.0 and five speed has some free play in the steering wheel. It is most noticable with the wheel on centre and the truck does not wander or dart. The ball joints are worn a bit, but there is not any major slop apparent in the linkages.
I was mucking around with the adjustment valve on the steering box thinking that it just needed a little tightening up after 266,000 KM and I believe I found the source of the free play. There is very obvious slop in the shaft between the u-joint at the firewall and the steering box. The section of shaft is two nesting tubes that have two flat sides and slide on what I assume is a teflon bushing on the inner shaft. The outer shaft most definitely turns before the inner shaft.
Is that bushing on the inner shaft the only wear item? Can I reasonably expect the sloppiness to disappear if I replace that bushing with a new one? Is there some other way I could make a tighter system without destroying the required slip, or movement in that shaft?
Thanks for any thoughts and suggestions.
Junior User
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 63
Likes: 0
From: Central Wisconsin
I recently replaced the steering gearbox on my 89. It was tight until about 500 miles later. The slop in the upper shaft is normal but could be fixed by swapping with a tighter one at a junkyard. My slop came from a worn out outer tie rod end. Lift the front up and check to see if the tire wobbles side to side. This may indicate a loose outer tie rod end. The inner tie rod ends come loose after a while but arent as noticeable.
