I am trying to solve a vibration that appears in the 45-55 mph range which can be felt in the steering wheel. I have replaced the Ford power steering gear box and the radius arm bushings on my 1971 F100 Ranger Xlt lwb.(2wd) Also the front shocks and tires are new. The vibration smooths out as you accelerate on thru 55 mph. Could this be a drive shaft(s) issue? Even with the new steering box, it seems that the steering is slow to respond and tends to wander. (You really have to pay attention while driving) Is this a sign the king pins need replacing? Everthing else is stock suspension underneath. The original 360 engine has been replaced with a 1976 302ci.

Thanks for suggestions in narrowing down the source of the vibration!

Steve

 

It could be a drive shaft problem, but if it is felt through the steering wheel my bet would be the front end is out of align. If it is still wandering around you may need to replce the bushings in the steering linkage. There about 4-6 of them I can't rember for sure an exact #. Poly bushing kits can be had most places on line. I think Prothane makes a kit for the 67-72 ford trucks. I hope this helps.

Scotty

 

are the radius arm bushings in good shape?

 

Can be hard to pin down, but be sure to check your hanger bearing on the driveshaft.




Keep 'er between the ditches.

 

If I were a bettin' man, I'd say it has something to do with tires/balancing.

 

Since you have done the radius arm bushings, as well as the tires, and power steering. Now it's time to look at the axle pivots and the tie rod ends and drag link.
I agree too with the front end alignment.
Keep going and eliminate all points of link and pivot. You have a good start. These trucks are old and the wear and tear will require all the points reconditioned, I'm betting.
Good luck!

Hawkeye

 

Once you get all the play out of the linkage, go to an old time alignment shop that knows how to set the castor. This will take care of the wandering. It did on my F-250.

 

Have you actually checked the play in the steering box? Is it a rebuilt unit or brand new. I bought a rebuilt unit for my 66 4x4 and it was great for about 2 weeks. I drove it for another year before it was as bad as before I bought the rebuilt unit. I took it apart and there are welds inside that were broke. The rebuilder rebuilt it for free. In the mean time I found a 40 year old ford unit that works great.

The moral is; Don't eliminate the components just because they are new.

 

Hey guys,

Thanks for the input. I will start with the alignment and see what shakes out as problems. The steering gear box is new and should be based on how much it cost. However, I will go back to the mechanic who installed it to check it out. Thanks again.

Steve

 

As Align goes do you drive your truck mostly empty or full? I was ASE frontend Tech and found that all ford trucks are align'd as loaded with 0 to -toe to compensate for loaded truck. If you run mostly empty then ask you align tech to toe in .06 to .12 This will help with driving and tire wear. Hope this helps

 

>As Align goes do you drive your truck mostly empty or full?
>I was ASE frontend Tech and found that all ford trucks are
>align'd as loaded with 0 to -toe to compensate for loaded
>truck. If you run mostly empty then ask you align tech to
>toe in .06 to .12 This will help with driving and tire wear.
>Hope this helps

My original Ford spec books show minimum toe-in at 0.06", maximium toe-in at 0.19" and optimum at 0.125".

I still don't think an alignment will cause vibration at certain speeds. When I worked in a tire shop, the vast majority of vibrations were caused by bad tires and/or improper balance. Just because you have new, newly balanced tires, don't think you cannot have problems.

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 26-Aug-02 AT 09:24 PM (EST)]I second that, Jim. Steve, the balancing job on your tires is only as good as the monkey that balanced them- take that into consideration.

I've driven trucks where the front end was as sloppy as a soup sandwich and they never vibrated, just shimmied from side to side a little.

Good Luck-

Joe

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 26-Aug-02 AT 09:43 PM (EST)]I have heard of vibration cases that were finally resolved by truing the tires (cutting off a little bit of rubber to make them round).