Steering question
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Junior User
Joined: Jul 2006
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From: Navarre, ND
Steering question
I just rebuilt my steering gear box, and when I reinstalled it I found that turning to the extreme right was about a full revolution of the steering wheel less than turning to the extreme left. I disconnected the pitman arm and verified the center point. I also note that the full range of the steering gear box (lock to lock) isn't used. Is the difference normal?
Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 15,882
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From: Durham NC
I wouldn't expect the steering box to hit the stops at full turn, otherwise you could severely damage it should you hit a pothole or curb or something at full turn. The spindle stops should prevent the box from hitting the stops.
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Junior User
Joined: Jul 2006
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From: Navarre, ND
This has me perplexed. I've tried playing with it, but it keeps coming out the same. With the pitman arm disconnected, the steering gear box make a little more than 5 revolutions lock to lock. Turning the steering wheel halfway between the two extremes puts the sector shaft exactly where it needs to be to line up with the pitman arm with wheels in the straight ahead position. Thats to say 2 1/2 +/- turns left and 2 1/2 +/- turns right. But when I reconnect the pitman, it takes 2 1/2 turns to hit the left (wheel, not gear box) stop, but only 1 1/2 to hit the right stop. If the gear box seems to be centered, then why is this happening?
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Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 15,882
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From: Durham NC
Is the drag link original to the truck? There is an extra long one on the market intended for use with springs that have the centerbolt moved forwards to center the wheels in the wheelwell. It could give the symptoms you describe if used with the stock position springs. The pitman arm should be vertical with the wheels straight ahead. If it's not vertical then there's a linkage geometry problem somewhere.
Last edited by AXracer; Jul 31, 2006 at 12:03 PM.
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Junior User
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From: Navarre, ND
I'm pretty sure the drag link is original. And the pitman arm is vertical with the wheels in the straight ahead position.
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Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 15,882
Likes: 88
From: Durham NC
Then I'd turn the wheels to the short side, slide off the pitman arm and see if the wheels will turn further. While you have the arm off check for any interference as the wheels turn side to side. Is this a stock or dropped axle? Is the draglink parallel to the ground at straight ahead? When the wheels turn left the tire on a wheel with the wrong offset may contact the draglink or the stop may have been adjusted out to keep this from happening.
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Junior User
Joined: Jul 2006
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From: Navarre, ND
I spent some time under the truck this evening. There doesn't seem to be any interferance anywhere. As a side note, all steering/suspension components are original equipment (it's an old farm truck that was last tagged in 1974). The only anomaly I found was that the right stop was adjusted three threads in farther than the left. I decided to see how much travel there is in the pitman arm. What I found suprised me. When turing to the right, the arc of travel for the pitman arm was only 35 degrees from center (wheel straight ahead and pitman in a vertical position) to the stop. But the arc of travel from center to the left side stop was about 46 degrees. That would explain the difference in number of turns, but why is it that way? Does the ratio in the steering gear box vary as the sector gear interacts with the worm gear, or is it linear? Thats the only rational I can come up with that would point to the gear box. Or is there some issue with other steering components? Right now I'm really wishing I had done some steering measurments prior to tearing the box apart ... lesson learned. What's the impact of leaving it as it is ... other than the fact that I can make a right turn easier than a left?