Hello,

I was looking around at some new trucks and came across this interesting one. It's a 94 Bronco and the owner claims it needs a new "gearbox" and that is why the steering wheel is upside down. I imagine he means steering box, but I still can't imagine how this is possible.

I haven't looked at the truck at all, just the pictures, but does anyone buy this? Or what could be causing this?

 

If it steers correctly ... then it doesn't matter if it is on sideways. Pull it and put it on staight.

When I bought my current 73 Mach1 20 something years ago, the guy told me it needed a new Ring Gear. I inspected what I could and changed the starter becuase I could not get it to start .... Started the engine, sounded good ... noticed the flywheel had a few nicks in the gear when I had the starter out. Put it in gear to see what the damage was to the Ring Gear ..... and drove it for a number of months. There was no Ring Gear damage. But the guy also commuted with this car over 100 miles a day, and there was only one shock that was attached both top and bottom. Some folks beleive what other uninformed folks tell them.

 

The first thing I'd look at is the adjustment sleeve on the drag-link. It can be adjusted so much that the steering wheel is up side down. Other than that, I'm not too familiar with those Broncos.

 

The only way to fix this is to remove the steering shaft from the steering box when the wheels are straight, put the steering wheel straight as possible and re connect. this whill get you close. taking the steering wheel off and trying to reset it there will get you nowhere, unless you do some creative grinding since the wheel to steering column is a "blind spline" one way fit .

 

it must be an australian spec vehicle and when you bring it to the northern hemisphere the steering wheel is backwards.

 

When I swapped my steering box, my steering wheel was way off center (not upside down, but off center). I had to readjust the tie rod ends to correct the centering of the steering wheel. Just match turns on left to right and the allignment will stay the same.
The pitman arm was spline for a one way fit as was the steering shaft to steering box. Never tried to adjust the actual steering wheel.

 

I know how he did it, he hit somethign REAL hard..probably went through a ditch. I did it several years ago to a 93 f350 4x4, it was a blizzard, I couldnt really see the road, and I missed the turn. I went through the ditch (About 4'deep by 5' wide). Come spring time, I could see where I tore the ground up.

 

i would guess that someone had the shaft out of the steering box or the pitman arm disconnected and the wheel turned. if it turns too much and can mess with your closck spring and turn signals.

 

The pitman arm and shaft to steering box are a one way fit on those splines. At least they were on my 95.

 

Ok, so going by these posts (putting all the info together), it sounds like the only real adjustment is in the tie rod ends, everyone else seems to think that all the other joints are splined. Does this sound right?

If he did this by hitting a ditch -- what exactly is bent or out of adjustment? Just wondering if this should turn me off of this vehicle or not.

Thanks for the help guys...

Adam

 

LOL! Sounds logical to me!

 

Alz has got the right idea. Center the steering gear by turning it all the way to one side or the other. Then count the number of turns it takes to go from the one extreme to the other. No matter which way you turn the steering gear (from L. to R. or from R. to L.), the total number of turns will be the same. Divide that number in half and turn the gear from its extreme position (either side) back towards the center of its travel. Example: If the gear allows you to turn the steering wheel 4 1/2 times from extreme left to extreme right, then center the gear by turning it back 2 1/4 turns. The gear is now centered. Make sure it doesn't move while adjusting your wheels (loosen and turn the tie rod sleeves) so that both are straight ahead. Now, put the right amount of toe-in back by adjusting both the left and right tie rod ends. If you don't have any specs, set it to 1/8" (total) toe-in and take it to an alignment rack and let them adjust it. Like Alz said, it could be just a tie rod adjustment problem. A quick check that you could do is to look at each tie rod sleeve and notice how much of the threaded rod is hanging out from underneath each (L. and R.) tie rod end. Both sides should have an equal amount of thread exposed. My guess is that you vehicle has a lot of thread exposed on one side and very little exposed on the other. Just my thoughts. Good Luck to you !!

 

I slammed my RF tire into a rock while off-roading a few years back (F-150 4x4). When I disconnected the pitman arm, I found that the splines on the sector shaft were twisted like a barber pole. My steering wheel was off less than a quarter-turn, but I just wonder if yours might have the same problem?!?

 

So it sounds like it could be anything from just an adjustment of the tie rod ends to actually needing to replace the steering box (I'm assuming that's where the bend would be if it was from force). Guess it can't hurt to take a look or talk to the guy at least -- might be able to "steal" the truck if it looks like an easy fix for me and he thinks it's hard!

Thanks guys!