I have a 4x2 89 f150, I have noted excessive steering box play. Would this cause the inside edges of my tires to wear quickly and the truck to walk all over the road? Just wondering I want to try to fix this ASAP

 

The "wandering" problem sounds like it's tied in with the excessive play in the steering box. It's similar to a 3 year old grand kid. One minute he moves to the left and before you know it, he's moving back to the right.

The wear on only the inside of both front tires (even wear -- not a feathering problem caused by excessive toe in/toe out) sounds like an alignment problem (camber adjustment has gone negative). Could also be caused by carrying a lot of weight in the truck bed -- something permenant like a large gas welder or big, aftermarket toolboxes loaded with stuff. Putting lots of weight towards the rear of the truck will cause the front end to lift higher and the tops of the tires to lean in towards the engine (neg. camber). Have you modified the suspension at all (lifting/lowering, different springs, etc.) ?

Before you do anything else, check the suspension for worn and/or loose parts. Everything needs to be tight before you get an alignment, otherwise you will just be wasting your hard-earned money.

I'm new here, but some of the more experienced users can tell you how to research what has been posted on this site; articles that might help you when you begin checking your suspension for excessive wear. You've come to the right place. These folks are knowledgeable and willing to help. Good Luck !

 

My 88 had this problem. My tierods were shot needed aligned and a new steering gear. Now it runs perfectly fine. The ton of play is in the steering gear. The worn tires would be the alignment is my guess but I could b wrong. Hope this helps out.

 

i just had this problem with my truck. it would wander on the road like it was trying to avoid a squirel or something. it was the ball joints. they were absolutly shot. I had the front end looked at when i got it aligned and they said that everything was solid, but they did not check them right.

 

The 'go anywhere steering' that you are describing could be caused by numerous issues in combination or just one thing. The easiest way to figure out what the issue is is to put the front end on jack stands so that the front wheels are off the ground. Check for loose, i.e. play, by lifting the tire with a pry bar under the tire and looke for the ball joint looseness. Then twist on the tires so that they would steer and look at the tie rod ends and your pitman arm to see where the looseness is in them. If all these pieces check out then look at your remaining suspension pieces, i.e. your radius arm bushings as well as your pivot bushings. I believe that the 4x2 F-150 had the twin I beam suspension so you will be looking at the pivots inside the frame rail for deterioration. You can replace all these pieces yourself and then have an alignment shop realign your front end after you have completed it.

 

thanks for the help the movement side to side in the tires was at the pitman arm thats how i found out the steering gear was bad no ball joint movement i will check the tie rod ends when i replace the steering gear

 

We gotta keep these old girls looking sharp and running sweet. Good luck in making your repairs.

 

Umm, if you load the back end, the tires camber OUT away from the engine. Nose up, tops out. Nose down, tops in. Toe will definitely eat the inside edges, but usually, it takes a combination of toe, camber, and caster to eat 'em off smooth. Had the alignment (caster/camber) eccentrics checked lately? They wear, and while you may tighten up the steering some, you may still get the wandering truck syndrome. My 92 had to have new eccentrics at around 100K, when I bought the 3rd set of tires (OEM set + 2) on it. Only been rotated once since then at 147K, and no significant wear.