I'm sure sloppy steering has been covered on the board numerous times. Im not real fond of the search feature so if someone could point me in the right direction or some tips for searching, i'd be glad to do some reasearch on it.

On to the important stuff, I have a 1993 F150 XLT 5.0ltr/Auto/4x4 with a little over 60,000 miles on it. When i bought it, it appeared to have a mild lift and has 33x9.50 r15's. Going down the highway, especially if its bumpy, it wanders all over the road and is often hard to keep it in one lane. I notice that i can move the wheel back and forth quite a bit. While moving at slow speeds its not to bad, definetly noticeable but at high-speeds you can definetly tell theres some play somewhere. I do notice at from a stop, if i turn the wheel, i sometimes hear some popping, not quite sure where its coming from, but its definetly steering related.

I just put a 3" body lift and got some rust issues to take care of, but after that will probably get some 35x12.50 and some 17" rims. Is there a kit out there that i can upgrade my steering with to something beefier, or would the stock steering components be adequate?

Thanks in advance for any help!

 

Can you adjust the steering box on your model? Easy to do, 1/4 turn at a shot. Don't over-adjust though. If you're able to, there should be a lock-nut to loosen on the steering box, with a post sticking through it witha flat-head screwdriver tip on it. 1/4 turn to the right, tighten lock nut, drive and test, keep up with 1/4 turns until you see a difference (might or might not depending on the 'real' problem). Hope this helps.

 

Griz,
I have a 94 5l atx 4x2. Its 100% stock with the exception og 10x9,5 r15 tires on it. I also have air bags! So how would I go about adjsutign this screw or well at least getting ot it.

Edit: I find it some times rather hard to keep the truck goign in a straight line due to the play. In my mazda if i move the wheel just the same amount of play in my truck I would be across 4 lanes of highway! So you can imagine going back and forth between the two cars! or well car and truck.

 

Maybe this will help:



BUT! DO NOT, and I can't stress that enough..DO NOT overtighten that adjustment!! If you go even a little too much, the wheel will not return to center after a turn by itself, and if you aren't ready for it, you WILL drive right off the road. If you adjust it, go a little at a time!

 

Guess I could detail better how to adjust.. The nut is the lock for the adjustment, the shaft is what does the actual adjustement..loosen the nut, then turn the shaft clockwise a little bit..you will notice, if you move your steering before you start, and after you adjust, the play in the steering will decrease. When you get it adjusted (don't keep cranking on it thinking more is better, it isn't, just take out most of the play) then HOLD THE SHAFT IN PLACE when you tighten the nut, and recheck your steering play again once tightened..

Given that your hearing clunks and such, I would start elsewhere, though. Start at your wheel bearings, ball joints, check your u-joints on your axles, tie rod ends, etc.. every moving part. Have someone turn your wheels while you look and check it all for lateral movement...jack the front end up, and check for bearing play, spin the wheels while turned with your hubs locked to see if you feel binding in the axle joints..

 

I adjusted my steering box a little at a time and it started getting better, finally i got it close to where i want it. After having someone sit in the truck and move the wheel back and forth, i watched the tie-rod ends and there wasn't any slop in any of them. I however did notice that my tires are wearing other than what i feel is normal. Looking at the tire from the front of the truck, the insides of the tires are worn down the most. Not sure if this is normal or not. As far as the clunks, i know i needs u-joints b/c when i put it in 4x4 i gets noticeably louder and feels like they are binding.

 

You're tires should not be wearing that unevenly. There is always a tendency for tires to not wear PERFECTLY EVEN, this is why you must get your tires balanced and rotated regularly. If the wear on one side of the tire is REALLY bad then you need to get her in for an alignment and rotation, ASAP.

-Chris

 

How often should they be balanced/rotated. I've put about 7000 miles on them since i got them. Would this be caused by something other than balance/rotation because they drive fine down the road other than the steering being sloppy. I do feel that i need an alignment though b/c my steering wheel is cocked to the right a little bit, and almost seems like it wants to pull to the right a little bit unless i hold it back a little bit and it drives as straight as possible with the slop in the wheel.

 

Most tire companies reccommend rotating every 5,000 miles. You should also check your air pressure about every two weeks. Money in your pocket.....the tires will last longer.

Alignment will definitely cause the tires to wear faster and uneven as you said. I'd get that checked right away.....if anything else is bad in the front end they will tell you. Most places won't do an alignment if the front end needs work. A cocked steering wheel and a pull to the right on a flat road is a good sign you need it.

Usually you can tell you need to re-balance by a jerking or shaking in the steering wheel.....and it's usually at certain speeds.....45-55 mph is very common.

Good Luck

 

Great replies, I love reading these posts. I learn something new everyday.

 

Hit the nail on the head 92F150. Although balance (or imbalance) will not cause a pull or uneven wear, it is usually just a package deal when you get your tires rotated. They balance the tires by spinning the wheels on a machine that will tell them whereto tack weights onto the outside edge of the rim, thus alleviating an imbalance in the circular aspect of your tires/wheels. As for you 19FORD93, since you're tires are so worn on one side, you also might want to ask if they can make sure they aren't too far out of round, although not all places have the proper equipment to do this. The roundness is a measure of the evenness of the tire tread from left to right, which can also lead to problems if your tires are too far out of round. These are all things that Les Schwab or Big-O can give you details about.

Your sloppy steering, pulling, and uneven tread wear is very characteristic of bad alignment. As 92F150 said, when they align it they will check the steering linkages etc for any worn parts (namely tie rod ends, amongst other things). But I would not pass go nor collect $200 before taking that baby right down to the alignment shop, you're lookin' at buying a brand new set of rubbers soon. Also, do not put it out of mind that your steering woes could also be caused by bad ball joints :\

-Chris