Almost Crashed!
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Elder User
Joined: Aug 2007
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From: Southern New Hampshire
Almost Crashed!
that should get some attention
ok well i did almost crash though. basically i was leaving from the shop today and i was going down the road and had to turn left....but the steering wheel all of a sudden locked up kinda and i couldn't turn left. then i forced the wheel over and it "clicked" and wasn't stuck anymore. now when im driving i hear an almost shudder noise from the column and i feel it in the steering wheel when turning. no noise/vibration when going straight though. i haven't looked into it thoroughly yet because its dark but tomorrow on my lunch break im going to investigate more. i checked the power steering fluid and its where it should be and there is no bubbles or discoloration in it. could this be a bad pump? or a bad steering box? it definately scared the crap out of me.
ok well i did almost crash though. basically i was leaving from the shop today and i was going down the road and had to turn left....but the steering wheel all of a sudden locked up kinda and i couldn't turn left. then i forced the wheel over and it "clicked" and wasn't stuck anymore. now when im driving i hear an almost shudder noise from the column and i feel it in the steering wheel when turning. no noise/vibration when going straight though. i haven't looked into it thoroughly yet because its dark but tomorrow on my lunch break im going to investigate more. i checked the power steering fluid and its where it should be and there is no bubbles or discoloration in it. could this be a bad pump? or a bad steering box? it definately scared the crap out of me.
Post Fiend
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 5,377
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From: Elkhart IN
Not sure on the shudder, but I had an old chevy c10 that sometimes would lock up like that. It had the tilt column, but it was broken and sometimes the ignition lock would catch the column and I'd have to just wiggle the column. Wasnt a problem after a new column.
Postmaster
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 2,621
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From: Sweetwater Texas
Chrono may be on to something.
My ignition is a little quirky sometimes and can lock when I turn the key off without hitting the button, which is okay until the time came that my truck died while I was going 70 on a dirt road, so I turned the key off so I could recrank the motor, and then the column locked on me, then my stupid key came out a little bit (which I didn't realize), so it took me a good 10 seconds to unlock the column. Lets just say that I needed some new pants after that incident.
My ignition is a little quirky sometimes and can lock when I turn the key off without hitting the button, which is okay until the time came that my truck died while I was going 70 on a dirt road, so I turned the key off so I could recrank the motor, and then the column locked on me, then my stupid key came out a little bit (which I didn't realize), so it took me a good 10 seconds to unlock the column. Lets just say that I needed some new pants after that incident.
Hotshot
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 12,177
Likes: 40
From: Newport, WA
Do you have a tilt or straight column? In my old 92 F250 I had a straight column, one day the bearings inside crapped out and it did something similar to what you're describing. Pull the steering wheel toward you and see if you can get it to move up and down or side to side in a way it normally shouldn't. If I remember right, the bearings were inexpensive and easy to replace.
More Turbo
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 687
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Hmmm. Maybe I'm the cautious type, but I think if it were me, I would determine the cause before driving it on the road again. I would do the same if the brake pedal were to go to the floor just one time, and then seem ok after that. I know, I'm just a wus.
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Hotshot
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Post Fiend
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 6,214
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From: New Jersey
Nothing wrong with being safe and cautious Steve - that's how one lives to tell many more stories of this type 
It could also be the pin that prevents the steering column from turning when you turn the ignition lock to "off". Some designs are an actual pin others are a rod that slides. Either way, if things were marginally attached to begin with, locking of the column certainly can be the result.
I had this happen on my 1969XL ragtop the first time out with the new powertrain, except I couldn't turn it left OR right except for the normal 1/8" turn when locked. Since i was on the highway at the time switching to the slow lane to get off at an exit, I just coasted to the side and stopped on the shoulder and dismantled the column right there. My ex-wife who was my wife at the time made that 30 minutes as unpleasant as possible. "This old POS..." etc.
It could also be the pin that prevents the steering column from turning when you turn the ignition lock to "off". Some designs are an actual pin others are a rod that slides. Either way, if things were marginally attached to begin with, locking of the column certainly can be the result.
I had this happen on my 1969XL ragtop the first time out with the new powertrain, except I couldn't turn it left OR right except for the normal 1/8" turn when locked. Since i was on the highway at the time switching to the slow lane to get off at an exit, I just coasted to the side and stopped on the shoulder and dismantled the column right there. My ex-wife who was my wife at the time made that 30 minutes as unpleasant as possible. "This old POS..." etc.
Junior User
Joined: Aug 2003
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I've been experiencing a similar problem in my 94', but without any noises. When driving down the road straight no problems. When I go to change lanes or a slight curve in the road the trucks sometimes suddenly jumps the direction I'm turning. Can be pretty scary sometimes.....I'm not sure what to look at next. I've replaced:steering box, steering pump, all lines????? Sorry not trying to hijack your thread, but I think they are similar problems.
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Elder User
Joined: Aug 2007
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From: Southern New Hampshire
ive got a straight column. im pretty sure its not the ignition lock because i can feell and hear a wicked shutter/noise coming from the front when i am turning. this happens when im driving AND when im parked. im going outside right now to see if i can see anything else, since it is my lunch break
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Elder User
Joined: Aug 2007
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From: Southern New Hampshire
ok after looking into it further i found the pump was making a whole lot of noise. i had one of the other people in the shop turn the wheel and the pump was shaking and making a ton of noise like the bearings or something were shot. so im going to buy a new pump and go from there. this also my be why my box is locking up, if its not pumping the right amount of fluid to the box it would be locking up/binding up. does that sound like it makes sense? haha
Post Fiend
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 6,214
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From: New Jersey
Originally Posted by blinkjs
I've been experiencing a similar problem in my 94', but without any noises. When driving down the road straight no problems. When I go to change lanes or a slight curve in the road the trucks sometimes suddenly jumps the direction I'm turning. Can be pretty scary sometimes.....I'm not sure what to look at next. I've replaced:steering box, steering pump, all lines????? Sorry not trying to hijack your thread, but I think they are similar problems.
Your problem could be the slip-shaft, the gearbox, the various bushings, the alignment (toe in or out), ball joints, tie rod ends or the pitman arm is wiggling on the gearbox shaft. Since the box is new I'd assume the splines on the box are good but the mating splines in the pitman arm might be chewed off.
If all that checks out, carefully inspect the frame rail the gearbox is mounted on - that's a very common place for the frame to crack due to the load the gearbox puts on it's mounts trying to push/pull the wheels left and right.
Lead Driver
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 5,670
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From: Sand Lake, MI
If you haven't used 4 wheel in a long time and rarely use it check the u-joints in behind the wheels, one or both could be frozen in one pivot plane and will not "bend" but does in the other plane. The shaft may have rotated a half turn and stopped you from turning the wheel, then when you leaned on it hard it did a half turn and allowed you to turn the wheel again.
I fixed a truck for a buddy, he had the same complaint that now and then he just could not turn the wheel. Never used 4 wheel and the u-joints on both sides where froze up solid in one plane but would pivot freely on the other allowing him to turn corners.
May not be your problem but something to look for.
I fixed a truck for a buddy, he had the same complaint that now and then he just could not turn the wheel. Never used 4 wheel and the u-joints on both sides where froze up solid in one plane but would pivot freely on the other allowing him to turn corners.
May not be your problem but something to look for.
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Elder User
Joined: Aug 2007
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From: Southern New Hampshire
nah its not the u-joints because those are both new within the year. same as the ball joints. i do need a left outer tie ord but thatys not my main concern right now, but it is on the veeeerrryyyy long to do list