I've heard of an adjustment, and see the set nut and screw on the top of the steering gear, but don't know what the adjustment might accomplish. Will it tighten up the steering response? Will it aleviate some of the "slop"?

Tie rods and all knuckle joints are new, have some slack maybe 1/4 inch in the rag joint, but still gets a little squirrly on an uneven or not perfectly flat road at speeds over about 60.

 

A Haynes manual will tell you all about it. What you don’t have one? Shame on you.

All kidding aside, yes, if you undo the locking nut and turn the screw clock wise it will tighten the worm gear in the box. If the box is loose it will remove some of the sloppiness from the steering. Be careful though. If you tighten it too much, and have power steering, then it will raise the pressure and possibly blow a hose or seal. Our trucks are real sensitive to front end wear and if anything is getting loose or worn the first place it will show up is in the steering. A ¼ inch at the rag joint will show up big time at the end of a 17” steering wheel. Fix that joint. Then tighten the box. After that have somebody set in the truck and move the wheel back and forth while you set underneath it and watch for anything that moves that isn’t suppose to.

 

Been looking and can't find one (Haynes). Tried to get O'Rielleys to order but they can't seem to get one.

How hard is the rag to change?

 

This is an adjustment that requires the special torque tool used on the steering wheel so you don't ruin the steering gear.

Too many people have adjusted this only to have to rebuild the whole box.


http://www.autozone.com/az/cds/en_us...rInfoPages.htm

 

Here you go

http://www.autozone.com/selectedZip,.../selectZip.htm

http://www.partsamerica.com/productd...pe=626&PTSet=A

O’Rielleys are just now popping up in my part of the country. I have to say I am not impressed with them at all. Case in point, they don’t have a Haynes manual that every other parts chain keeps in stock.

I don’t think it is very hard. Mine was a little loose but so was the U-joint above it. So I went to a junkyard and pulled a whole steering shaft from a Bronco. It was a little awkward to get everything unbolted, remember your have to completely unscrew the bolt on the box end, but it wasn’t that hard. After that I think that the rag joint is bolted on so it should be a breeze to replace.

 

Check the $10 rag joint first. Mine was so egg shaped you wouldn't have believed it. My old truck drove like an old truck with constant correction being needed. Changed the rag and it didn't have any sloppiness left. I'd say start there first then if you need to adjust the worm gear go for it. In the past I've just tightened it up for no slop and backed it off a hair. That was good for over 100K miles. So, I must have done something right. ????? Good luck !!!

 

only in 1/16th turns... be very careful...over tightening will also turn your rig into a squirly nightmare...only after all steering components are ck'd and replaced as needed.