`86 4x4, lifted, new steering box.

Just got a few issues sorted in the front end, p/o didn't tighten the shocks down and never aligned the truck after lifting it, had to lengthen the ti-rod ends by about 2"s to get the wheels straight after tightening the shocks up.

now when I drive it I'm not afraid of turning the wheel when I'm in a tight spot, and when I do I get belt squeel and the wheel gets really heavy. Am I running out of fluid, over-driving the pump, or just need to tighten the belt up so it can hold the load of the p/s pump better?

I'm used to serpentine belt cars with auto adjusters, so I'm not sure where to start if I need to snug that up.

TIA.

 

The shocks should have no effect on the alignment. I don't see how tightening them could have affected your toe? What size/brand of lift? Did they put a drop pitman arm on it? What size tires? I know my truck has a little bit of trouble with power steering at low RPM's, like when I stop or turning in a parking spot. Is your problem all the time, even at higher RPM's? Adjusting the belts is not too hard. One of the brackets which the accessories is mounted on will swivel, allowing for tension adjustment. I haven't looked at my truck recently, but if I remember correctly I believe the power steering pump is the swivel point for that belt. I may be wrong, because my truck has a 460 and seven different belts for whatever reason. Anyways, look a the pump/bracket, and you should see some sort of slotted bracket that allow for the pump to be adjusted for tension. Loosen up the bolt in the slotted bracket, and find the bolts at the pivot point on the pump. I'm sure my writing is confusing, but its really not that hard to do. If you answer some of the questions above, I may be able to help you more.

 

The truck has 35x12.5 tires and what I was told a 4" rancho lift with drop radius arms and drop pitman arm. The truck drove straight and the tires didn't howl when I got it last weekend but I didn't touch it all week, yesterday I had the day off and so I took it to get smogged, noticed how it felt like the truck was floating on springs with no shocks at all so I started investigating and found the tops of the front shocks to be fairly loose, like I could move them around by hand with the truck sitting on level ground. Once I tightened them up I took it for a spin around the block and the front tires were howling and it was fighting me to go straight.

Did some measuring and did a ghetto driveway alignment and ended up having to open the ti-rods about 2" to get the wheels straight. When I bought the truck I knew the ti-rods needed replacing as the balljoints on them are loose, but my parts aren't getting here from broncograveyard until next week so I'm holding off until I swap everything to get a real alignment. The problem is mainly when the truck is at very low speed, noticed it today when I was backing out of my driveway and turning to go out on the street. It doesn't seem to happen when rolling >5mph.

Also if anyone knows which direction on the rancho rs9000 (not rs9000x) shocks is stiffer vs softer that would help, if I turn all the way to the left is that setting 1, or 5?

 

The belt squealing is a sign the pump is not being driven, and that's why you are losing some of your power steering, so I would replace that belt and tighten it. You loosen and slide the pump back and forth to tighten the belt. Go easy on it though, it's going to struggle a little bit with those 35's.