I replaced the out tie rods on my 2000 F250 as they were trash. The tie rod ends are good. I took off the old and put the new pieces on the same number of turns as the ones I took off. The steering wheel was just a lil off center but I figured when it was aligned they would center it. I took it and had it aligned and drove down the highway after and the steering wheel is still off center. Shouldn't they center the steering wheel? I also noticed there is still some slop in the steering from left to right. I thought the new tie rods would fix that but it didn't. I have read around about a steering box adjustment that can tighten up the steering a bit and hopefully make the slop go away. Where is the adjustment? Anyone have a pic of it? Would a new steering box cure the problem?

 

I'm not sure how your 2013 F250 (according to your profile , sorry couldn't resist), but I'll base it off of my 2003 4x4. If you have a 2wd I'm not sure how yours is set up. You do not need a new steering box or adjust yours now to center the wheel.

Again this is for a 4x4:

There are 4 "bars" to contend with between the pitman arm (connecting bracket between the steering box and the steering "bars". There are two connected together (by the drag link adjustment tube) between the pitman arm and the right outer tie rod near the steering knuckle, and two connected together (by the tie rod adjustment tube) between the steering knuckles. The drag link is the short bar connected to the pitman arm (inner) and the inner tie rod is the longer bar connected to the outer tie rod (outer). The right outer tie rod is the longer bar connected to the right steering knuckle (and has the inner tie rod connected to it). The left outer tie rod is the shorter bar connected to the left steering knuckle. These are both considered "outer" tie rods and are connected via an adjustment tube.

When you have your truck aligned, they put it on the rack and adjust the distance between the two outer tie rods by spinning the tie rod adjustment tube (the lower one you see when you bend over to look under your truck) for the correct toe, then tighten the two nuts to 40 lb-ft. Your truck does not have an adjustable camber, it is just a sleeve that the upper ball joint sits in.

Now let's say you tell them, "Hey, since it's an easy adjustment and I'm paying you a lot of money, please center the steering wheel." All they have to do is loosen the upper adjustment tube (for the inner tie rod and drag link) and spin it to center the wheel and tighten it down. Seems simple and quick, right? WRONG! I also asked for this and when I drove away (I picked it up as they closed for the day), my wheel was easily 45+ degrees off. @@!$*!& Firestone! At least I got a lifetime warranty for my alignment, but I'll never go back to that shop!

So here's how you straighten the wheel yourself: You will need a 15mm deep socket, a ratchet and torque wrench (good for 40 lb-ft). I used 1/2" since that's what my torque wrench is. Now:

1. Park with your wheels straight (or as close as you can to what you think is straight).
2. Turn your ignition key to unlock the steering wheel.
3. Loosen the two 15mm nuts on the UPPER (drag link) adjustment tube.
4. Rotate the tube until the steering wheel is straight. If you are looking at the tube from the driver's side, then rotating the tube clockwise will turn the steering wheel left and vice versa.
5. Tighten the two nuts to 40 lb-ft. NOTE: make sure that you adjust the drag link and tie rod to be parallel with their respective connections. If you do not, the heim joints will not be lined up. You may not understand now, but you will when you climb under there. The tie rod connection is vertical and the pitman arm is at an angle.
6. Go for a drive. If it is not straight, go back to step 1 and keep going until you get it straight. It took me about 5 tries over a week before I got mine centered. It may have been a little effort on my part, but I wasn't going to let them touch my truck again.

Sorry, no pics.

A little long winded, but I hope this is what you were looking for...

 

If I adjust the steering wheel to center will that take up the sloppyness of the steering? There's a little bit of play left to right, truck wanders a bit down the highway due to this. From what I have read there's an adjustment on the steering box that can be made to alleviate this but not sure where the adjustment is. Will the correction that you told me about the adjust tube take up this slack in the steering or do I need to adjust elsewhere or get a new steering box? I don't understand why they don't center the steering wheel as part of the alignment... unless it's because it's such an extra hastle they try to get away from doing it. You would think having the steering wheel centered would be essential in an alignment. I got it done at a goodyear shop.

 

Finding an alignment shop to do it right the first time is one of the hardest things to do. Most guys don't do all the steps required. My suggestion is to take it back and tell them the steering wheel wasn't centered and they didn't check it very good because there's play and slop in it.

Hopefully they get it better the second time and start looking for another shop.

 

Centering the wheel won't take the "slop" out of it. The SD's are known for their less than precise steering. It is a big truck with a stout front axle and monster tie rods. Unfortunately, we are not afforded rack-and-pinion steering like the IFS boys (i.e. Chevys and 1/2 tons). The steering box leaves a lot to be desired in design and manufacturing tolerances. Such is the nature of the beast. I have read of people adjusting the "tightness" of the steering box, but have also read plenty of cautions about it. If you can't live with your slop, you might want to check these guys out:

www.redheadsteeringgears.com

I have heard great results from their remanufactured steering boxes. I've removed most of the wander out of my truck (new ball joints, drag links, tie rods and hub assemblies), but there's still a few inches of play in the wheel from side to side. Unfortunately I just dropped $1500 for all those parts (and seals) and spent 2 days on the lift, so the steering box gets pushed down the list a bit.

 

I didn't think it would take the slop out but figured I would ask. I had just read about the adjustment making some improvement but like you said... lots of cautions on it too. I can live with a little bit of the slop, but not having the wheel centered drives me nuts. So by adjusting the drag link I can get the steering wheel more centered without affecting the alignment correct? The drank link I want to adjust is the one that's on the bar connected directly to the pitman arm correct? Goes from the pitman arm to the passenger side tie rod? I just replaced this one before having it aligned. Both ball and sockets on this one were trashed. I screwed the new tie rod parts into the adjustment tube the same number of turns as the old parts but it didn't quite line up. So I have to mess with it a bit in order to get it to fit. Obviously I didn't get it quite right since the steering wheel isn't centered but I assumed the alignment shop would take care of that... guess not.

 

In 35 years I just recently had an alignment done that was the first I didn't have to take back, but I requested one particular mechanic do all the work after watching him. It doesn't matter what work you did to it, the alignment shop should have centered the wheel. They're hoping you don't take it back so by not doing so you're just telling them it's fine and they'll do it to to the next person and rip them off too.

 

That's the one. Use my post (#2) to adjust that adjustment tube that is between the pitman arm and right outer tie rod and it will only adjust your steering wheel position.

 

There are two issues at play here:

Steering wheel centering is part of an alignment job. It is an operation that you pay for as part of an alignment job.

There are a number of parts that, if worn, will cause slack in the steering. The best way to find the culprit(s) is by employing the FOUR P's; Push, Pull, Pry and Prod. Do this on all components of the steering linkage and associated parts. Don't forget the idler arm, which in your case should definitely be checked. If a part is not tight replace it. After you are sure that everything showing slack has been attended to, take it to a reputable shop and if they don't center the wheel, tell them that you are paying hard earned money for an alignment job and that centering the steering wheel is part of what you are paying for and demand that it be taken care of.

Good luck,

 

While I agree with having them do what you paid for, I would be concerned about how the truck would be treated. I had BRAND NEW steering components when I took it in, and it came back with dings and scrapes. The adustment tube almost look like it was never painted. I don't know what kind of equipment is used to adjust the toe for our trucks, but I can easily spin the tube by hand when the nuts are loosened. I don't know what was used, but it looked like they had at it with a grinder and chisel.

I don't think the SD's have one. My 4wd "drag link" (center "drag" link and inner tie rod) goes directly from the pitman arm to the outer tie rod. Then my two outer tie rods connect between the steering knuckles. IIRC the 2wd has a tie rod from the pitman arm to the right steering knuckle and the left steering knuckle connects directly to the other tie rod system near the pitman arm.

 

They probably used a pipe wrench on the adjuster sleeves, and from your description, it sounds as if they didn't bother loosening the lock bolts. That's a matter of a sloppy shop, as too many of them are now days.

Good catch on the idler arm. I have a bad habit of quickly perusing posts and too often miss details.

 

The only reason I know this is because I just replaced everything between the knuckles and pitman arm.

The trashing of my brand new adjustment tube is what prompted me to loosen (1 at a time) each locking nut and re-torque them to 40 lb-ft just for my peace of mind. That's also why I didn't raise a stink about my steering wheel being 45 degrees off. It's just further proof why I don't like other people working on my truck. It took a few times, but I got it done myself, my adjustment tube is still painted and I know the nuts are torqued correctly.

If only I could find an alignment rack that I could rent...

 

Not sure if I didn't get the rod ends torqued down enough or if the alignment messed something up. But both ball and sockets on my tie rods that I just put on prior to alignment are now loose enough I can grab the bar and I can move it up and down(I changed the tie rod that connect from the pitman arm across to the passenger side. One ball and socket on each end and I can move the bar up and down. It's not super loose.. I have to give it a little force with the twist of my wrist but it will move. I don't think it's supposed to do that... especially after only being driven maybe 200 miles at the most since the alignment. I'm going to recheck the torque and see if that's the issue. If not, I guess I'll have to take the parts off and get them replaced. Luckily I went with Moog parts with lifetime warranty so I should get replacements for free.

 

Well I went to the garage last night and tried to adjust the steering wheel but when I loosen my adjustment tube nuts I can't get the tube to rotate. It won't spin at all. When I try to torque on it the tie rods rotate and not the tube. Not sure how I can get it to move without putting too much torque on the tie rods.

 

Using $30K or $40K worth of equipment for alignment work is nice, but proper alignment can be accomplished with MUCH less.

The most important alignment parameter is toe. I adjust toe all the time with a tape measure. There is a bit of a procedure to go through in order to get an accurate measurement, but I get it RIGHT ON THE MONEY with my method.

There are inexpensive items that can be used for caster and camber as well. The expensive alignment equipment allows someone only slightly familiar with alignment to do a good job if they just follow the instructions. OTOH someone who understands alignment can do a good job with minimal equipment investment.

As shown by some of the experiences of posters in this thread, attitude is a big part of alignment as it is with ANY service operation. Not centering the steering wheel indicates an attitude to just get by doing as little as one can get by with. Torquing on the adjustment sleeves so hard with a pipe wrench so as to mangle them up is another indication of a poor attitude.

I've seen guys do alignment work with such a minimal amount of equipment to work with that you wouldn't believe it and come up with a result equal to many guys using a full blown Hunter rack and equipment.

My $0.02,