hi everyone i have a 99 superduty 5.4l longbed supercab, i know its a longbed and it doesn't take tight turns but my wheels are not turning that much at all. i can crank the wheel all the way to the left and when i look at my wheels they are only turned slightly so my turn radius is much larger. my question is what could be causing this, a bad steering box? it doesn't seem like my tires are rubbing on my leaf springs they are stock superduty wheels and tires are not ovesized. also my steering wheel instead of the ford logo being level its strait up and down so my steering wheel seems 90* off. thank you guys for any info.

 

We all know the radius is smaller on these 4x4's but not sure in your case. I know with my 05 250 the steering leaves alot to be desired. I had all the joints & ends replaced then a front end alignment. Steering wheel was to the right about 20º, now after a couple months it's more like 45º to the right with everything still tight. Go figure.

 

yeah mine seems to be off like 90* but the steering is still tight no play, i just want my wheels to turn more.

 

The steering wheel is an easy fix. The 4x4 has two adjustment tubes. the one that goes between the pitman arm and the right steering knuckle (higher of the two) is the one you want. Loosen the two nuts on the tube (14mm IIRC). Now spin the adjustment tube to adjust the steering wheel position to center it. I think it's up and back (clockwise if you are looking at it from the left wheel well) to make the wheel go right and vice versa. Only make small adjustments as it doesn't take much to make a large difference in wheel position. As long as you leave the lower tube alone (between the two knuckles), you won't mess with your alignment (toe). Be sure to torque the nuts to 40 ft-lbs.

A quick note: there is play of where the tie rods attach to the knuckle and pitman arm (heim joints). Before you tighten the tube nuts, make sure that the tie rod end is parallel to the surface of the knuckle (vertical) and pitman arm (mostly horizontal) so that you cause any binding when articulating the steering system.

It's a lot easier than it sounds. The hardest part is having to climb under the front again to make that one more adjustment...

Also, my steering still leaves something to be desired even after all new ball joints and tie rods. I have heard of people having good luck with RedHead steering gear boxes. After dropping $$$ for all the front end hardware, the steering box goes onto the wish list for now...

 

ok i'll look into the steering box, thanks for the adjustment tip that helps alot now i can see my speedometer.

 

took me 5 miinutes used a pipe wrench and a 15mm wrench, thanks alot guys, now i just need to get that steering box taken care of.

 

hey guys thanks for the info last time, turns out i have another question, so i usually dont beat up my truck but i just put my lift on and took it for a spin in the dirt i was doing some donuts at high RPM's i guess you could say and only did it for about a minute, when i was done right at the last second my power steering went out. i got home cleaned it off turned it off and when i tried to turn it back on it wouldnt start, no check engine light, my question is has anyone else had this issue before im gna check for blown fuses tomarow morning, it has power steering fluid, i think its a fuse cuz it wont start not even crank. thanks guys for any info you guys have been so much help.

 

ok update, it turns on i have to pull up on my shifter and it will turn on, is that because of loose cables to the tranny? the power steering is still out,

 

Sounds like the safety interlock switch.

 

ALso, with your power steering, did you happen to turn the steering wsheel full lock one way and hold it there while you hit the gas and did donuts?

If so, you might have burned out your power steering pump.

 

i dont remember, i do remember it going out when i was driving in a strait line and hit a puddle of mud.

 

i just checked under my radiator and it looks like one of my lines do the ps fluid cooler i think thats what it is is pinched. but it looks like its been like that for a while.

 

Is the belt slipping on the PS pulley? Maybe the belt tension needs to be adjusted?

 

ok so i checked my belts and the seemed loose, so i swapped for valvoline mercon 5 it still did the same thing then it clicked i would rev the motor to about 3k rpm's and my powersteering would come back, so the way i see it i just need to tighten up my belts cuz they were loose from the high RPM's in the donuts! now i just need to find out how to use the belt tensioner! thanks guys a ton!

 

omg i didnt see your post GUNNERDOG but yeah thats the same thing i just found out, wow if i woulda just looked i would've saved the brain cells!!! thanks guys you guys helped me out alot.