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Front end redone, but steering still "randomly" loose


jewalker7842

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2001 Ford Ranger 2WD 3.0L

I redid the front end this past month (shocks, outer tie rods, upper and lower ball joints, and upper control arms) due to play in my steering. Good news is is the steering is now tight up to around 70, and this is when we get the weird issue. The steering is tight, as in no play, but on certain sections of road it seems the steering wheel loses any resistance and becomes TOO EASY to turn. It doesn't have any play it just feels loose. If you take your hand off the steering wheel I guess you could say it starts to wander. Any ideas on this?:icon_confused:

It NEVER does this under 70 under any conditions. I am starting to think some bushing need replaced or something like that? I was reading about steering rack bushings could possibly need replaced. Maybe the steering rack is not tight on the frame? I'm lost any help appreciated. :annoyed:
 


brinker88

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I'd check for play in the rack & pinion assembly or for water/foaming in the PSF.
 

jewalker7842

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I'd check for play in the rack & pinion assembly or for water/foaming in the PSF.
Last time I checked the PSF I did not see any water/foaming. I'll check it again tonight when I get home. I checked for play in the rack & pinion before I determined I needed new BJ's, tie rod ends, and shocks. I got under there while my dad turned the wheel and all the play was coming from the tie rods. I can check again just to make sure. It won't hurt.

The best picture I can give of what is happening is imagine how much resistance your steering wheel normally has. Now then at 70 mph it randomly loses that resistance (not all resistance, but definitely enough to make it hazardous), then the resistance comes back a few seconds later.

I got alignment done after I replaced the ball joints, but I made a dumb mistake and just didn't wait till i got the outer tie rods replaced before I did it. Think I should get get another alignment then and go from there? I just didnt want to go get another one in case I needed to replace something else that would cause it to need ANOTHER alignment. I just wouldn't think that even an out of spec alignment would cause what I'm having now is why I'm hesitant.

EDIT: I was thinking doesn't the steering column have a ujoint of some sort that tends to wear out? Is that a possibility?
 
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Snake PLissken

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if you have the "fiber" part before your steering box you may be getting the loose feeling from there you can get a steering coupler from a windstar and shorten it to fit b/w your u joints an steering box in steering shaft. A little trick I learn today,
 

96firephoenix

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do the newer trucks have rack and pinion? mine's got the stupid parallelogram steering, so I guess my suggestion of a bad idler arm bushing is kinda moot...
 

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