Loose steering, crazy stuff

AnahRabekka1501 · Mar 22, 2018

Okay, so i just put new front shocks on last september, i haven't added rear shocks yet. The truck steering is so loose, i am terrified of bumps and potholes. Ive almost lost control before because of a pothole. The shocks, come to find out, have never been replaced. (Anyone want some shitty oem 1989 shocks? They are so obedient, they stay where you tell them to!). The tie rods probably havent either. At this point, it’s most likely never been replaced or maintained if it seems broken.. I havent added rear shocks yet, originals are still there. Steering wheel is loose enought that theres half an inch of play before steering kicks in. And the entire truck is a big, vibrating, bouncy mess. How to i make the thing stable?? I don’t like seeing my arm fat jiggle

planeflyer21 · Mar 22, 2018

Just an inch of play?

That's less than half of what my Datsun had before I did the front end on it.

Just a mere fraction of my Ramcharger before I sold it.

ericbphoto · Mar 22, 2018

I agree. 1/2" of play isn't much for these trucks. They don't steer like a BMW. Before throwing money around, get the front end up on jack stands. Then you can get under there and wiggle the wheels and see what's loose and what's not. Or you can have it evaluated at an alignment shop. After you pinpoint what needs replacing, then you can order parts and replace it you are comfortable with doing that work.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

AnahRabekka1501 · Mar 22, 2018

It feels unnecessarily loose, regardless as to how much play is there. What would i need to rebuild it to tighten it back up?

fastpakr · Mar 22, 2018

You'd need to locate the source of the play in the steering, following ericbphoto's suggestions.

alwaysFlOoReD · Mar 22, 2018

So, IIRC, the wear points are bearings, ball joints, tie rod to knuckle, tie rod to tie rod, pitman arm to tie rod, and steering box to steering shaft [rag joint].
For test #1 the truck needs to have the front wheels off the ground by a least a couple inches.
#1 Bearings/ball joints; grab the wheel at the 12:00 and 6:00 position and push/pull. There should be next to no movement, bearings a small amount is OK but ball joints no movement. If there is movement then you have to distinguish if the ball joints are moving or the bearings.
#2 For all the rest put the truck on the ground or ramps and have a helper in the truck to turn the steering wheel lazily from side to side, a 1/4 turn will work. Then look at all the connection points; tie rod to knuckle etc. There should be absolutely no movement between the two. Meaning that when one piece moves, the other piece moves at exactly the same time.
The rag joint is directly above the steering box probably behind a plastic protector that you should be able to move up the shaft exposing the rag joint. The same test as the #2

Edit; and the steering box itself can have play. To tell that look at the pitman arm from up top and compare that movment to that of the steering shaft above the box.

AnahRabekka1501 · Mar 23, 2018

Okay, so aside from the steering, how do i fix all the vibrations? I feel every bump in the road, some more than others. Replacing the shocks didn't help. Do I need to replace the helper springs, maybe add some weight to the front end?

Edit:Typos

ericbphoto · Mar 23, 2018

The ride quality is affected by many variables.

1. tires; the type of tire you use, air pressure, balancing and abnormal wear patterns on old tires all have an effect. Tires have different load ratings. An LT (light truck) tire will often ride stiffer than a P (passenger) tire because the load rating and therefore the internal composition of the tire is different.

2. shocks; making sure you have the right shocks and that they are not worn out is important (you say you have replaced shocks)

3. Worn/loose steering components can cause vibrations.

4. springs; springs can be made to ride soft or hard for different load ratings.

5. Worn, loose or broken bushings and brackets can change ride quality. spring shackle bushings, spring mounts, shock mounts, sway bar bushings and mounts, etc. even bad body mounts can make things shake, vibrate and clunk wrong when you hit bumps.

6. Modifications. Has the truck been modified? ie; lifted or lowered. The way modifications are engineered and installed can change the ride dramatically.

It's hard to tell what you call a bumpy ride. Have you owned and driven other trucks to compare this with? If not, then what you call a vibrating and bouncy mess might be completely or partially normal. But you just aren't used to it yet.

Loose steering, crazy stuff

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