Steering is loose and vehicle jerks side to side..

[vonD1025]

My Bronco ii is sketching me out trying to drive over 55mph. My steering wheel feels a bit loose but the thing that really concerned me is the wheels seems to jerk from left to right or vice versa. Almost like an over correction or something.

Is there something that could have come loose? Pretty much all stock except for a 2 inch body lift and 30” tires. Also swapped a rebuilt 2.9 engine and put a manual transmission into it. Thanks for the help.

 

[Curious Hound]

Best thing is to get somebody to turn the steering wheel back and forth while you look for play. Check ball joints, tie rod ends and also the rag joints on the steering shaft in the engine compartment.

 

[vonD1025]

Sweet... I’ll jack her up and see what’s going on. I swear I spend more time under this thing then I do driving lately..

 

[55trucker]

Seeing as this is a steering box, does this mainly occur when the steering is at centre?

 

[vonD1025]

yeah I believe so..

 

[55trucker]

Uh huh?.......then it's a good possibility that the sector shaft is out of adjustment.

 

[vonD1025]

Uh huh?.......then it's a good possibility that the sector shaft is out of adjustment.

How do I fix that? Or check it?

 

[55trucker]

Well, if the vehicle is a high mileage item it's not unusual for the steering box shaft to wear the most right on centre, one can adjust the clearance by backing off the locknut on the top of the box & turning the adjustment screw to *tighten up the clearance*, BUT, one has to be careful when doing this....if the wear is that great then one may over tighten the box in general and everywhere else but centre will be too tight.

 

[vagabond80]

Don't know if this applies to your bii, but that's exactly what was happening when the idler arm wore out on my old hilux