94 Ranger loose steering

[waybel]

Hi guys i have a 94 ranger with alot of play in steering.Everything is good on the front end.I have a had 3 rangers/Mazda b3000 trucks and all 3 are the same.Excessive play in the steering.Is this a common problem with these trucks?My Honda civic and toyota camry i can drive with one finger on the steering wheel..Need two hands on the Ranger.

 

[AKBroncoII]

You need to look at everything again. Everything is not good if you have loose steering. It is more than likely multiple things causing play if you have a lot.

 

[4x4junkie]

Check all the tierods & linkage, check the rag joint & column shaft as well. If all that stuff checks out, you may have a worn or loose steering gearbox.

 

[waybel]

ya i suspect steering box also.Everything else checks out.It just passed safety.Seems funny it was the same on all 3 trucks i owned,Steering boxes must be bad on these.

 

[khooper]

Many things could be going wrong here. I would first check your tie-rod ends, but the likely cause is your pit-man arm. Check all linkages that come off of your steering gear box and go from there. Make sure to have it alligned after.
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[jagar147]

There is an adjustment on top the steering box.Has a lock nut and a slotted adjuster.Loosen the lock and turn the adjuster clockwise no more than 1/4 turn.Test drive for 20 miles or so and see if that helps.Repeat the process 1/4 turn at a time till it clears it up.Be very careful as too much adjustment can bind the steering.Do all this only after making sure all steering components are good.

 

[MAKG]

I've only seen one credible report of success adjusting that nut. Do it by feel and you will substantially overtighten it. This is dangerous to drive; it can cause steering to bind or even break, and even mild overtightening makes the vehicle quite difficult to control (no centering).

There are more variables to "looseness" than just the meshload. Meshload adjustments only work if the teeth maintain their shape as they wear. But they don't.

IF there is looseness in the steering box, I would strongly suggest a rebuilt steering box. If there isn't excessive looseness there, the problem is elsewhere and it should be left alone.