Turning radius problems

[hemipower]

I have a 88 Ranger and it turns a whole lot farther to the right than it does to the left, Does anyone have any suggestions?

 

[AllanD]

The pitman arm is not correctly "clocked"
on the steering box.

AD

 

[4x4junkie]

The pitman arm is keyed to the sector shaft in 90° increments, so I don't think that's it (at least the power steering ones are).

Is the truck lifted?

 

[BRUTUS_T_HOG]

steering stops adjusted?

 

[AllanD]

The pitman arm is keyed to the sector shaft in 90° increments, so I don't think that's it (at least the power steering ones are).

Is the truck lifted?

You'd think so, but I've found that exact problem TWICE on Econolines....

AD

 

[4x4junkie]

Do Econolines have the same box as Rangers? or are they Saginaw boxes, which might not be keyed?

 

[Sasquatch_Ryda]

Every ranger or explorer i've had the pitman off of at work were all keyed.

 

[AllanD]

No, they are keyed.

Before you waste time continuing to argue with me consider that the "keying"
does not prevent the arm from being installed wrong.

Trust me there are people in the world stupid enough to have done it.

And you wind up with a vehicle that will only just turn one direction and dismount the tire against the frame in the other direction.

Installed the steering box moves the arm moves more than 90degrees.

OR would if the steering linkage and knuckles didn't limit it's motion...


AD

 

[4x4junkie]

Ummm... Ok...

If someone did that, then the splines on the box and arm would be completely fubared and would have to be replaced.

Installed the steering box moves the arm moves more than 90degrees.

OR would if the steering linkage and knuckles didn't limit it's motion...


AD

 

[dave@threat]

Im pretty sure the pitman arm is on right. It would have to be since there is not enough thread on the shaft for the nut to grab onto if it were on wrong. It would not go on at all... lol! Now that we ruled that out. Disconnect the tie rod at the pitman arm and check to see if you have equal rotation from left to right from center. If its good put it back to center and take the key out and lock it so it cant move. Now reassemble the tie-rod. Now stand back a take a look at whats going on. Tires are probably aimed to the left. Ball park alignment time! Start with the driverside and adjust the tie-rod until the wheel is strait or inline with the driverside rear wheel, then move onto the passenger side and adjust it so it is strait also. Next step is to drive it forward, then drive it back wards. It will either raise or lower. If it lowers (negitive camber) when your going strait and raises (positive camber) when you go in reverse your toe is out to far. Adjust the passenger side tie rod in. If it raises when you go forward and lowers when in reverse your toe is in to far. Adjust your passenger side tie-rod out. Do the adjustments in small increments until there is no camber change when going forward and in reverse. (If for some reason it stays at positive or stays at negative camber you will need to change the alignment cams if you dont have fully adjustable ones) Snug up everything and go test drive it. The wheel should be pretty strait and you will have full turning radius from right to left. If it pulls check your caster to make sure it is the same on both sides. If its good tighten up everything an your good to go.

 

[Viper Command]

rag joint??? clocked steering wheel??? bent rad. arm-tire rub???

 

[AllanD]

Ummm... Ok...

If someone did that, then the splines on the box and arm would be completely fubared and would have to be replaced.

You really need to sit with a steering box (heavy bitch) in your lap with the pitman arm off of it and a pitman arm in your hand.

the arm can be installed in ANY of four different orientations
because there are four "blind splines" at 90degree intervals.

Trust me I've fixed that particular screw-up more times than
I care to remember and FAR more times count.

Usually on fleet owned Econolines.

Typically it will turn the tire HARD into the frame on one side
and do just a bit more than change lanes on the other...

The steering box has a LOT more motion than most installations can actually use

most applications use a bit more than half of it's total range of motion, when the arm is installed properly the internal worm gear gets nowhere near it's travel limit when it's installed WRONG there is enough "extra" movement in the internal worm gear to ALMOST cover up the problem.

Trust me...

AD

 

[4x4junkie]

While I don't have a (working) box loose here at the moment, I HAVE played around with them enough to know that they do have internal stops in them. There just isn't any way in hell for them to rotate more than 45°, maybe 50° to either side of center. If the arm were to be put on 90° off, the truck would never be able to go straight at all, it would drive in circles (the box would hit it's internal stop in any attempt to straighten the wheels).

What I see being more likely is someone installed a Jeep or Saginaw pitman arm onto a Ford box (or vice versa). Being these two use the same splines, but are indexed 45° off from each other, I could see what you say happening in this case.


What I'm more curious about now though is whatever happened to "hemipower" who started this whole thread. He asks his question over a month & a half ago, but then hasn't posted back once yet to tell anyone whether he's fixed the problem or not, nor given any more details about his truck for us to be able to help him any further with it. Maybe he went to turn left and wound up totaling his junk into the opposing corner of the intersection? I guess we'll never know.

At this point I think we may be wasting our breath (fingers) continuing on this one, as he appears to be gone.