Help with steering ajustment.....

[Doityourselfer]

Hi everyone,

I'm new to this forum today . My girlfirend recently bought a 1991 Ford Explorer in very good condition with 190 000 kms. I'm currently trying to fix up a few things on it to make just a little better to drive. I recently had steerring problems. The truck was wandering in the road practiclly uncontrollable and there was alot of steering play. I had the truck check out and the wandering turned out to be a seised universal ball join. After this was replaced and the bearings were greased up again the problem of the wandering had stopped. But I noticed that there still was alot of play in the steering so after looking on this forum for answers I found out how to ajust the play using the set screw on the steering grearbox. Right now the set screw is as far as I can screw it in and I noticed once I get the speed up to about 90 km/h and over the play gets worse and makes the truck difficult to control when the road is a little bumpy. I've hade the whole steering system check by a mechanic and all the ball joins, tirod ends, etc are solid. I've run out of ideas, I thought maybe that I could replace the whole steering box but I have know idea if that would really solve the problem, plus its expensive!

I also thought that maybe the link between the two bars in the steering collum might have some play, could this be ?

Another thought is that its seems that when the tilt steering is brought lower that the play seems to get worse, I might be imaging this, dont know.

Does anywone have any suggestions for me ?

 

[nitro71]

On that steering gear adjustment you should only turn it in far enough to take the play out of the steering and make sure the steering doesn't get to tight. You should be able to turn the wheel and watch if the wheels are turning or not. Just tighten it to where there isn't much play.

You're problem could be shocks. Bad shocks will make interstate speeds downright scary. Edelbrock has some $30 shocks on sale that might be better than your cheapy gabriels or monroes. http://store.edelbrock.com/ford-3.aspx

You could have someone turn the wheel and watch the linkage in the engine. See if there is some play there. If you have a jack. Jack up the front end and check the wheels for yourself. Look for loose ball joints, loose tie rod ends, they should feel tight when moving. Try to wobble your wheels. See if there is play in them.

Can't think of much else to check at the moment. I'd recomend the new shocks as I almost bet that part of the handling problem is shocks.

 

[Doityourselfer]

Hi there,

Thanks for the tips. At slow speeds there is no play in the steering wheel but at highway speed the play gets worse. As for the ball joints and tirod ends, they have been checked 3 times by a mechanic. I did check the linkage under the hood and there doesnt seem to be any looseness.

Is changing the shocks something that I can do myself ? Does it take very long to do ?

 

[nitro71]

It's a PIA to change shocks if they are original equipment on the vehicle as the nuts and bolts are rusted in. I had to drive the bottom bolts out on the rear with roto/impact hammer. Two of the bolts broke when I had to use my 3' breaker bar on them. So if you want to wrench and have tools then I'd say go for it but easy. Probably not. You say "play" actual steering wheel play or the vehicle just handles bad and is scary to drive? Bad shocks will make it "scary" to drive at high speeds but shouldn't increase steering play.

 

[Doityourselfer]

At high speed the actual steering wheel play increases. This is very odd because I cant really thighen the set nut on the steering gear box much more. At low speed the steering it tight enough .... I would have to check the shocks in front. They seem ok but it is a 91 and of what I've seen their orginal.

Thanks for the info.

 

[Maniak]

Are you sure your play is in the box?

So far, I've found play in the box iteself, drag link, rag joint and the hardest to find is the slip joint on the steering shaft (between firewall and steering box)..

Over the years I've replaced the rag joints (rubber part in the steering shaft), steering box (I have one off an old e-150), replaced suspension parts (drag link, tie rod etc) final things I worked on was the slip joint. \

All I did was take the joint apart, took out the squished,broken plastic and squished the outside tube with a hammer. Now when I turn the steering wheel its immeidately turning the pitman arm.

~Mark

 

[Doityourselfer]

Thanks for the info .....I will check the slip joint


Where is the rage joint ?

I did notice that under the hood where the steering collum ends. There is a bunch of wire holding the steering sharf tight as it comes out of the steering collum. There is a place on the bottom half of the end of the steering collum. I'm wondering if that hold some kind of bushings. Is there bushings or something at the ends of the steering collum where the steering shaft come out ?
The end of the steering collum is probably my problem. I've been wondering that since the begining.

Are the bushing hard to replace ?

 

[Maniak]

here are a couple shots of our old rag joint (the one I replaced, before I replaced it).

you can see the rubber part with the cracks in it.. thats the rag joint. I actually just put in another intermediate shaft instead of replacing just the joint.. I paid $25 for it at a local yard..


As for the questions about the bushign at the end of the column, I don't know, I've never noticed that part.

~Mark

 

[Doityourselfer]

I was just wondering...has anyone ever had the gear of the steering arm (moves the steering arms) thats connected to the gear box slip because the teeth of the arm of the gear are used up ?

I noticed that the tension in the wheel skips (disapears for afraction of a second) when I'm turn hard to one side. Like gears slipping.

 

[RangerX]

I had the splines where the column goes into the steering box strip. It caused major slop in steering.

 

[Doityourselfer]

thanks for the info...this forum is VERY helpfull.

I'm going to start by having the steering aligned and then I'll work my way from there. Next I will be checking the pitarm for slipage and then I''ll work my way up to the steering box, rag joints.

I will also jack the truck up and check the ball joints and tie rod ends for myself.

Thanks alot guys....this is very helpfull information.

 

[Doityourselfer]

I was wondering...Has anyone had any luck getting rid of some of the steering shimmy by installing a steering stablizer ?

 

[nitro71]

You said there is wire holding the steering column tight? I'd figure out what that is all about. Remove it and get it reattached properly. Fix everything you find is wrong and you'll come out on top. I'd recommend a lifetime alignment at firestone. Take it in any time and get it aligned.

 

[Doityourselfer]

Does anyone know where I can find the schematics for my 1991 ford explorer steering column? Especially the part that comes through the firewall. I just want to know what kinda parts I might need and how to get to them. The most I've notice is that there is a plastic cap that goes over the end of the steering column near the firewall.

I have taken the wire off once and I notices that the plastic cap is broken into many pieces and that I could push down on the shaft coming out of the steering column. I could push it down about 2 inchs.

Thats probably not good...that might be where my steering slop is coming from. Any thoughts ...?

 

[nitro71]

Start looking around your area for a pull n save type wrecking yard where you can go and get parts. Best place to find stuff like that.

 

[Doityourselfer]

I was wondering.... at the end of my steering column on my 91 FR there is a rag joint then a shaft then anoter rag joint, a slip sharft, a rage joint then finally another shaft that ends at the steering box with another rag joint.

The slip shaft is attached with brackets to the frame. I wonder if I could replace all that with just a long slip shaft so the end of the steering column would contect directly to the sterring box ? The less rag joint the better.....I think...

I think this would make it more solide then having all the joints, probably causing shimmy in my steering at 50 and 80 mph.

Could I replace it with something from a younger ford explorer or a ford ranger perhaps ?

 

[nitro71]

4 rag joints? Most Explorers have two rag joints. One above the expansion joint. One below it. I've found 91's to have a U-joint instead of a upper rag joint. The U-joint is smoother. Unless you get a custom shaft $$200 + dollars you aren't going to fab anything for it. You can swap in and out the two rag joint and the rag joint/u-joint shafts from the 91-94 Explorers.

 

[Doityourselfer]

Sorry...yes your right ....

There is two rag joints. One above the expansion joint and one below. So what are the one that hooks up to the steering column and the one taht hooks up to the steering box called ?

I,m looking to replace that with one shaft that goes form the steering column directly to the steering box. Because right now the expension joint it bolted horizontally to the frame with two brackets.

It would be much simpler to have a direct link....

 

[Maniak]

Sorry...yes your right ....

There is two rag joints. One above the expansion joint and one below. So what are the one that hooks up to the steering column and the one taht hooks up to the steering box called ?

I,m looking to replace that with one shaft that goes form the steering column directly to the steering box. Because right now the expension joint it bolted horizontally to the frame with two brackets.

It would be much simpler to have a direct link....

The shaft from the steering box to the firewall is called an intermediate shaft.

Can you take a pic of your intermediate shaft. You said its connected to the frame. I've never seen one like that and can't picture what you are describing. I just want to make sure everyone is on the same page.

~Mark

 

[Doityourselfer]

As soon as I can I will post a picture of it.

It turns out that the wire at the bottom of my steering column is holding in a bushing that is shreded and allows the bottom part of the steering shaft to play un and down. I will be getting that fixed next week so heres hoping that that bushing is the cause of the steering play at 80 mph.