Lo-hoo-hoose front end

[cmdrshadow]

Ok, before you guys flame me for not searching, I have spent hours and hours searching my problem. It seems that my X is a lot loose in the front end. My laundry list of replaced parts are: steering box, inner and outer tie rod ends (both sides), wheel bearings, shocks, radius arm bushings and a front end alignment. The mechanic who did the FEO said everything was tight as a new one, but it is still all over the road :fire: . It feels like it is following the crown of the road. I am suspecting that the radius arm bushings may not be the correct ones as it is acting just like many of you have posted suggesting these. Is there any 'really really good' bushings that I need to get. I bought TRW heavy duties, and even added the extra spacer to make a tighter fit. Any suggestions or thoughts? I refuse to surrender!

 

[DeRocha]

After searching this site I discovered the steering gear gets worn over time which increases the slop in the wheel.. Your mechanic replaced all those componets and it still wanders? Did you put in a rebuilt or new steering gear?

My X progressively got worse over the years and I had your hands full keeping it in a lane while on the highway. I replaced the ball-joints, wheel bearings, tie rods, Radius Arm bushings, Sway bar bushings, and axle pivot bushings, but still had the wandering. The steering gear was worn.. when I swapped in a new gear it was like night and day.. It now rides like new and I now longer have to worry when on the highway.

 

[cmdrshadow]

It was a rebuilt box. It is still under warranty, and I think I might return it and paying a little extra for a new one. The steering box was my second suspect.

 

[cmdrshadow]

Well.... that didn't work. Anything I missed?

 

[DeRocha]

Is your X modified or stock?

How are the ball-joints and sway bar bushings and steering shaft?... A worn steering gear is loose in that you need to move the wheel 1/2"+ in either direction before you feel the wheels move... In this scenario you can have a perfectly aligned front end, but any bump in the road is going to "bump steer" the wheels so that you are constantly moving the wheel L/R to keep it centered.

 

[Maniak]

If I remember correctly, caster being off can also make it hard to control... Caster can be adjusted to an extent.. but only so much on the TTB vehicle.

You can also get that if the toe is set centered or slightly out..

 

[MrShorty]

I don't know if new/rebuilt steering gears come with the meshload properly adjusted. Have you checked that?

 

[cmdrshadow]

My X is stock. I asked the 'professional' at NAPA if the new box needed adjusting, and he told me no. I do not know how to properly adjust this, so I'll search it out the specifics and give it a try. After the second box, it seems a little worse.

I forgot to add new upper and lower ball joints in my laundry list......

I am beginning to think I have a second bad box.

 

[DeRocha]

Did you flush the power steering pump and new steering gear? My new steering gear came with detailed instructions on flushing the pump and gear. After flushing you had to bleed the gear. The manufactures warranty indicated contaminated fluid would ruin a new gear. If your old gear was worn then metallic particles are being carried in the fluid causing greater wear. It also mentioned A failure to properly flush & Bleed the steering system wouldn't be covered by the warranty, but I can't see how they'd know that (unless they sample the fluid in the returned gear).

 

[cmdrshadow]

Did you flush the power steering pump and new steering gear?

Yeah, pretty messy.

Another NAPA guy said that he was not too sure if the box was pre-adjusted, and it wouldn't kill the warranty if I did. If my memory doesn't fail me, don't you run the adjustment all of the way in, and then adjust it back for the free-play? I would much rather do some adjusting than replacing the box again. I think I'll spend the evening with the search button again. BTW, this site ROCKS!

 

[Brandons]

I went ahead and bought TRW Radius arm bushings.. 2 red things, two black things, and two metal plates... i got about a 1/4" of play in my radius arm bushings as it is..

 

[Creager]

I believe the steering gear probably just needs to be adjusted...

Try having a friend turn the wheel the back and forth in its range of 'looseness,' and watch the steering shaft, pitman arm, steering links, to determin where the 'slack is'

Whenever i have this problem its usually because the tie-rod ends loosened up. 50ftlbs is what i always put those at. When its these, its usually accompanied with a 'shimmy,' or an interesting vibration when comming to a stop. And of course, you will be all over the road haha.

 

[goliath]

Ok, before you guys flame me for not searching, I have spent hours and hours searching my problem. It seems that my X is a lot loose in the front end. My laundry list of replaced parts are: steering box, inner and outer tie rod ends (both sides), wheel bearings, shocks, radius arm bushings and a front end alignment. The mechanic who did the FEO said everything was tight as a new one, but it is still all over the road :fire: . It feels like it is following the crown of the road. I am suspecting that the radius arm bushings may not be the correct ones as it is acting just like many of you have posted suggesting these. Is there any 'really really good' bushings that I need to get. I bought TRW heavy duties, and even added the extra spacer to make a tighter fit. Any suggestions or thoughts? I refuse to surrender!

your alignment is not right, get it realinged.

I just rebuilt the front of my truck like you did and after an alignment at sears it was all over the road. I took it back 3 times. my dad called it the u-haul disease.. ha ha.. anyways, i found someone who aligns stuff by hand, the old fashioned way, and he got it right. goes straight as an arrow now.

 

[cmdrshadow]

Thanks for the GREAT advice, everyone. I have a lot to look at this weekend, and I'll let you all know my findings.

 

[cmdrshadow]

Me and my X went to the garage Saturday. Got the front end alignment checked again, and it is right on the money. We checked all of the front end components, and they all passed with a clean bill of health, EXCEPT the gear box. It was very loose, about 3/4 inch of play. We found the slack by turning the wheel back and forth rather than the steering wheel (we were actually looking at the tie rod ends, when another mech walked by and said, "That's loosern $h!t!") Not good, not good at all.
This is a rebuilt NAPA part, and is the second box. By the time we were through inspecting, jerking, yanking, shaking, and twisting, NAPA was closed. I am interested in what they have to say. This is getting quite expensive just in fluid alone.