Slight steering bind after completing a turn

[tracymckibben]

1993 Explorer XLT 4x4.

Three days ago I began noticing an odd "sticky" feeling in the steering, particularly after making a right-hand turn. For example, when pulling out of a side street, normally the steering will center itself when I accelerate out of the turn. Now it's not doing that, if I don't force the wheel back into the straight position, the truck will continue turning right.

- air pressures are all good
- radius arm bushings replaced in September, I double-checked brackets, etc, all are nice and tight
- all u-joints have been replaced in the last month, except the one in the right-front axle, doing that this weekend.
- new brakes (pads/rotors/hardware/all four corners) last summer
- new shocks (all four) last summer

I've had an ongoing problem with a sickening "crunch/click" sound, seeming to come from the left-front brake. Imagine coming around a gentle, sweeping right turn to a stop-light, braking and straightening the wheel at the same time. This is when I hear/feel this "click" sound. I *THINK* it's nothing more than an ill-fitting brake pad, but this new "sticky" steering problem has me wondering if it's not something else.

My plans for this summer include:

- new tie rods
- new wheel bearings
- new ball joints

Would one of these cause this steering issue AND the clicking noise?

 

[wood1]

A failing ball joint will make noise and can cause the dragging steering you describe.

What's your plan of attack for the inner right u-joint? I haven't done mine yet, but my mechanic buddy tells me that it's easiest to torch it out, rather than take the front diff apart, then press the new one in, in place.

 

[tracymckibben]

Hmm. Maybe I'll tackle the ball joints instead of the u-joint this weekend.

I haven't quite figured out that last u-joint yet. There's a reason I saved it for last...

 

[RangerX]

I'm guessing you have auto hubs, and one of them is going bad and locking when you're in 2WD.

 

[tracymckibben]

I'm guessing you have auto hubs, and one of them is going bad and locking when you're in 2WD.

Actually, no, that was something I forgot to list. I swapped the automatic hubs out with manuals at the same time as the new brake stuff.

 

[tracymckibben]

No joy in Minnesota

After 8 hours of work, the score is:

Ball joints: 1
Me: 0

Started out Saturday afternoon on the driver's side. I've had the wheel/hub off several times, and have replaced many of those parts, so getting TO the ball joint was easy. It all came to a screeching halt at that point. :roll:

Things are rusted so badly that I had to use my Dremel to cut the nut off the lower ball joint. So far, so good. The trouble began when I realized I was going to have to do the same thing with the upper ball joint. I didn't buy replacement uppers yet, so I couldn't destroy any of those parts. I figured I should be able to press the lower ball joint out of the steering knuckle without removing the knuckle from the truck, so I didn't attempt to remove the upper ball joint.

At noon on Sunday. I was STILL trying to get the lower ball joint out of the steering knuckle. Truck had to be drivable by Monday morning, so I gave up and put everything back together, using the nut off the new ball joint to replace the one that I cut off.

Now that I see what I'm up against, I'm going to get new upper ball joints AND tie-rods, and do them all at the same time. Good thing I enjoy this stuff, or I might get cranky!

 

[tracymckibben]

Solved! (I think)

On a whim, I spent some time this evening going around checking various nuts & bolts. I discovered that the nut on the passenger-side radius arm (the one I replaced when replacing the radius arm bushings) was loose, loose enough that I put three full turns into it to get it tight. Not sure why it had loosened, but it seems to have solved my problem. No "bind" in the steering, handling is nice and tight again.

 

[RangerX]

Gotta love those free and easy fixes.