sloppy steering

[gt fast]

ok so my 92 explorer seems to wonder alot. im running 31 inch tires and it feels as if the truck will wonder to the left or right side of the road at times. i have a little bit of play in the steering wheel. if i move it maybe 2-3 inches before the wheels turn. first thought was idler arm but i think its in the gearbox for the steering. am i correct on this or someone help me out. also is it fixable or just buy a new gearbox

 

[FIND]

Did you get an alignment after putting on larger tires? Bad alignment will easily cause it to wander like that. Also, check the condition of your tie rods.

 

[RangerX]

The intermediate steering shaft connects to the steering gearbox. It's a splined connection. Few years ago, my splines stripped from offroading, and the result was I had major play in the steering.
Have someone turn the wheel back and forth with engine running, while you look under the hood at the shaft and gearbox for play.
On mine, it was the shaft splines that stripped, so I needed that and not a new gearbox.

 

[gt fast]

yea i just found a little rubber connector almost thats right above the gearbox and its ripped in half. could that be the issue. and also no i did not get a alighnment. but it should not change from how it felt with the 235's. its not pull or something of that nature im talking about, its the play in the steering wheel i can move it a few inches in either direction before it will start to make a change in direction.

 

[deamon3]

I think almost every ford I ever drove had play in the steering , it could just be a design fault. I mean it's 19 year old truck it's not exactly gonna have race car like steering. I'd almost say let it be becuase your gonna go through alota work to find out thats just how it steers.

 

[FIND]

yea i just found a little rubber connector almost thats right above the gearbox and its ripped in half. could that be the issue. and also no i did not get a alighnment. but it should not change from how it felt with the 235's. its not pull or something of that nature im talking about, its the play in the steering wheel i can move it a few inches in either direction before it will start to make a change in direction.

That rubber thing should look like two squashed wavy donuts bolted together.... if they are ripped, that would definitely be a problem. There should be some spaces where there are gaps between them though, just so you know.

Alignment angles are done with the tires/wheels on the vehicle. Your 31s do have a 1" longer radius than your 235s, this will cause a slight change to your alignment. It is also possible you already had the problem, but the bigger tires with the larger sidewall made it more noticeable.

 

[92exp4x4]

I have had the plastic bushings go bad in the sliding portion of the steering shaft. I am assuming the Explorer's shaft is built the same way (haven't taken one apart yet), but I had alot of slop in the steering on an 89 Bronco f/s i used to have. Fixing just these bushings took about half of it out. The rest was in the box.

I think its a common problem because its a common box. The ranger, explorer, bronco2, bronco and most of the f-series (up to at least the f350) fullsize trucks use the same gear box. I think even the full size vans are the same gear box. I'm not sure on years though, at least 87-96. Possibly newer, probably older.

 

[jprentice94]

The rubber bushing on mine (rag joint ) was bad so i could turn about half a turn before i had anything turn picked a used one up and now its fine

 

[cgbier]

Is it hard to replace? Sorry, I haven't looked at it yet.

My steering is also pretty sloppy, but joints seem to be ok.

 

[jprentice94]

You can get the rubber peice and cut the rivets and bolt back together or find on at pick pull which is what i did
P.s. its not like a ball joint or anything like that its a peice of rubber. Holding the steering shaft together when it breaks its not holding it solid. You can here a metal hitting metal sound if its really bad

 

[Lesterclan]

Check tie rod ends (inner and outer) for excessive play, check for ball joint play(typically you'll notice ball joints in cornering or bumps), since it is stated the rig is a 1992, it has the ttb front end. With that, check the radius arm bushings and also the axle pivot bushings. My 92 f-150 had both the radius arm bushings and the axle pivot bushings replaced to fix my wandering issue.

 

[awood]

Prior to the wreck, my old 92 didn't have an issue with this, but my 94 sure did!! I don't know if they're different. My 94 has a hard plastic cover over the lower part of the intermediate shaft where it goes into the steering box. Pry it back (up the steering shaft toward the firewall) and it will expose the lock bolt. The shaft is fairly easy to remove, but your arms will be scratched up reaching through all the stuff to get to it. Both the upper an lower bolts come out, and the steering shaft will come right out after "shortening" the shaft by sliding the lower part aft an inch or two. If either rag joint is torn or in poor condition, replace the shaft. Here's a pic of the shaft: (scroll down to post #10 )

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=216319

The problem with mine was the steering box, which I replaced with a junkyard part. But first I tried to "adjust" it. Next, I checked (and replaced) the ball joints and all steering linkage due to a very small amount of movement in all the joints. My reasoning was that they were all adding up and causing my problem. It only helped a little. Then I checked the intermediate shaft in a vise. The rag joints looked good and were tight. After all that, I changed the steering box, and that fixed it.

The steering box wasn't too bad to change, but I'd check all the other stuff first.

 

[Gadget X]

This thread is a little old, but to anyone having issues with a lot of play in the steering, and wandering at highway speeds, check the drag link!! The "ball joint" on mine was very worn, but the only way I could tell was by getting someone to turn the wheel back and forth while I layed under the front and watched for anything moving that wasn't supposed to be. After replacing the drag link, my steering is back to normal again! Hope this helps anyone chasing a steering wheel play issue!