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Steering box adjustment?

ddeg10

Member
Joined
March 14, 2003
Messages
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City, State
Seattle, WA
Year, Model & Trim Level
2018 Limited Explorer
I just had new radius arm bushings put on, and the truck was also aligned. What a difference it made - like night and day. The only thing is that the steering wheel is still not centered. I mentioned this to the mechanic and he said to bring it back next week and he would do a steering box adjustment. He said there's probably too much play in the steering box and he can make a small adjustment that will fix this problem.

I was just curious if any of you have had to do this in the past and if it's safe to do. I've heard elsewhere that it can cause the steering box to wear out faster or cause a leak.

Thanks for any help.
 



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If the box is out of whack then it should be adjusted back to the stock pressure setting :)

if he knows what he is doing you will be fine.
You didnt say there was loose-ness in the front end, you said your wheel is no longer centered? This is an adjustment made at the tie rod ends at both tires, you can keep the alignment and center the steering wheel.

I have not driven a first Gen truck (TTB) that did not have a bit of play from center, or one that had a perfectly lined up steering wheel :)
 






Mine is not centered. And it's been adjusted & aligned. I think I'll take the steering wheel off & center it myself.
 






It's about 3 inches off to the left. It doesnt bother me that much but it would be nice if it was a little more centered. There is a bit of looseness/play in the steering for about a half an inch.
 






The steering wheel is keyed, you cannot adjust its position to the steering shaft I do not believe.

To adjust the steering wheel to center you adjust the tie rod ends at the knuckles, not the box, not the wheel itself.
It can be tough to do because once you go drive it it will want to be 3" left or 3" right depending on the crown in the road, that is the nature of the TTB
 






With that info. I may just leave it the way it is and call it good.
 






The steering wheel is keyed, you cannot adjust its position to the steering shaft I do not believe.

Didn't looked key'd the last time I had it off. I had to mark it so it went back on the same way.

The tie rods were set, it's still clocked to the left. It tracks straight if I let the wheel go.

Maybe a previous owner had the wheel off & didn't get it back on straight.
 






I am pretty sure its keyed because of the cruise control stator (buttons in your wheel)
 






Steering box adjustment just brings the gears closer together to take a little slack out of the steering. If your Steering wheel is rotated off center , that's caused by the alignment guy not properly setting the alignment. There's still work to be done on the tie rod coming off the Pitman arm
 






Reading this I am totally confused. If I go get a wheel alignment should the steering wheel be aligned even and straight too or not???

Sorry to but in...

Joseph.
 






If it was done correctly...Yes the car should track straight AND the steering Wheel should be straight.. But many times what you get back from the shop is a vehicle where the Wheels are in proper alignment in reference to each other BUT they don't make sure that they have the steering wheel straight too.
The Shop guy gave you a half assed Steering Box excuse.
 






Correct. As stated before the steering gear lash adjustment at the box does nothing to center the wheel.
The wheel is centered by moving the tie rod adjustments at the knuckles.

the problem is he can get it straight and it looks good on the test drive, customer picks up vehicle, wheel is off to the left or right.
Take it back, tell him its 3" off to the left and they can make a super quick adjsutment on the tie rods to get it back to straight (or 3" to the right of where it sits)

Now with that said, know this, it is not uncommon for these trucks to have this condition. the wheel may never be perfectly straight. there are rubber bushings in the steering shaft. there are miles on the tie rod ends, ball joints, tires, etc. The alignment may be dead on but the crown in teh road will determine if the wheel is 3" to the left or 3" to the right, even though you are still going straight.

I beleive they can get it closer then it is currently, but it may never be perfect.
 






Here's another possible fix. Disconnect the steering shaft at the steering gearbox. The input shaft on the box is splined. Turn the steering shaft a couple teeth or so in the needed direction, and tighten it back up.

When I replaced my gearbox, I didn't get it exactly centered. But i've learned to accept it. ;)
 






Hey thats right I forgot anbout the input to the gearbox :) You can adjust it there as well, but the alignment shop will do it at th etie rods most likely.
 






410 is right :D I guess you can't adjust the steering wheel on the shaft. It is keyed to only go on one way. I tried yesterday. It's dumb the 94 Ford service manual I have says to mark the wheel & hub to "keep the steering wheel alignment adjusted"
 






OK guys, the Gen 1 steering is a recirculating ball type. There is an adjuster screw w/locknut on the top of the steering box that puts pressure on the gears. Too much pressure and they will start to bind.

Recirculating ball steering is always a little vague when centered. that's why Rack and Pinion steering is so popular, it is more precise. It's not the TTB.

If the steering wheel isn't straight, the tie rod ends aren't adjusted properly.

You can check this with some good string;

Center your steering wheel, loop a length of string around the rear wheel and run it forward around the front wheel. String both sides at the same time.

Now look at how the string contacts the front tire. In one pic, i'm nuetral (string touches front and back of front tire) if your toe out, the string won't touch the back of the tire. If your toe in, the string will bend around the back of the tire (which you want a very small amount, almost inperceivable)

Make some adjustments, unlock your steering ( don't need to turn the engine on) and rock it back and forth a few times then recenter it. (unless you have caster pads like the alignment shop).

If your steering wheel wasn't centered properly, this test will show it. follow the same steps with the string and your wheels will look like you're turning a corner. The fix is to adjust the tie rod barrels the same number of turns on each side but in opposite directions. (IE passenger side 3 turns clockwise, Drivers side 3 truns Counter Clockwise)

This should keep your toe adjustment correct while centering your steering wheel. :thumbsup:
 

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All that being said if your steering wheel is not centered then its the alingnment shops fault... When doing an alignment they should center the steering wheel and lock it in place, then do the alingment and adjust the tie rods accordingly.. Obviously being slingly off center (1/2" is acceptable), but anything more and I would complain and have the shop do the work again.. When I have my truck aligned I make sure to tell the shop to align the steering wheel so they know I will be expected it to be dead on...
 






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