What's new
CK5
Register an account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members.

1990 Jimmy pulls to right

S

summit56

Registered Member
Joined
Nov 14, 2003
Posts
10
Reaction score
0
Im having a hard time trying to find the cause of my jimmy pulling to the right. I will be driving straight and have to hold the steering wheel slightly to the left with good pressure, if I let go the steering wheel moves to the right at about the 1 o'clock position. When i am driving straight I can fling the wheel to the left and it comes right back to where I started and if i fling it to the right it stays to the right.

When I first bought the Jimmy I replaced the tires with new ones because the tires that were on it were worn badly and the jimmy pulled. Replaced all the shocks. Replaced the tierod ends from gearbox to steering knuckle, got rid of almost all the play. There is slight play in the gearbox. But that seems more of a wondering problem than a pulling problem. Had the alingment checked and alignment checked out good.

Ball joints are all good and tight. Wheel bearings tight.

Its not a road crown problem as i can be on the other side of the road and it will pull up and over the crown.

Im thinking that maybe a valve is stuck in the steering gearbox making it go to the right? Although I did start the engine while the wheels were off the ground and they stayed straight.
 
Gearbox to knuckle is actually draglink ends; tierod is knuckle to knuckle.

One really simple fix is to swap the front tires left-to-right. Still don't get it myself, my but my tire guy recommended it when I had a similar problem.

Another possibility is that a brake caliper is sticky or dragging. Were it me, I'd jack the front end up and put it on stands, then spin each side. If one slows down much faster than the other, or makes more noise, you've got the culprit. It could be the soft line to the brake, but more likely the caliper, or maybe the rotors or pads.

-- A
 
not a s-15, fullsize. completely stock also.

After replacing the tires the pull was still present. And after about 5000 miles I did swap the front tires left to right, no change and then rotated front to rear with no change. The usual reason a tire will cause a pull is it changes its shape and turns into a cone with inner side being smaller than the outer or vise versa.

I have spun the tires while in the air and both seem to spin equally. front pads have equal wear on both inner and outer pads and left to right.

Vehicle doesnt seem to pull when you hit the brakes. If you hold the vehicle straight and hit the brakes you can let go of the wheel and it stops straight.
 
Well, crap. :(

You mentioned tie rods but might have meant drag link ends. Seems to me that if the tie rod ends (side-to-side, not front-to-back) were worn, you'd have wobble up front from the wheels not tracking straight ... not so much pull. Still worth checking for play there though.

Failing that, the box could be worn/flaky, but they're a messy PITA to replace.

-- A
 
Well, here we go again....

It's the front axle u-joints. They're old, rusty, and binding.

Trust me. :waytogo:
 
I meant drag link ends. The tie rod ends are good and tight along with ball joints. All front end components are tight at this time. There is slight play in the steering gearbox.

I read through that entire 11 page post about the pulling and releasing and then pulling again. I wish that the front u-joints were easier to check. I will check those next.

Any easier ideas are welcome.
 
well, if the joint is frozen, it wont steer with the truck even just sitting there not spinning, causing a bind when turning. At least that is what happened with my truck when I first got it.
 
rampage said:
Since when do the front axle shafts connect to the hub when it's not in 4 wheel drive? :confused:
Click to expand...

You mean when the hubs are unlocked... the t-case can be in 4WD with the hubs unlocked, though you don't go very far :haha:

Anyway, there must be some parasitic drag 'cuz the front axles and driveshaft turn, even with the t-case AND hubs disconnected.

-- A
 
rampage said:
Since when do the front axle shafts connect to the hub when it's not in 4 wheel drive? :confused:
Click to expand...

The u-joints still have to turn on their axis when the knuckle pivots left/right via steering input.

When they are old and all the grease inside the joint is gone and the needle bearings are bone dry and rusty they start to bind up. So, now the knuckle turns, the joint frees up and pivots with the knuckle, then the knuckle returns straight but the joint still wants to stay in it's bent position. It now keeps pressure on the knuckle to stay in the turned position, causing a pull to one side. A good bump or some more steering input can can release it. This can cause the truck to veer wildly to one side or the other depending on which way it was bound up.

I've been through these symptoms and correction myself, plus have helped others diagnose the same problem.

So, you have any more technical questions there Mr. Smartypants? :D
 
Would the u joints still cause pull when in 4 wheel drive? Cuz the jimmy pulls in 2wd and 4wd.
 
Very interesting :thinking:
Sure beats my far reaching idears of mushy spring bushing from oil contamination or a tweaked sway bar.
And I guess I mis-phrased my last question, I should have ask how do the u-joints affect the steering when not in 4wd.

So could someone 'steer' me in the right direction of the thread where this was discovered? I must have missed this discovery.
 
rampage said:
Very interesting :thinking:
Sure beats my far reaching idears of mushy spring bushing from oil contamination or a tweaked sway bar.
And I guess I mis-phrased my last question, I should have ask how do the u-joints affect the steering when not in 4wd.

So could someone 'steer' me in the right direction of the thread where this was discovered? I must have missed this discovery.
Click to expand...

When in 2wd is where it happens most. The axle shafts are not spinning so the joints are just sitting there. All they have to do is turn L/R with the knuckle.

Typically, with the hubs locked in, they will spin the axles and joints. Sometimes this turning will keep the pull at bay. Sometimes it will just keep pulling. Sometimes you can actually feel the joints binding while going around a slow corner, the wheel will want to saw back and forth. This depends on how bad they are.

So, to the OP, as long as you have checked the basics and ruled out the prev mentioned brake drag and such, the most common item to cause this is the front axle joints.

When mine was doing this I had an axle swap planned and was not about to tear down the old one to replace the joints. I used to soak them with rust penetrant and it would alleviate the pull for a couple days or a week. After the swap I tore down the old axle to keep the spare shafts and sure enough the axle joints were locked up. You could hold the short side of the shaft and the long side would just stick out straight.
 
yes, check the axle u joints. i've heard of u joints causing all sorts of mayhem from pulling, to vibrations and wobbles. if that doesn't work: go to an alignment shop and get a caster sweep. caster is the measurment that the ball joints swivel on. if your front axle tubing has twisted at all, one side could be at a much more negative caster than the other: when you wrote that the steering wheel "return" from steering left and steering right is different, caster came to mind, thats the symptom caster ussualy effects. when you did the tie rods and links and got the alignment whoever did it likely only adjusted toe.
let us know what you find!
 
On my way home at a stop light I was messing with the steering wheel a bit and heard a popping noise. Found the left front leaf spring is popping about 1/8 inch at the very front of the leaf pack side to side. Im going to try to get the alingment rechecked today and get some caster and camber measurments.
 
summit56 said:
On my way home at a stop light I was messing with the steering wheel a bit and heard a popping noise. Found the left front leaf spring is popping about 1/8 inch at the very front of the leaf pack side to side. Im going to try to get the alingment rechecked today and get some caster and camber measurments.
Click to expand...

Hmm. If that's the spring eye moving, could be the bushing inside is shot. It's a royal bloody pain, but replacing them with poly is the way to go.

OTOH, that may be the effect, not the cause; if the alignment is skewed somehow, the tire may be forcing the spring to move when it doesn't want to.

-- A
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest Posts

Top Bottom