alignment and drag link adjusting procedure

[jonathon]

I'm sort of lost when it comes to adjusting my drag link and doing the alignment(just need to set toe). My haynes book is useless..

I bought a new drag link because the old one had bad ends, figured the extra $10 for a new adjusting sleeve was okay and would make life easier. I am just not sure how to set it.. and the old drag link was way off(at least I assume it was, the wheel was half a turn out and the box was not centered).

I'm almost wondering if I should get the toe and alignment set with the wheels facing straight and the box centered and then install the drag link.

Any input? I'm lost..

 

[colbystephens]

the way i've done it is, i've gotten the wheels all straightened out and then take the drag link out, put the new one in and rotate (i.e. tighten or loosen) as necessary to make the wheel straight.

there's a few ways to do alignment - but i've never done one. i've read a few threads on here about it. something to do with chalk on tires, roll forward check the location of the chalk on the ground.... dunno. or maybe you measure the distance between two matching lugs on the forward part of the tire and compare it to the distance between another two matching lugs on the back-facing side of the tire...

 

[apache]

It depends on how bad your talkin about as far as off center. If its the result of a lift kit you shouldent need to much tweekin really. I`ll assume its lift inflicted so..... When you lifted it you basically made the drag link to short by moving the axle away from the steering box,you also now lost some of you turn ability to the right. If I recall your axle will hit the axle stop with a left easily but not close making a right.
I typically do a toe adjustment by getting it heading in a straight ahead direction best as possible,then jack up both front wheels slightly(1" is fine) using a 1x4 or?? and drive a 16d nail thru one end and bend it over about 45 degrees. Now spin each tire and place the board with nail near the center or the best place to scribe a perfect line on the tire 360 degrees around. Now you can drop the truck back down and use a tape measure or jig with sliding pointers to check the scribed line at the 3:00 and 9:00 positions on the tires. You should be about 1/8 smaller in front.
Now that thats done make sure your steering is unlocked if it works and grab a 11/16 socket and 5/8 open end and loosen up the adjuster sleeve bolts. Turn the sleeve top out to the tire to make it longer and opposite to make shorter. I have a 84 with 3.5" lift,Im not sure if my D/L is stock but I have about 1/2" to 3/4" threads showing and the steering arm is pretty much 90 degrees of the frame rail. Check the collars on the sleeve and rotate them to make sure the open end of the collar is not withinn something like 25 degrees of the sleeve`s slit, then tighten up the sleeve bolts 45 ftlbs I think???. For safety jack it back up and cycle the steering lock to lock and see if everything looks OK and no rubbing or anything..
I can recall the last time I had a straight axle rig in for an alignment as this method always seems to do just fine.
Hope I didnt leave anything out but if I did im sure somebody will chime in with the rest.

 

[jonathon]

No lift.. this alignment was just bad. The truck has at least 245k on the running gear. The toe is way off too, looked like a p/o hit a curb with it or something.

 

[dremu]

There are precisely two adjustments on our 4WD trucks. The tierod (side to side) sets toe-in (or -out), and is the part that involves chalk and honestly, I pay a shop to do 'cuz I always screw it up.

The draglink (front to back) sets the relationship of the steering wheel to the axle.

Get the tires centered, as in straight forward, by turning the wheel all the way one way, counting turns as you turn it all the way the other, then half that many back.

Betcha your steering wheel ain't straight.

Turn the key off, leaving the column unlocked, and adjust the draglink until the steering wheel is straight.

Voila, it is clean.

-- A

 

[jonathon]

So get the tires straight and toe set first, and then mess with the drag link? I think I figured it out.. we'll see tomorrow. Thanks

 

[4X4HIGH]

Doesn't matter which one you do first.

 

[colbystephens]

that's all relative. i mean, really, if his toe-in problem looks at all like this - doing the steering wheel first might not be the best way to approach it...

 

[4X4HIGH]

Adjusting the draglink has nothing to do with toe in/out. The draglink adjustment is the relation to the box center and the steering wheel center.

That hummer seems to have a bad case of bent tie rod.

 

[colbystephens]

yeah. i was messing around. i was kidding that if his toe was off that far, then straightening the steering wheel would effectively make the drag link too long or short because the knuckle is turned so far out, and then by adjusting the tie rod, it would again put the steering wheel out-of-straight.

jokes aren't as cool when you have to explain them.

:P

 

[jonathon]

Adjusting the draglink has nothing to do with toe in/out. The draglink adjustment is the relation to the box center and the steering wheel center.

That hummer seems to have a bad case of bent tie rod.

I don't know why but I am having a hard time visualizing that I think my problem is I'm trying to install and adjust it with the tires in the air versus just straight and on the ground.. before I messed with this, the drivers side tire was straight and the passenger one pointed out a bit(just like my other burb when I took it to be aligned after hitting a curb). Nothing is broke that I can see.

I'm going to get the wheels straight and toe set, drop her on the ground and do the drag link.. we'll see how that goes. At least I don't really have a deadline to get it done, though before Christmas is the goal(snow starts about then).

 

[jonathon]

Well I got it all together and aligned..

Still wonders on it's own.. not as bad as before but it still does This is after new wheel bearings, ball joints, drag link ends, and aligned. I think the toe might not be quite right.. would that cause it to randomly head one way or the other? It's a gentle sway/turn that can be corrected by slightly moving the wheel.. but I know it shouldn't be doing that.

The only things I can think of.. best case the toe isn't right still.. worst the frame is cracked at the steering box

 

[colbystephens]

another thing to throw into the mix would be what condition the spider gears are in back there. perhaps it's transferring unequal amounts of power to either wheel?

 

[GNERGY]

Is there play in your steering box, did you adjust the screw in the top of the steering box?
Tarey

 

[jonathon]

Did not touch the steering box at all..

Looking in the service manual I just got in the mail it suggests incorrect toe as being a possible cause for "unstable steering".

 

[Hogback Fabrication]

Well I got it all together and aligned..

Still wonders on it's own.. not as bad as before but it still does This is after new wheel bearings, ball joints, drag link ends, and aligned. I think the toe might not be quite right.. would that cause it to randomly head one way or the other? It's a gentle sway/turn that can be corrected by slightly moving the wheel.. but I know it shouldn't be doing that.

The only things I can think of.. best case the toe isn't right still.. worst the frame is cracked at the steering box

What did you set the toe at?

The wander can also be caused by a bent spring or a bent/misaligned frame (which is really common on old Chevy's)

 

[dremu]

Did not touch the steering box at all..

Looking in the service manual I just got in the mail it suggests incorrect toe as being a possible cause for "unstable steering".

Absolutely. If it's toed in, say, the left side of the truck is trying to turn right and the right side is trying to turn left ... it's gonna boing all over the road. (And if you have really soft springs and pump your tires up to maybe a bit above street pressure, your truck can act like a lowrider on hydraulics at 25MPH ... ask me how I know )

Anyway, either take it to a shop, if you can find one that won't ream you for the job (it's not like it's an IFS vehicle!) or get out your chalk and string and search that topic.

-- A

 

[dremu]

Oh yeah, and check the rag joint at the end of the steering column, at the steering box. It's a wear item, and if it gets nasty the steering wheel will have some serious slop and you don't get accurate feedback from the steering. Easy to test: have someone sit inside with the column unlocked at turn the wheel from maybe 10, 11 o-clock to 1 or 2, and you look down at the rag joint. If the column moves and the flange on the box doesn't ... that's bad

I advise NOT messing with the adjustment on the box, btw.

-- A

 

[jonathon]

I'll check the rag joint.. it looks pretty nasty. I had read previously not to mess with the box

 

[jonathon]

Took it to Les Schwab.. toe was off pretty bad Only $55 tho..

Replaced the steering stabilizer as well... the old one was completely dead.

Overall it feels much better. Looking at the rag joint that is going to be the next thing replaced.. just need to find an XJ steering shaft.

Also installed the super winch hubs today.. like the 1/4 turn much more than the full turn on my Warn Premiums that I have on my '91.