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Drag Link adjustment

Joel Wilson

Joel Wilson

1/2 ton status
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Okay, couple months back I had most of the front end replaced and then aligned. Drives straight, no problems with the exception of a little bump steer under hard braking. Replaced the sway bar bushings maybe a month or month and a half back. Helped with some of the body sway. I don't drive the Jimmy that many miles so I don't always notice things right away. About a week ago I noticed it steers to the right a LOT easier than it does to the left. I got underneath and then noticed that the drag link is rubbing on the inside of the tire. With the tires straight, the steering wheel is at 10 o clock, give or take. I don't know a whole lot about front ends but right now I have to shelter at home because my wife took her mom to the hospital and she ended up testing positive for the Vid. So this is bugging me. Can I just loosen those clamps on the drag link and adjust as needed until it gets close enough so that the Jimmy steers roughly the same in both directions?

Thanks in advance.

Joel
norcal
 
My thoughts are that the steering box was not centered, before the drag link was installed. Also what is the back spacing on the wheels as it is rubbing on on hard left turns.
 
frankin5 said:
My thoughts are that the steering box was not centered, before the drag link was installed. Also what is the back spacing on the wheels as it is rubbing on on hard left turns.
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I will have to check the backspacing but the only thing that rubbed before the front end work were the tires on the fenders a bit. I don't think the steering box was removed for the front end work, but do you think that the pittman arm wasn't centered right when it was installed?
 
Pittman arm only goes on one way. Is the steering wheel centered with the wheels straight?
 
You will need to make sure the wheels are running straight. Take the drag link loose on 1 end. Turn steering wheel all the way to right or left, then count the number of full turns to go full lock in the other direction. Divide the number of rotations by 2 and from from either lock position, turn the wheel that number in the other direction till the wheel emblem is horizontal. Now you can loosing the adjustment sleeve, hold the loose end and rotate the sleeve in or out to fit back to the pitman arm.
 
yes you can adjust the drag link it will only effect the steering wheel. That is how you "straighten" the wheel. So if you wheel is @ 10 o'clock yours wheel are pointed left, that means the drag link is to short. I would try 1/2 turn at a time. watch the clamp position that they don't rub on anything. I find judicious use of penetrate oil works wonders on clamps and link .

no need to remove drag link to adjust, the ends are opposite threads, turn the coupler.

Hoping your wife & MIL get better soon
 
On a hard right the arm is rotating to far to contact the tire as pictured. The other reason being the back space is too great. I have 5 1/2" back spacing and I touch the drivers tire on full lock to the right. This problem as stated is that he had major parts replaced and an alignment. My thoughts are the steering wheel was not centered when put back together and aligned.
 
If the draglink is not all rusted up, pretty easy to take out on a drive with a couple tools, and adjust a bit at a time until the wheel is centered while driving. Mine always had enough slop in the steering setup that making adjustments with the truck stationary weren't correct...when I started to drive it, it would be clear it was off a bit.

I've also seen morons force the steering (column to steering box) shaft onto the box input wrong, which resulted in different turning radius based on turn direction. But any mistakes on physically incorrect assembly is a lot harder than just having the drag link set improperly.

Drag link is one of those things that you can play around with, and not have to worry about making irreversible changes. If you adjust the wrong way, just reverse what you did.

Used to be when I'd take my vehicles in for alignment, they would center the wheel. Last time I had an alignment done they didn't. Probably the last time I have someone else do the alignment.
 
frankin5 said:
On a hard right the arm is rotating to far to contact the tire as pictured. The other reason being the back space is too great. I have 5 1/2" back spacing and I touch the drivers tire on full lock to the right. This problem as stated is that he had major parts replaced and an alignment. My thoughts are the steering wheel was not centered when put back together and aligned.
Click to expand...

Yes the back space on the wheels is more than likely the cause of the rub. To adjust the drag link nothing need be removed, only loosen the pinch clamps to be able to turn the coupler. The drag link centers the wheel the tie rod adjust the toe, alignment shop, fingers crossed, set the toe correctly, should have centered the too. Sometimes they do drive them enough to determine the wheel is off, and blame the crown in the road.
 
Wes Harden said:
Yes the back space on the wheels is more than likely the cause of the rub. To adjust the drag link nothing need be removed, only loosen the pinch clamps to be able to turn the coupler. The drag link centers the wheel the tie rod adjust the toe, alignment shop, fingers crossed, set the toe correctly, should have centered the too. Sometimes they do drive them enough to determine the wheel is off, and blame the crown in the road.
Click to expand...
Got the steering wheel aligned properly, tire still rubs when cranked hard over to the right. I am worried about this because eventually it''s going to wear a hole in the boot and 2. I will be getting new tires some time this year and I don't want to wear my new Nittos unnecessarily. At least those are at the top of the list.

So this is what I have. 315 75 16 tires with +10mm offset with 1.5" wheel spacers on the front. Standard Chebbie spacing 6x5.5. I may have screwed up with the backspacing when I got these rims but I also wanted to go with D or E tires and you cant do that with 15" rims. And seeing all rim and no tire just looks gay as hell. These are aluminum rims and when I first got them, they rubbed the tie rod ends so I went with the spacers and I thought all was good. I won't take it back to the guys that did this front end work, there is some one that I will take it to. Should I go with different rims when I get the new tires like steel rims so they arent' as thick?

MIL is doing better but tired, shes 83 and has had pneumonia before. The wife, nor I have had any symptoms at all, just getting stuff done here at the house.

Joel
norcal
 
I think you would have been better with - 10 offset and the spacer.

My truck with stock pitman 4" of saggy lift, a steel gm 6.5" wide 16" with 33" will rub on a hard right. Dust boot is gone.
I am hoping a drop pitman will help a little, but I am going to go to an 8 or 9" wide wheel eventually. I am looking to keep the back space to under 4" hard to find in a 9". Maybe up size 17 IDK what. For now I try not turn to the right to sharp.
 
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