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Drag Link

bjr34bass

bjr34bass

1/2 ton status
Joined
Feb 14, 2014
Posts
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Location
Yuma, AZ
Probably just a victim of my noobness, but got a question...

My steering wheel is off center, so I attempted to adjust the drag link with no success. Do I need to jack up the front of the blazer to get the steering wheel to rotate freely? I'm wondering if the resistance of the wheels being on the ground keeps the steering wheel from spinning.

I don't have an "accessory" position on my ghetto ignition cylinder, so I was doing this with the truck running to get some freedom of movement for the steering.
 
Before adjusting the drag link let's try to figure out why it's off center and by how much.
First, I looked at your profile and you say it has a "nos lift" ... what's that? How much is it lifted and did you change the steering arm or pitman arm to compensate for the lift? Without one of these parts (raised steering arm/dropped pitman arm) you'll notice that you don't have full steering in one direction and the steering wheel will be off center. Best to fix with the correct part instead of adjusting the drag link to the max and not have enough thread engagement.
 
It's got a body lift and suspension lift totalling approx 6" installed by previous owner. It's got a curved draglink, but a stock steering arm and stock pitman arm. I probably need a raised steering arm based on the angle of the drag link. Still seems like I should get some movement of the steering wheel as is. I'll copy some pics from a previous post as a reference.

Also, the steering box moves when the steering wheel is moved, so I have that to fix. The frame has been previously welded at the box.

I've got several issues to take care of here, and just experimenting with the drag link. Not sure why I was getting no movement of the steering wheel.
 
Here's a pic of the steering setup. I've been told it has the wrong ends on the drag link and obviously missing grease boots, so it's a mess. The steering is sloppy (suprise!).

Also a pic of the frame weld.

weld 1.jpg

k5-2.jpg
 
If the steering box moves when the steering wheel is turned, then the box will move when the drag link is adjusted. That's probably why the wheel isn't moving.
Obviously, get rid of the curved drag link for the original straight one - the curved ones will tend to flop from side to side. Check the frame again for cracks/tighten box. And get the correct steering part to compensate for the suspension lift.
And I can't see the pics ... not a member. :frown1:
 
If the steering box is moving on the frame, stop driving it and get that fixed. If the box shears off on the highway, your BEST CASE scenario is dirty shorts.

Make sure the frame is really repaired and reinforced. You will probably have to pull the box off to know for sure. Post some pics of the frame. Then make sure you have the factory spacers on the bolts - they're required to keep the bolts tight, not an adjustment for using the wrong length bolt or something.

It looks like you have tie rod ends instead of drag link ends, which is bad. That's why they stick through too far and you can't use the cotter pin, which is also bad. Your angles are bad enough and TREs can only take about 1/2 the angle DLEs can. Also, DLEs are typically longer than TREs, which might explain the off-center steering wheel. You really should junk that bendy drag link and go back to a stock type, but you will also need the raised steering arm. to adjust a drag link like that you have to disconnect one end so you can spin it. I will PM about some parts.

If you steer all the way to the right and left, how far are the knuckles from hitting the stops?
 
The spacers are not welded to the frame, they come off with the bolts. If you're really lucky, the frame repair is good and the bolts are just loose.
 
Do I see a weld on frame brace? If so, pull the box off and check it out. Make sure the holes haven't wallood (sp?) themselve out. The spacers were covered. You might think about a bolt in brace too. You can never have too much bracing in that area.

The TRE vs. DLE was covered. This is very important. You can either get a 2" drop pitman arm or a 4" raised steering arm. Just depends which puts you close to level WITHOUT being reverse the angle you currently have. That would also be bad.
 
One of the holes is "wallowed" The bolt is tight but it (and the spacer) wobble when the steering wheel is turned. Maybe the bolt in brace would tighten that up? Yes, the frame has been repaired. I'll remove the box and get a better look at it. At a minimum I have one blown out hole!:eek1:
 
Yep. I'll replace with a stock, straight drag link with proper ends as well as a raised steering arm. This is a toy so I don't have to drive it as is. Of course the weather is getting nice here, so I'd like to get out and about asap.
 
bjr34bass said:
One of the holes is "wallowed" The bolt is tight but it (and the spacer) wobble when the steering wheel is turned. Maybe the bolt in brace would tighten that up?
Click to expand...
Is the repaired area flat or is part of the box sitting on a weld bead or something? The box has to sit tight against the frame. At least one of the bolt holes is blind, so if the hardware has been swapped (a loose bolt could have been lost), the bolt cold bottom out in the box before it's tight on the frame. A washer or two would fix that, though. You want the factory bolts or replacement grade 8's in the right length.

The bolt in brace will stiffen that area and keep the frame rail from moving so much side-to-side, but it won't help hold the box to the frame.
 
It's not tight against the frame. Also, I assume the steering box should be aligned straight with the steering shaft. Mine is not.:doah:

I guess for a $1400 truck I need to expect some headaches! I wish I knew then what I know now and looked at this closer before buying. I'll get it functional though. Unfortunately I'm expecting to run this as a offroad toy most of the time so I can't afford it to be weak.
 
bjr34bass said:
It's not tight against the frame. Also, I assume the steering box should be aligned straight with the steering shaft. Mine is not.:doah:

I guess for a $1400 truck I need to expect some headaches! I wish I knew then what I know now and looked at this closer before buying. I'll get it functional though. Unfortunately I'm expecting to run this as a offroad toy most of the time so I can't afford it to be weak.
Click to expand...


This stuff isn't particularly expensive or difficult to fix, so it could be a lot worse. Once you get all the right parts and get that box situated you should be good to go.
 
Thanks to Blue85, I have a lifted steering arm and straight drag link installed in my blazer. Steering is defintely better, but I need to install the bolt in brace for the steering box which I tightened but it still moves.

Also, I'm not sure if I read it on here or googled it, but when removing the steering arm - leaving the nut on the end of the stud, then placing a socket extension on it, then hammering the extension (not really hard actually) in all directions vibrated the cone washers out in less than a minute each! That technique gets 2 thumbs way up. I was expecting hours of BFH time.
 
Can you post more pics of the steering box and how all the bolts are attached?

You're saying that when you tighten some of the bolts as far as they will go, the box is still loose? Is the bolt bottomed out in the hole? Why not just put a couple washers under the head?
 
Yes, the box is still loose. I haven't taken it completely off so I will do that and see exactly what the frame looks like underneath. I added 2 washers to one of the bolts since the hole was wallowed. I may need to do that to others, or use longer bolts and nuts. The frame seems to not move, but I'll get someone to turn the wheel for me while I get a better look.
 
Steering box is tight now. Installed some extra washers. All set! I'll just need to keep an eye on it.
 
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