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.

My truck is NOT wandering anymore! Thanks guys. Truck is back from shop

DK5

DK5

1/2 ton status
Joined
Jan 14, 2007
Posts
1,547
Reaction score
11
Location
The city that rhymes with fun, Saskatchewan
Had a look underneath, grabbed on the tie rod ends and gave them a yank. Everything seems solid. Only thing I noticed is that the steering box is saturated with oil. Its been that way for a while now though. There is fluid in the power steering reservoir.

Do I need a new steering box? Or am I missing something?

Image040.jpg
 
Last edited:
Tires aired up, cupped or out of balance? Alignment checked, rag joint condition! Did you check the drag ling too?
 
hogdoc said:
Tires aired up, cupped or out of balance? Alignment checked, rag joint condition! Did you check the drag ling too?
Click to expand...

Checked all those things (and the lugnuts!) everything looks good! It feels like the steering has WAY excessive play and it wanders in either direction. Actually feels worse now so I pulled in the driveway and parked it. It will stay there until either I fix it or have the shop do it in a couple weeks (busy there now apparently)

77_Jimmy said:
Stop texting while you drive.:D
Click to expand...
Haven't been lately :whistle: no, actually I rarely use that feature on my ancient cell phone
 
First thing, get out there, and turn the wheel with the engine off. Steering unlocked, of course.
Feel play? How far can you turn it before it gets tight?
If it has play, have someone turn it from tight to tight while you follow the movement until you find out what is moving that shouldn't.

If there is no play to speak of, grab the wheel and force it first one way and then the other.
Listen for pops and snaps. Or see if you feel a sudden give.
Your joints might be tight when you shake them by hand, but giving under a load.

If none of that show anything, jack up the front and shake the wheels side to side and top to bottom.
Also, get a pry-bar of some kind, and pry up on the wheel to check the ball joints.

If its that bad, you should see something.

I know you checked the drag link, but is it coil springs? If so, make sure you checked the bar from the frame to the axle. Its sometimes called the drag link, panhead bar, and other less mentionable things.

If its loose, you will have bad steering....
 
Everything fordum said right up to the coil spring part seeing how it's a square box leaf spring blazer!!!:D
 
while you're doing everything Fordum mentioned, take a look where the steering box mounts to the frame....one or all those bolts might be loose or worse yet, the chassis may be cracked. check your leaf and shackle bushings too.

i heard some very light "popping" under certain low speed situations and 2 of my bolts were loose.....my pressure line on the reservoir is leaking all over too. adjusted the box, tightened the bolts and now it feels like a friggin Corvette :D
 
shovelbill80 said:
while you're doing everything Fordum mentioned, take a look where the steering box mounts to the frame....one or all those bolts might be loose or worse yet, the chassis may be cracked. check your leaf and shackle bushings too.

i heard some very light "popping" under certain low speed situations and 2 of my bolts were loose.....my pressure line on the reservoir is leaking all over too. adjusted the box, tightened the bolts and now it feels like a friggin Corvette :D
Click to expand...

THIS. My truck was doing the same exact thing. get someone to start the truck and turn the wheels and see if the steering box moves up and down. If it does, thats your problem. Tightened the bolts up and it drives like a whole different truck.
 
I think the problem is where the steering box attaches to the pitman arm. There is a lot of sludge build up there. Could it be that the splines are worn out? Should I replace the whole steering box? I happen to have one in my '88 K5 diesel if need be.
 
DK5 said:
Had a look underneath, grabbed on the tie rod ends and gave them a yank. Everything seems solid. Only thing I noticed is that the steering box is saturated with oil. Its been that way for a while now though. There is fluid in the power steering reservoir.

Do I need a new steering box? Or am I missing something?
Click to expand...
What are we looking at here with an overall rear shot of the rig when it has nothing to do with the situation at hand? :doah::whistle::haha:
 
Well the front driveshaft U-joint (closest to transfer case) is loose and worn out.

I have the front up on jackstands and have done everything that Fordum mentioned. Everything feels pretty solid.

There is some fluid from the transfer case splashed above the rear driveshaft u-joint, but I don't have a steady leak (no puddles on the driveway).

And like I mentioned earlier the steering box is saturated with oil. I'm thinking of taking the steering box off but have never done this before.
 
If you didn't feel any play when forcing it with the engine off, that sounds like an alignment problem. Wrong toe-in can cause that.

However, you do need to check where the steering box is mounted on the frame. Cracks in the frame there are common and will cause the same symptoms.

Its just that usually you can see the box moving and feel it in the wheel when forcing it.
 
Actually there is one other possibility that I have seen once and would not show up with any of the other tests.
This is a subtle difference, but does it just seem to wander, or does it actually act like you are turning the wheel back and forth.

I once saw a malfunction in a gearbox that let the spool valve float slightly. They did not take it apart, so I never figured out how it was doing it with normal steering wheel feel.

But, the steering box its self was turning the wheels back and forth slightly with the steering wheel held steady.

We found it by accident. We had jacked up the front end to look for play, and we cranked up the engine for some reason.
The wheels started jerking slightly from one way and then another.

I've never seen it since or even heard of it. Not worth your going to that much trouble unless you just happen to have the front end off the ground.

You could also try turning the steering wheel with them off the ground and the engine running to see if they move smoothly.
 
I just took it for another drive. While driving straight it seems to turn randomly on its own without moving the wheel. So, I turn it the other way and it jerks suddenly the other way so you have to be really careful not to over correct. It seems to pull either left or right completely at random- which makes me think its not alignment because it would then be a constant pull in one direction. Right?

Back onto jack stands to figure out what the hell is going on :doah:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest Posts

Top Bottom