Steering problems (UPDATE)!!!!! LAST POST

[blazindorito]

After work I went to the shop were my truck is at and talked to Ed. I had looked at the stuff that you all recommended and found nothing wrong. I told Ed the very same things you told me and he went through them. Everything is nice and tight. The only thing to consider now is the gear box. He swapped out something inside the gear box and that did not help. The gear box has been modified by WTO (West Texas Offroad) for hydraulic ram assist.

Do you guys think that gear box is too much for the 6" lift and 37" pro-comp tires I am running? He test drove it last night and even he says it's scary. The scenario he visualized was driving on the freeway and a car cuts me off, I swerve to avoid hitting it and I start to flip on the freeway. He says there is just to much movement or whatever you call it.

Things that were checked are:
- balljoints
- springs and gearbox
- plastic/nylon cone
- king pins
- bearing slop
- caster angle

It's on a k5 with dana 60 front, 6" lift springs by Superlift, 37" Pro-comp Xterrains on 16.5 wheels, crossover steering, psc ram assist, high steer, and it has a tac bar.

 

[cbbr]

It has a track bar (Panhard) and you are still getting that much movement?

 

[BGKYK5]

The manual steering box in my Fairlane was very loose before I swapped it out. You could rotate the steering wheel about 90* with no effect. As you drove down the road you would have to turn the wheel left and right about 92* to make the smallest corrections in lane position. That was fun. Is that the kind of thing you are describing?

 

[miniwally]

Post some pics of the front of the truck. We need to see the trackbar and draglink in the picture at the same time.

 

[blazindorito]

The manual steering box in my Fairlane was very loose before I swapped it out. You could rotate the steering wheel about 90* with no effect. As you drove down the road you would have to turn the wheel left and right about 92* to make the smallest corrections in lane position. That was fun. Is that the kind of thing you are describing?

Yes, that is exactly how it feels. Ed changed something inside the gear box though and it continued to the same.

 

[Chaddy]

Yes, that is exactly how it feels. Ed changed something inside the gear box though and it continued to the same.

Just for fun, do you have another gear box hangin around? If you do, then swap it and see if that helps.

 

[BGKYK5]

In some steering boxes the "backlash" for lack of a better word can be adjusted. Donno if it can in chevy boxes or not, but that may be what he did. If that didn't help and everything else is OK, you may need to rebuild the steering box or get another one. Did WTO work on it recently?

 

[blazindorito]

No, I bought the box from someone on another site because it was already drilled and tapped for crossover and ram assist.

I do have another gear box but I would need to get it drilled and tapped.

 

[Chaddy]

No, I bought the box from someone on another site because it was already drilled and tapped for crossover and ram assist.

I do have another gear box but I would need to get it drilled and tapped.

I know it sounds like a pain but, mabey just bolt in the untapped box to see if that solves the prob, then take it out and tap it.

 

[blazindorito]

Yeah, that's what I am going to have to do when I bring it home.

 

[bp71k5]

You actually don't have to even wait. Just turn the steering wheel back and forth until you see the pitman arm start to move. If you can move the steering wheel more than a few inches before anything starts to move, the box has an "issue".

 

[blazindorito]

PROBLEM SOLVED!!

Took off the ram assist and the truck drives real tight. Ed said that he has never seen a ram work so good. It was overdoing it's job.

Thank's to everyone that helped me out with my problems.

I will post a picture of it when it stops raining.

Thanks.