Steering problems...

[nad]

Okay, so I just changed my pitman arm to a drop pitman arm, and I first bolted the arm to the draglink. Once I tried to line it up with the steering box knuckle, I was having trouble lining it up. Well I had someone sit and line it up while I turned the wheel around. Well the only way we can get it to go on makes the steering wheel upside down when I'm driving straight. We tried to just do a 180* turn with the steering wheel, then line it up, but we had no luck.

Well for now, I just left it with the steering wheel upside down all the time. Now the only problem is, when I turn to the left, I hit the little steering limiter too soon, and if i try to hit it while steering to the right, the steering just starts binding up and won't let me go far enough to hit the limiter thingy.

So do you just think it needs an alignment now or what? I haven't had it aligned since I did the lift and put 35's on it, but now that I put the pitman arm on it, it's even worse.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to what I should do?? Thank you for your advice in advance.

 

[Taylor]

I tried that same thing a few years ago I couldent make it work either, The closest I could get was to tighten the drag link all the way and I was still a quarter turn off. I ended up switching back to my regular pitman arm and raised steering arm. I was running a 4" lift at the time.

 

[1-ton]

It sounds like you may not have centered the steering box properly when you reconnected the drag-link. Centering the box is just basically turning the steering wheel from full lock one way, and then turning it full lock the other way, while counting the amount of full turns the steering wheel makes. After you have counted the amount of full turns it takes to go from full lock-to-full lock, then just turn the steering wheel back half that amount, and the steering box will be centered.

For Example, if it takes 3-1/2 turns for your steering wheel to go from full lock-to-full lock, then it would take 1-3/4 turn back from full lock, in order for the steering box to be centered. After the steering box is centered, then reconnect the drag link (the front tires must be pionted straight ahead). Then do the final small of adjusting on the drag-link it takes to center the steering wheel itself.

 

[1987Chevy]

I had the same problem when I had a drop pitman I had to cut some of the theads off on the drag link to get it short enough to center the wheel.

 

[1-ton]

I had the same problem when I had a drop pitman I had to cut some of the theads off on the drag link to get it short enough to center the wheel.

Yes, I have run into that problem too with aftermarket drag links.

 

[nad]

So I actually have to remove the pitman arm from the draglink again? Because I found the center of the steering with the wheel, but I thought it only mattered when it came to the steering box, since the draglink and stuff hadn't moved. If i just adjust the draglink ends, can I get it to line up without taking it all apart??