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wandering???

F

fordslayer383

Guest
what would cause my k20 to wander on the highway?
do i need a beefier steering stabilizer?
any help would help!
 
yea you need like 4 shocks up front....



nah...... there are a few things that it could be. Ball joints, Tie rod or draglink ends. Toe could be off. i would start with that.. after that,, basically just choosing something in the system and check it out. could be play in the steering box, I guess the steering box itself could be loose against the frame,

what front axle are you running? Springs? Tires?
 
In my experience, worn front end parts are the biggest cause of wandering. You should also pay close attention to your steering box as well as the mounting points on the frame.

If I was a betting man I wouldput money on a combination of worn draglink ends, worn ball joints and worn tierod ends. FWIW, new ball joints and a draglink eliminated 99% of my last batch of wandering issues.......
 
This too can cause wandering...

In addition to what he said,check the spring bushings and the "eye" of the front leaf springs,they often spread open enough to let the bushing flop around(the frontmost one)---and a broken center bolt in the spring can do it too--sometimes a problem in the rear suspension is at fault,but the front end gets blamed--but most of the time it is worn tie rods,ball joints and steering box problems,or frame problems where the box bolts on....:crazy:
 
My two cents would be to play around with tire pressures (after at least inspecting everything else suggested).....and perhaps check for the "dreaded steering box frame cracks"....not easy to do without pulling the box off, but I've heard enough stories about guys who fought all kinds of steering issues, and THEN found the cracked frame. Once it was repaired (and braced with the aftermarket kit) the truck drove awesome!!!
 
I aligned the front of a K/10 with the same measurement on the front of the tire as the back on the tire. Which means there is no tow in, they were perfectly parallel. And you could not drive that truck straihgt at all.


87 K/5
stano
 
Like already stated, I'd start with tie rod ends...do the 2 man check, have someone sittin in the cab turnin the wheel back and forth as you inspect everythin, you'll be able to see if tie rods are worn. Also check ball joints. Bearings could also be loose, check them out.
 

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