What's in a steering column?

[BIG*RED]

So I'm still having problems with my steering, and I'm pulling out what little hair I have trying to figure it out. I'll re-cap a previous post first...

My steering wheel is not staying straight, meaning the top of the wheel is not staying in the 12 o'clock position. It will start out there, the blazer will drive straight down the road. Then I make a "hard" right turn in to a parking lot, or backing out of a parking spot,(when I say "hard" turn, I mean more turning than is required for changing lanes) and then my steering wheel stays to the right. The top of the wheel is now in the 9 o'clock position when driving straight, and if I let go of the wheel it stays straight. It also does this when I make left turns.

Here is what I have done so far: replaced upper and lower ball joints, replaced tie-rod and tie-rod endlinks, replaced draglinks, replaced draglink adjusting sleeve, replaced pit-man arm, replaced power steering gear box, checked frame for cracks, there where none, installed ORD steering brace before putting in new gear box. Used all new grade 8 bolts with lock tight, and lock nuts on gear box to frame mounts. Inspected rag joint, it is in relatively great shape, very little movement, no tears, cracks, stretching or swelling. Checked u-bolts and they were all there in good shape and properly tightened, checked leaf spring bushings, all polly and in excellent shape, checked leaf spring bolts, all tightened and properly tourqued. Checked steering wheel, bolted on properly and all nuts/bolts properly tightened. Used paint pen, and marked drag links, adjusting sleeve, tie-rods, pit man arm, gear box, to see if anything was loosening up and moving.

My steering issues were there before I checked and replaced things, and are still there now.

This morning I went to the store, steering wheel adjusted yet again to the proper 12 o'clock position. I backed out of the parking spot, turned the wheel to the right while backing up, heard a pop, nothing to loud, but definitely heard it. Started driving home, and when driving straight down the road, and the dang wheel was in the 9 o'clock position!!!!! Grrrrrrr!!!

Got home, checked all my paint pen marks and nothing has moved!!! All my lines are still lined up!!!

My only thought now is perhaps something inside the steering column itself? But I have never seen the insides of one? What's in there? What do you guys think? Thoughts? Suggestions? I need to figure this out or I'm gonna drive the dang thing off a cliff! At least then I would have some reason as to why the steering wheel won't stay centered! Lol

 

[4X4HIGH]

loose rivets in the frame and crossmembers are a good possibility. The frames on GM trucks are weak at best and can be seen twisting when turning the wheels. Have a friend turn the wheels as you look at the frame (particulary on the driverside) and watch how far the frame will twist. There are many variables but i can assure you there is NOTHING inside the steering column that will cause the wheel to change location.

 

[BIG*RED]

I can see what your saying about the loose rivits, but don't see as to how this would make the steering wheel move and stay in the 9 or 3 o'clock position, and still drive straight? Or have any affect on the steering wheel position, I'm just not visualizing it...can you explain this to me please?

 

[4X4HIGH]

The steering box is connected to the frame and the frame twisting changes everything. You're right though that it usually wouldn't stay in the same place (steering wheel) but stranger things have happened. I was just stating that the rivets are another thing to not overlook. If you do find any that are loose you should cut them off and replace them with grade 8 bolts (you may have to drill the hole to a proper size so the bolt(s) aren't loose fitting in the hole).

 

[wasted wages]

The shaft inside the steering column is 2 piece ( collapsible ) and has a sliding D shaped shaft in it ( IIRC )

it slides in a nylon bushing,,,but I still don't think it's possible for the shaft to slip that much even if the bushing fell out..

You could put a vice grip on the shaft above the rag joint and block it so it wouldn't move and then try cranking the steering wheel.

As 4x4high said there is a good possibility that the rivets are loose in the frame/crossmembers....I have seen this before too...

 

[ryoken]

tho i've never seen it in a car, have on boats, but i guess the steering wheel splines could be chewed up a bit, allowing for some movement between the wheel and shaft.. but that certainly would be an inconsistent and fast progressing problem...

easy peezy check tho, pull the horn cap, and watch the wheel in relation to the shaft...

 

[BIG*RED]

tho i've never seen it in a car, have on boats, but i guess the steering wheel splines could be chewed up a bit, allowing for some movement between the wheel and shaft.. but that certainly would be an inconsistent and fast progressing problem...

easy peezy check tho, pull the horn cap, and watch the wheel in relation to the shaft...

I thought about this too, and I don't have a horn button, so its easy to watch, and it is turning with the shaft as it should...

 

[kauzenkaos]

maybe the splined part of the shaft that attatches to the wheel is stripped just enough to slip under load. factory wheel installed? did you force the steering shaft onto the gearbox when you changed it maybe stripped out? or just a junk gearbox but u said that the problem existed prior to any repairs?

 

[ryoken]

is there an echo in here?

 

[kauzenkaos]

No echo just a reteard didn't see ur post for some reason. Possibly too Much to drink

 

[BIG*RED]

OK, still pulling my hair out. haha

Today I went out and fired up the blazer, went to back out of my parking spot, turned the steering wheel slowly to the right, BAM! I heard and felt A loud pop comming from under the front end. Imediatly got out and looked, and saw nothing out of place.

Drove it a mile down the road to a friends house, had my friend sit in the blazer and turn the steering wheel from lock to lock for at least 5 min. while i watched the front end.

I watched it from a distance, i watched it up close and personal, i watched the left, i watched the right, I watched the center, i watched the cross memebers, i watched the gear box, the drag links, tie rods, leaf springs......NOTHING! no pops, no creaks, no cracks, no excessive movements in anything that I saw.

I was however surprised in the amount of...i guess you can say axle twisting, while the steering was cycled left to right with the blazer standing still. it didn't seem excessive but was enough to notice the shocks moving, and the pinion move up and down as the wheels turned.

So any more sugesstions?

 

[kauzenkaos]

OK, still pulling my hair out. haha

Today I went out and fired up the blazer, went to back out of my parking spot, turned the steering wheel slowly to the right, BAM! I heard and felt A loud pop comming from under the front end. Imediatly got out and looked, and saw nothing out of place.

Drove it a mile down the road to a friends house, had my friend sit in the blazer and turn the steering wheel from lock to lock for at least 5 min. while i watched the front end.

I watched it from a distance, i watched it up close and personal, i watched the left, i watched the right, I watched the center, i watched the cross memebers, i watched the gear box, the drag links, tie rods, leaf springs......NOTHING! no pops, no creaks, no cracks, no excessive movements in anything that I saw.

I was however surprised in the amount of...i guess you can say axle twisting, while the steering was cycled left to right with the blazer standing still. it didn't seem excessive but was enough to notice the shocks moving, and the pinion move up and down as the wheels turned.

So any more sugesstions?

damn it you cursed me! today i went chukar hunting and pushed the blazer pretty hard through some washed out canyons. today was the 1st time steering wheel moved almost a 1/4 turn. did roll some rather large boulders today if i find mine ill let you know.

 

[thorguy57]

I would suggest dropping your axle and making sure your centering pins are still intact in your springs. If you sheared one of those it might allow your axle to move back and forth. If your setback on the axle is off it would more than likely drive straight but would definitely change the steering wheel position. That might also be the popping you are hearing is the springs moving. I would atleast drop the axle and see what happens.

 

[rufusbooth]

Yep, centering pins I would definitely check or at least mark the axle position in relationship to the springs. Make sure they are not moving. I know you marked a bunch of stuff but not sure if you marked that spot or not.

Also, are you running stock springs? How are your shackle angles? I have heard of shackle angles causing a front end to bind up and in addition to steering wheel angles changing after a turn it would also change the way the truck would sit. It would lean from one side to the other depending on which spring shackle was bound up. Granted, this is a far fetched suggestion unless you had changed out to longer springs in the front but wanted to throw it out there for the sake of completeness.


One thing that I noticed when under my truck was the best way to check for things moving was to have a friend run the steering back and forth like you did. But, what really puts the strain on things is to be on hard pavement with the brakes firmly applied. When you steer the wheels they want to rotate about the wheel bearings. With the brakes on the wheel can not rotate and the stress is translated into the axle.

This might be the key as most of the situations you mention you are breaking while in a hard turn like backing out of a parking spot you would apply the brakes to stop and then turn the wheel to straighten out.

Hope that helps,

Cheers,
Rufus

 

[wasted wages]

Did you ever figure this out ????

 

[BIG*RED]

Did you ever figure this out ????

No

Checked center pins, also marked the leaf springs in relation to the axle, even marked the axle tubes in relation to the pumpkin. Its still doing it, and all marks are still lined up.

I have no ideal where to go from here.

 

[tRustyK5]

The thing that raises a flag for me is the noise associated with the steering wheel changing orientation.

Did you have the steering box completely off the frame when you installed the bolt in brace? I also had what I thought was a crack free frame in my old Jimmy. I got the weld in brace and bolt on brace and was installing them 'on principle'. When I got the box off and started cleaning everything for welding I found several good sized cracks. The banging I was hearing was the box and frame crunching around because the cracks allowed them too.

Rene

 

[4X4HIGH]

Something i just thought of...you said you replaced the steering box. There are two different input shaft diameters and if yours was originally the large diameter and you swapped a box that had the small diameter the steering shaft coupling could be "slipping" on the input shaft splines. As far fetched as this might seem don't rule it out until you've checked it.

 

[BIG*RED]

The thing that raises a flag for me is the noise associated with the steering wheel changing orientation.

Did you have the steering box completely off the frame when you installed the bolt in brace?

Rene

The popping noise isn't a constant, and in fact doesn't happen all that often, however the steering wheel issue is, and happens all the time.

And I'm positive there are no frame cracks, when I replaced the gear box I cleaned the frame on both sides, then closely inspected both sides.

 

[BIG*RED]

... the steering shaft coupling could be "slipping" on the input shaft splines. As far fetched as this might seem don't rule it out until you've checked it.

This has crossed my mind. I have gone as far as pulling the shaft back off and inspecting, its the right size, and there are no "wear" marks indicating slipping.

I even went as far as taking my drag link off of the pitman arm. Turning the wheel full left, and marking the center of the pitman arm on the gearbox, then turning the wheel full right, marking that position on the gearbox, then measured the distance between both marks, and found dead center. Positioned the steering wheel and pitman arm at dead center. Re-adjusted draglinks for this position. And went for a drive. I made it 10miles before wheel was in the 4oclock position while driving straight!