MeanMark87
New member
- Joined
- Mar 24, 2012
- Messages
- 53
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 0
- Location
- Minnesota
- Vehicle Year
- 1988
- Vehicle
- Ford
- Engine Size
- 2.3L I4
The '88 BII project keeps moving along and with each new day comes a new task to tackle. This forum's been awesome in helping me with some of the issues so far, so here's another. The steering has almost a quarter turn of slop in it, and as I mentioned in a nother topic I can feel clunks in the steering column when I go over bumps at speed.
When I jacked it up and tore into the front axle, I put in all new brakes, balljoints, tie rod ends, front axle u-joints, and axle seals, so I know it's not the outer tie rod ends. Today I had the wife turn the steering wheel while I observed the steering shaft and all the components underneath. The pitman arm and inner tie rods etc. are all nice and tight and I don't think they're the problem. The steering shaft turns precisely with the wheel, but the slop occurs in the steering gear itself, I'm thinking.
The shaft will turn inside the steering box for a bit before any of that motion is translated into moving the pitman arm. There's a 'dead zone' where you can turn the wheel and it will not do anything to turn the wheels. I'm looking to tighten it all up. Any ideas on possible causes? I am prepared to hear that I need a new steering gear (yuck) but if that's what it takes, then that's what it takes.
When I jacked it up and tore into the front axle, I put in all new brakes, balljoints, tie rod ends, front axle u-joints, and axle seals, so I know it's not the outer tie rod ends. Today I had the wife turn the steering wheel while I observed the steering shaft and all the components underneath. The pitman arm and inner tie rods etc. are all nice and tight and I don't think they're the problem. The steering shaft turns precisely with the wheel, but the slop occurs in the steering gear itself, I'm thinking.
The shaft will turn inside the steering box for a bit before any of that motion is translated into moving the pitman arm. There's a 'dead zone' where you can turn the wheel and it will not do anything to turn the wheels. I'm looking to tighten it all up. Any ideas on possible causes? I am prepared to hear that I need a new steering gear (yuck) but if that's what it takes, then that's what it takes.