Help with new steering linkage

Good morning, all. Quick backstory - I've replaced virtually every component of my steering system in an attempt to make my EB as highway friendly as possible. From new steering column, steering shaft/joint, rebuilt PS box by West Texas, high caster C-bushings, steering linkage + stabilizer to new (Moog) ball joints.

I initially purchased a Bronco Graveyard steering linkage and drove with it for a while, but was very disappointed as it flexed quite a bit (which I believed was making my steering sloppy on the road). I ended up then buying a $400 'heavy duty' steering linkage from Wild Horses and it was significantly thicker/rigid and I assumed it was going to drive like a dream after installation.

As of right now, I have probably 5,000 miles on the linkage. It drives/tracks perfectly when going straight...you can literally take your hand off the wheel and it will practically drive itself in a straight line. However, turning (especially in a curve) the steering is choppy/laggy and it has gotten progressively worse over time. I had my wife turn the steering wheel last night after an exhausting road trip yesterday and found the entire linkage is twisting when the wheel is turned.

See video attached. Any idea what causes this and whether or not there is a fix? I've spent nearly $800 on steering linkages at this point, and unsure if I should just opt to have someone fab one up with heim joints to tighten this nonsense up...

Any input from the pros here?

https://imgur.com/gallery/ovAQApi

Most would orient the drag link such that the grease nipple is pointing up a little more, towards the radiator, which could help. Otherwise, you've got a lot of roll happing with your tie-rod, so maybe using a urethane bushing like "The Cure" could help with that...there seems to be some mixed results depending on the application. My brother's Toyota does something similar, and we counter-rotate the tie-rods at the ends and then lock them down with jam nuts against his tie-rod in order to limit swing, otherwise it was causing issues with his ram-assist cylinder.

Thanks @Apogee. I also reached out to Wild Horses this morning and they confirmed what you said, that I need to point the grease nipple up more, but not vertical, to hopefully limit the twisting. Guess I'll give that a shot and hopefully it will minimize the twisting.

Thanks!

Track bar and drag link don't look parallel in your film clip. Are they?

How's about a pic of the whole front end so we can see that relationship.

The correct angle for the tie-rod at the center position is approx. 60° which does point it up generally at the bottom of the radiator. If you happen to have the old original tie-rod laying around you can use that as your guide as the desired angle is just mimicking the original.

If you used a dropped pitman arm, did you also use a dropped trackbar bracket? From that limited angle of the image it looked like the drag link was at a substantially shallower angle than the track bar. But because there is a curve/kink at the lower end, it's not really a good reference point.
Hence the request for more pics please!

Thanks

Paul

Yeah the drag link seems to be parallel with the track bar - the end of that steering linkage is just offset at the end of it. Paul - is this wide enough of a shot?

*sorry I can't figure out how to embed the pic instead of linking it

https://imgur.com/gallery/5FjXqDS

Not quite, but it's close enough. Looks like you have a lift on it? Just judging by the overall angles, which seem kind of steep to me.
If it's a 2.5" lift that would explain it, since most feel it's not necessary to drop the ends until you get to 3" or more of lift. But I feel that it just improves things even with just 2.5" or so.
If you think about it, the steeper the angle of the draglink, the more prone it is to "rolling" the tie rod. Imagine it as pushing and pulling "down and up" on the tie-rod, more than it is pushing and pulling it "side to side" instead.

If you do have drops, that's good. It just looks a little steep and I can't see the frame ends of the track bar and drag link.
All of this is why the angle of the Zerk fitting pointing up to the radiator becomes even more important.
This "tie-rod roll" as we call it not only makes your steering inputs a little more vague, but eventually promotes more wear and tear on the tie-rod ends. Shortening their lives.

I bet you can feel the difference once you change the angle. Simple as loosening all three adjusters, spinning the tie-rod until the lower draglink end points up at the appropriate angle, making sure that the outer and upper rod ends are straight in their sockets, then tightening the clamps back down and take it for a test drive.

Drive it around for awhile and if you're still not quite satisfied with how it steers, consider a drop bracket and a dropped pitman arm. If you don't have them already that is.
I could be wrong, but the angle just looks too steep to have dropped the link ends.

Oh, and nothing wrong with posting the link to your photos. But you can also put them here on classic by saving some in your Garage and Gallery functions in your User CP above, or becoming a contributor for 12bucks a year will let you upload them directly to your posts from your device.

Thanks for the additional pic. Let us know how it works out when you change it.

Paul

Thanks for the input, Paul. Yes, it has a WH 2.5 suspension lift and I opted not to install a drop pitman arm since I was unable to get my existing pitman arm off and I was worried I was going to ruin my box if I kept beating on it even with a puller cranked down on it.

I'll go with the repositioning of the steering linkage for now, and will see if I can find a way to get the pitman off without doing any permanent damage...

EBGeek said:

...I'll go with the repositioning of the steering linkage for now, and will see if I can find a way to get the pitman off without doing any permanent damage...

Click to expand...

FWIW, the last pitman arm I pulled required about 20-25 ton in the 55-ton press, as no amount of coercion with a puller was going to make it happen.

Yeah, they can be some stubborn buggers for sure!
Even while it's attached though, might as well start soaking it with your favorite penetrating oil for now. just in case it can find it's way down those tight spline tolerances.

I've busted my share of pullers over the years, but always got the arms off with the combination of penetrant and pressure.
But I've always had to supplement the pressure with the two-hammer method to make it all work.
I never wanted to damage a steering box either, so was not too keen on either a pickle-fork or smacking the arm from the side with a single hammer.

Paul