Another steering question.

[Okbroncoman]

What do I need to replace or do?
When I drive 55 +\- mph it feels like the steering is loose.
Like the front wheels are on ice.
Here is what I have:
All stock, no lift, new shocks, new tires,
front suspenction has some new parts and old parts
Tie rods seem to be tight

Thanks

 

[broncnaz]

Have the alginment checked. Poor caster is common even on stock broncos. It can be fixed with higher degree bushings. Toe in is also pretty critical you may need a little more.
Other things tire pressure can affect steering feel you may need to play with pressures to see what works best for your tires/setup. May also want to check the trac bar bushings if they are worn they can cause movement in the axle when steering.
A worn steering box will just require quite a bit of movement in the steering wheel before it starts to turn so you should know if its the box or just something with the alignment.

 

[Okbroncoman]

I am thinking my steering box has a lot if play in it
How do you fix it?
Is there a rebuild kit for it?

Thanks

 

[Rustytruck]

First think that I would do is lay under the truck and have someone bounce the steering wheel back and forth. Turn until it stops with the truck off. Don't try to actually turn the wheels. just bump back to bump. Look at every connection and the steering box bolted to the frame. Anything not following the proper motion its supposed to needs to be repaired. Very common problem areas are the trac bar bushing at the frame. Loose steering box bolts. bad steering coupler to the steering box. loose wheel bearings. Now jack up the end of the axle and put a pry bar under the tire and grab the tire at the top and try to rock it in and out. If the ball joints are bad it will be noticeable the is also shoe loose wheel bearings. This all needs to be checked before messing with the steering box.

 

[DuctTape]

Partial repeat but here's a list to work thru:

Bushings
Caster
Camber
Toe-in
Thrust angle
Steering geometry
Loose trac bar
Tire pressure

Lot of threads on here, I learned by reading them. Not always easy to find if your google-fu is beginner, so try this:

Try googling things like "wander" "squirrely" "scary" as well as words above, adding site:classicbroncos.com to the end of the search string (this limits results to things from this site).

Eg, google: "scary steering site:classicbroncos.com".

 

[Okbroncoman]

I will give it a try.
CB search is a pain in the butt.

Thank for the help

 

[ChrisC74]

I will give it a try.
CB search is a pain in the butt.

Thank for the help

Try searching from Google or another search engine - key words, then also classic broncos and it may bring up some relevant posts... It has worked for me.

 

[DuctTape]

I will give it a try.
CB search is a pain in the butt.

Thank for the help

Yes it sure isn't google. Someone taught me the site: keyword trick and made all the diff.

On fixing the wandering - might be a quick fix, might not be. I've been working on getting mine dialed in off and on for two years and haven't got 100% there yet. I'm actually in the middle of dropping radius arms and I'm hopeful that gets it. I wouldn't trust most shops - my first strategy was to take it to an off-road shop and have them tell me how to fix it. That was a waste of money.

The collective expertise on this site is a much better choice. If you get discouraged along the way know that a lot of us have been there with these rigs and that eventually you will get it dialed in.

If it is caster, you have several choices on how to fix: cbushings, cut and turn c's, radius arm drop, stock lift, eccentric ball joints. All have their pros and cons and the best solution depends upon your rig, how much you want to spend, and how you drive it. Getting educated on the subject is the only way you can make a decision that works for your situation.