I have had the K5 for almost 10 years and put about 1,000 miles on it. Odometer says 62,205 (but could be 162,205). V8 305 4WD. Power Steering.

when I first got the truck, it’s steering was all over the place. Excessive play (I think that is the right word) in the steering wheel with no response in the tires and also the tires roaming the road even when holding it straight. When I replaced the front leaf springs, that fixed 90% of the sloppiness.

It has slowly been getting worse. And it is still not bad, but I am thinking of letting my 20 and 18 year olds use it as a daily driver. I can handle the lack of initial response in the steering wheel, but what is unsettling is that sometimes the truck will pull to the left abruptly and you have to yank to the right quickly. Again, not a lot for me, but not something I want my young drivers to have to worry about. I also will be getting 4 new tires to replace forse racing slicks. And although I have not driven the truck more than 50 miles in the last 6 years, I have noticed just recently that the tires are very slowly deflating (right worse than left).

I have marked with chalk on the steering column, pitman arm and the drag link/adjusting sleeve arm that the pitman connects to (don’t know if that is the name). With the vehicle engine on (not sure if it should be engine off), I had my son turn the steering wheel while I took video. Not sure the videos are good enough, but I think it could help point in the right direction.

a few quick observations to the untrained eye:

1. when turning to the left, there appears to be quite a lag in response. Not so when turning back right.

2. Rag joint appears to transmit 100% from column to gearbox.

3. the joint that connects the pitman arm to the drag link/adjusting sleeve looks in bad shape.



please excuse the lack of professional editing of these 2 short videos.

 

It's actually easier to see slop in the steering if you turn the wheel back and forth pretty quickly (maybe turn it 90 degrees, just enough to fully load everything in both directions). Have your son do that while you watch all the joints underneath.

Pay special attention to the leaf spring bushings and sway bar bushings, especially on the left side. Because of the way the push-pull steering is set up, movement in the spring bushings can allow front to back movement of the axle relative to the steering box, which can cause the drag link to move the steering arm. The sway bar acts as a panhard bar, and limits this movement. If the truck dives left when you brake hard, that's probably the problem.

Another thing to look at is the frame where the steering box bolts on. It's VERY common for them to crack in that spot and allow the steering box to move. Sometimes, the cracks can be hard to see. It usually happens on lifted trucks with big tires, but it can happen on stock ones, too.

 

I second everything tom said. Drag link looks worn to me and I swear I seen the steering box flex from the frame but I could be wrong.

 

I know when done slowly, turning the steering wheel 90 degrees does almost no movement. So somewhere between the steering shaft/rag joint and the tires there is slop.

Also, should the engine be running when he does this?


i will also look at the sway bar as well, but I don’t recall the truck swerving left during braking.

what would be the best camera angle to look for to see if there is a frame crack. Below on the ground or above?

 

I took some new videos aimed at specific areas, so there are a few. Since I had no help, I had to leave the phone and move the steering wheel itself. I believe this may have actually helped because it removes the motion of my hand which can obscure relative motion between two parts. With the engine off (but key on), I turned the steering wheel 90 degrees in each direction (right maybe 100 degrees) until I could not turn it without significant effort.







Pitman, drag, rag, leaf




Right tie, leaf




​Left leaf, pitman, drag




Gear box, frame and rag joint




Rag joint looks solid




Rear end of drag link




Pitman, drag, tie, rag




Left tie




Pitman, drag, tie, leaf, rag




Sway bar

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I'm watching the videos on my phone so it's hard to tell, but it looks like there might be a little bit of play in the drag link. The one of the rear of the drag link especially looks like it.

The best way to look for frame cracks is on the inside of the frame rail, so the steering box isn't in the way, but if you do have any cracks, you should be able to see them around the bolt holes on the outside.

 

I took a video of the inside of the frame rail looking at what I believe are the 4 bolts. The hardest one for me to video was the last one which was the upper rear one, which just so happens to look the most suspect of the 4.

 

I don't see any cracks in that video. Usually, they're pretty obvious. So I think you're good there. I'm not sure what else to suggest.

 

do you think I am looking at a complete rebuild of the suspension and steering systems?

if so, what do you think the cost would be if I do the work myself?

 

I would hate to just throw parts at it without finding a specific problem. If you replaced all the bushings, tie rod ends, steering box, ball joints, etc., you could be looking at close to $1000 in parts (pulling a number out of the air).

But I don't think you've checked the ball joints yet, have you? To do so, you would need to jack up one front wheel at a time, grab it at 6 and 12 o'clock, and try to rock it back and forth. There should be no play.