Hi all,

The last couple months my '98 Jimmy has been working well. The a/c is still cold, the code P0442 hasn't returned, it's getting great mileage on trips over the mountains. However, I've noticed the steering has started to wander again. In late April I finished my steering/suspension project and then got it aligned on May 1st. After the alignment it drove absolutely perfectly straight and did not wander at all. I could literally take my hands off the wheel and it would track perfectly straight in the lane. It was wonderful.

The last three weeks or so it has started to wander just slightly. It's nowhere near as bad as it was when I first got the truck but I don't want it to wander at all after rebuilding everything. Prior to the alignment I replaced the following:

Control arm bushings
Torsion bar mounts
Sway bar bushings and links
Outer tie-rod ends
Upper and lower ball joints
Idler arm
Pitman arm
Steering gearbox
Rag joint with u-joint

I'm wondering if I'm supposed to adjust the preload on the steering gearbox after installing it. That's the only thing I can think of. Any ideas?

 

*Moved to Steering and Suspension*
Should get more answers here.

 

i bet ya the idler arms bad again. Its just a part that tends to fail. did you use a good quality part or the base stuff? Pick up the front end,and wiggle the tires,if the knuckle at the idler moves up and down,its done.

 

I ordered all Moog from Rock Auto when I did the suspension and steering rebuild. I'll check the steering again when I get back from Montana at the end of the week.

PS- thanks for moving the thread for me!

 

Update: I changed oil today and took the opportunity to inspect the underside of the truck. I had a friend turn the steering wheel for me while I watched the steering linkage. All of the slop was in the steering gear itself. There was a noticeable lag between the input shaft moving and the Pitman arm.

If I adjust the adjusting screw will that bring the steering box back into adjustment and tighten up the steering again?

 

nooo no no. Dont touch it. every time ive seen someone do it all it really does is make things worse,or steering really stiff.

When you say lag,do you mean the steering shaft that runs to the box,is moving before the front end responds? Could just be the rag joint.

 

He said he put in a U-joint though.

 

Yeah, there's a u-joint on my truck. The old rag joint was bad so I just did the Flaming River mod I had done on my '94 Blazer. Every other part in the steering and suspension up front is new within the last 5000 miles. I had it aligned right after I did the last of the upgrades/replacements, which was when I installed the new AC-Delco Pitman arm and the reman steering gearbox.

The only lost motion in the steering linkage is in the steering gearbox. When the input shaft turns it takes a couple degrees of rotation before the Pitman arm moves. Everything else in the linkage is nice and tight still. Immediately after the alignment the steering was perfect and it did not wander at all. Now that I've driven a couple thousand miles it has loosened up and it's making me crazy having done all of that work to get the steering perfect again.

If I do adjust the gearbox it will be in small increments, about an eighth of a turn at a time. If the gearbox gets adjusted too much the truck won't center properly after a turn. I've learned that much at least over the years.

 

I did the adjustment to the gearbox today. It went very well. I tightened up the adjustment screw in very small increments up to a quarter turn. That was way too much. I could feel how tight the box was. I backed it off in increments to about an eighth of a turn. That felt just about right. The box is tighter and wanders less. It was a very subtle adjustment to get it just right.

The Jimmy still pulls left a little bit but the wandering seems to be gone. I'm heading out on a short, three-day vacation with the family. When I get back I'll check the suspension parts on the left side of the truck to see if there's any looseness or play.

 

Im with Chris on this one! If the play is in the pitman shaft (a good possibility) all the adjustment in the world wont help. Be afraid be verry afraid . No more than one eight turn cause you can ruin a box with too much