I want to tighten up the steering play in my Bronco. Is it as easy as it looks? From what I've read so far, you loosen the locking nut, then turn the screw IN a quarter turn, drive to check, then repeat as necessary.
It kind of gives me the creeps messing with the steering.
John
You can do that up to a point. Turn it in too much and you will create excessive wear. They are designed to be "tight" when on center and have slightly more clearance off center. When they are worn most of the wear is in the on-center area so if you tighten that so it's "tight" it could wind up too tight in the off-center portion. So check the full range as you go.
when you say "on center" do you mean the front wheels on center, or the steering wheel on center?
He means the STEERING GEAR on center.
STEERING GEAR? Is that the gear in the steering box? How do I tell if the steering gear is on center? I'm beginning to think I better not fool with it. What do you think, Tom? Is it something someone untrained can do safely?
John
Since it might allow or prevent the steering gear to work properly in a fast maneuver (like trying to *NOT* hit someone or something), I wouldn't play with it.
Steering boxes are kinda loose compared to Rack and Pinion systems. I just compared my 99 Grand Marquis (steering box) to a 07 Grand Marquis (R&P), and there's quite a difference in steering play.
When the wheels are pointing straight ahead.
On Sun, 01 Jul 2007 18:53:11 -0700, Ashton Crusher wrote:
Not necessarily if someone has aligned the wheels without centering the steering first. Many are lazy and set the steering wheel straight ahead and align the wheels to the steering wheel which is usually pretty close. If, however, the gearbox has ever been replaced, or the Pittman arm replaced, the gearbox may not have been correctly centered at installation. If needs to be checked by turning lock to lock and finding the center just to be sure the entire steering system is assembled correctly. If centered, it should turn almost exactly the same turns to left and right. The steering travel can be stopped by either the steering stops or the travel limits of the gearbox itself. If there is any uncertainty of whether or not the box or steering is doing the stopping, the Pittman arm should be removed to find the center of the gearbox. I've seen the things off by a half turn because of someone replacing the pittman arm incorrectly. The FSM gives the correct procedure for doing this. If the gearbox is not centered and the slack adjusted, the steering will want to lock as it goes over the high spot at it's center which can be rather exciting after turning a corner or if you need to steer that direction quickly. If the gearbox is not centered when the wheels are aligned, there will be an apparent excess slack when the wheels are pointed straight ahead. It would be a mistake to try to adjust this out. Also, it is not recommended that the adjustment be backed up once it is tightened as internal damage can occur. That is why it must be done incrementally by the numbers. Adjusting the gearbox without following the correct procedure is a crapshoot that can be expensive if not done correctly. BTDT.
I am not trying to throw a monkey wrench into the fact that most vehicles can be checked and adjusted after a quick lock to lock operation of the steering wheel to make sure it makes the trip closely. If it is off much, the basic setup needs to be checked.
The OP also needs to be sure he checks the frame around the gearbox for any signs of cracking or the mounting bolts working loose as these were a bit of a problem on that vintage.
Lugnut
Thanks for a straight answer Lugnut. John
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