'93 Full-size Bronco

the tires first and then the front end alignment...

Sorry for not including - tires r brand new, Bridgestone Dueler Revos, alignment is fresh.

NES

Replace the radius arm bushings with polyurathane. It seems to help a lot to tighten up the front end. 130K is about the life of them.

over-inflated ?

never mind what the guy at the shop says is 'correct'

drop the pressures a couple pounds at a time, all around, and see if it improves

Thanks for the input. I seriously doubt my problem has anything to do with tires as this has been a problem for at least a couple years now. I previously had Pathfinder tires and ran them at a range of pressures (from 50psi to 35psi). I now have Bridgestones and have run them from

45psi to 35psi (current at 45psi). This wandering problem was an issue prior to an alignment that was done a couple years ago. I also had this problem with an '81 Bronco I once owned. I've been able to minimize the wandering by snugging up the steering box with about a half turn on the adjustment screw. Prior to this adjustment, the wandering was magnified by the travel in the steering wheel.

To describe the problem further, I can hold the wheel straight, drive down a straight road and still have to make nearly constant adjustments to continue on a straight line. Also, when turning, I'll feel the truck begin to turn slightly harder even though I haven't moved the steering wheel any further.

Something simply feels worn in the front end thus allowing the wheels to turn slightly left or right without my input.

NES

Ahhhh. My revos on my F350 CC wander. They need to wear down a little. Now I'm 95% certain the problem is tires.

Could be tires. My '92 Bronco has 200,000 miles and it is OK. Your's is like brand new.

I've found very few front end guys can do a competent front end alignment on these Ford trucks. I had my Bronco on the same front end shop's lift 6 times and they still could not get it to ride as well as it did before they aligned it. They said it was tires, they sold me the ones that were on it, I said bolt on a new set and see if it fixes it? They did, it didn't. After much asking around and getting someone to agree to do it and only charge me if he could fix it, I had another shop to do it right. When that alignment was done right it was like magic, no parts or tires needed, like a new Bronco. That shop closed down and I lost contact with that mechanic... That was only one incident, I've half a dozen crappy front end alignment experiences with my Ford Broncos and F-150s. Don't except the work if it is not perfect.

Good luck

i bought my friends 1989 fs bronco and it wandered all over ad i had to constantly correct it. exactly as you described. I and a friend rotated the steering wheel back and forth and found the steering box shaft and the pitmanarm were worn loose and had a lot of slack.

to test this, i had a sheet metal shop cut me three small 1/4 inch wide stainless steel pieces about 22 guage and i dropped the pitman arm. then i inserted one shim between the shaft and arm and tightened the nut to force the pitman arm back on the shaft with the shin being pulled in. Idrove it next and it was like a miracle. perfect The proper fix was to replace the worn pitman arm and the worn steering box. However, i have been driving it 4 mos now. this includes 200 or more in the back trails of my hunting country. never loosened up and is still tight and tracks perfect. fix it right thoug as soon as the money tree appears. old john

Could it be a toe-in adjustment?

NES

My F250 used to wander a lot . It turned out to be the slip-joint (cant think of the correct name) on the steering column just above the steering box. Have a friend move the steering wheel back and forth while you watch under the hood. You'll be able to see if its loose. Paul

Steering intermediate shaft, I think