Ned advice from the "slicksperts"

rbcyouthdude · Post by **rbcyouthdude** » March 1, 2007, 12:34 pm

My front tires are starting to wear on the outer edges. the passenger side faster than the drivers. I jacked it up and found a slight amount of slack and it is coming from the steering box, Very slight.

1. Is this a toe in or out situation or caster camber? it looks feathered.
2. Can you adjust the box with the nut and screw on top and if so how?

Michael

ICEMAN6166 · Post by **ICEMAN6166** » March 1, 2007, 12:56 pm

i would have the toe-in checked first.lots of times tie rod ends get replaced and no alignment other than with a tape measure is done.
you can adjust the steering box with the screw, but that should be after everything else is looked at including the kingpins.

Slick Fan · Post by **Slick Fan** » March 1, 2007, 1:27 pm

Worn radius arm bushings can cause the toe adjustment to change too, by allowing the I-beam to move back & forth a little.

ezernut9mm · Post by **ezernut9mm** » March 1, 2007, 9:12 pm

i would check the toe as well. i have done a few tie rod end replacements with the "count the thread" method and never got around to having them properly aligned and got the same wear pattern as your describing.

64 f100 · Post by **64 f100** » March 2, 2007, 10:37 am

The wear you mention is not from the gear box, and care must be taken when tightening the screw. Too tight , and you end up with binding when straight on, causing problems with holding the truck straight and you fight the wheel. You need someone to help you check out the entire front end, starting with all tie rod ends, and king pins. Excessive play in any of these will negate any adjustements in the long run. With the truck on the ground, have someone rock your steering wheel back and forth, while you hold each steering knuckle. Wrap your hand around the knuckle and attaching part, you can feel any play in the joint by feeling the movement. Do every one, and make sure that the wheel is rocked enough to throw force on the joint. Next jack up one side at a time, and check king pins by grabbing the tire at top and bottom, and forcing it in and out respectively. This may give you a false reading, as you may have loose wheel bearings, so try is side to side also. If you have loose wheel bearings you will have it both ways. In which case you may need to tighten the wheel bearings first, and then recheck kingpins. I don't know which year truck you have, but basically, it sounds like toe in adjustment problems. However, all these things need to be checked periodically, once a year possibly. Incidently, something metioned once before, grease you kingpins with the truck axle jacked up and no weight on the wheel. This allows the grease to fill in where the pressure points are. Be sure to make sure all rubber bushings are in good shape. I found an unusual problem on my grandsons truck a couple days ago ( 66 ). Someone had run into something , and bent the straight piece reinforcment coming off the crossmember. I had to straighten this to put the I-beam pivot back where it belonged. Surprisingly the tires had not worn badly.

Rich

Slick Fan · Post by **Slick Fan** » March 2, 2007, 2:34 pm

That's a good post, Rich. :thumright:

rbcyouthdude · Post by **rbcyouthdude** » March 2, 2007, 6:27 pm

See, that's why I love this place. You are the slicksperts to me. I will check all of this very soon.

thanks
Michael