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Hey guys I've run into a little problem. I have an 04 2wd and just got a new Fabtech 6in installed. It rides and drives great with the exception of one thing; the steering wheel is off center. The shop that I had it installed at does not have an alignment machine, therefore they advised me to get it aligned. Coming out of the shop I could feel the truck pull to the right. Nothing too bad but it was definitely noticeable. So this morning I took it to ford to get an alignment. Now the steering wheel is off 90 degrees. It drives straight and does not pull in this position but its definitely not what I was hoping for. When I came back to pick it up after dropping it off this morning he had it on the rack and pointed out a problem with my tie rod ends. One was apparently to long, and the other a little short? He advised that trim the long one 1in and bring it back because he could not properly align it. I've never heard of this problem before and was wondering if any of you have ever ran into this. I have included pictures and diagrams out of the instruction manual for the lift as well as a link to the instructions. Any input is appreciated.
No do not trim them! That dealer is an idiot! You have plenty of threads left on your inner tie rod to adjust them and get your steering wheel straight. The shop is just to lazy to get your steering wheel straight with the toe!
lol what is this ****? I've never heard of this before...A lift just lowers the subframe and keeps the same relative geometry. If the toe was fine before, it should be fine after. They simply didn't set your steering wheel straight when they did the alignment.
Call the service manager and have it fixed on their dime. Super ridiculous.
Thanks for the help guys. So turns out I had a ball joint out and that was why it did not align. I took it to Gateway tire in Nashville and they diagnosed it, I replaced the ball joint, and then they aligned it for me. Not sure why a Ford mechanic was not able to spot the problem in the first place but whatever. Got it fixed and it drives spectacular. I've noticed a huge difference in ride quality between it and the previously installed leveling kit.
Screw the long one in and the short on out equal numbers of turns until your steering wheel straightens out. Looks like they just adjusted one tie rod until the toe in was correct without taking into account the steering rack and steering wheel being centered. So if the truck alignment is good, if you unscrew the short tie rod 3 turns, screw the long one in 3 turns until the wheel is straight for example.just go equal numbers and tighten the jam nut and drive it down the street and check steering wheel position.
05-21-2015, 07:42 PM
Trimming Tie Rod Ends to Align After Lift
