Hi Everyone, I have a 1989 F150, 302 V8, 4x4, 5speed manual, Short Box, Regular Cab.

I have an issue that I have just been throwing time and money at and I really need to track down the problem. Since I bought my truck the steering has always felt loose so I replaced the ball joints, tie rods, wheel bearings, steering gear box and got an alignment but my truck will still not drive straight. It tends to wander or kind of turn on it's own and when I try to steer the truck with the wheel sometimes a small turn of the wheel makes the truck do nothing or it makes it do a lot. I recently drove my truck up to Vermont from Tennessee for Thanksgiving and I really need this fixed, the 2,000+ miles I drove was down right dangerous!

I should also note that when I was changing the ball joints I also added Rough Country leveling springs which raise the front end about 1.5 inches. To compensate for that I got Moog camber bushings which can adjust the camber and caster and my alignment shop was able to put everything back within specification. I also tried adjusting the rebuild steering gearbox and it doesn't seem to help anything.

Thanks in advance.

Cheers!
Alex

 

I had the same thing happen to me when I was trying to adjust a little play out of my steering wheel. I went too far on the steering gear box adjustment, backed it off around a half of a turn and all is fine now. Just be careful that you hold the adjustment screw still, while you tighten up the big nut Also hold the smaller adjusting bolt still when you loosen up the big nut, or it will move when you loosen it........

 

The alignment shop SHOULD have identified the source of the wander before doing the alignment. I'd go back & complain to them.