“Drunk Steering”

[Tankerz250]

Alright, that was a good read if I do say so myself, I’ll make sure that’s what we try this time, if not I’ll try again next week, man i guess it pays off for only paying for alignments in beer, beef sticks and a big bag of peanuts

 

[EDankievitch]

I agree with everything in that write up. The factory specs I referred to are from the 1989 factory manual not the current one. That manual does not give toe in in degrees but in inches. Also those trucks had free wheeling hubs. Some where along the way they changed the spec’s probably when the did away with the free wheeling hubs. Non free wheeling hubs have more drag and might require slightly more toe in? I have found 1/16” toe into work very well on my trucks with the free wheeling hub kits. Every tire shop that has put tires on my truck has tried to tell me my alignment is way off. I have to tell them not to screw with my truck. Keep in mind any shop that sells tires is not going to set your truck up to make the tires last longer.

 

[Fastback67]

Good article for 94 and newer, but my 1st Gen axle doesn't have ball joints, or adjustable upper and lower control arms, it has King Pins.

 

[Ozymandias]

Good article for 94 and newer, but my 1st Gen axle doesn't have ball joints, or adjustable upper and lower control arms, it has King Pins.

Correct your old style is even tighter and more rigid then the newer ones.
It all depends on to have a solid tie rod, means T steering. Then all this vehicles are good for Zero toe in.

And that of course all of the axle assembly is free of any play or worn parts.

Only difference is that your leaf spring setup need wedges to correct caster if needed.

 

[Jet Tech]

To troubleshoot if its bad u-joints I will usually lock the hubs but leave the transfer case in 2WD and take it for a ride. Also, if I don't use the 4WD for a while I will do the same thing on occasion to keep the u-joints loose.

 

[CrewCabDiesel]

1st Gens also have a very weak frame in the front and have a lot of flex at the gearbox, a DSS will brace up the frame and gearbox. Also did you install drop pitman arm when you did the lift? That could result in "bump steer" issues. But most common wandering issues are caused by bad axle u-joints. It doesn't take much binding of a singe bearing cup to mess with your steering, only way to know for sure is take out each axle shaft and move it around. I did this every 25K miles (We lived in Muskegon Michigan) while repacking wheel bearings and new seals.

 

[Mikey-KE7LBB]

I have a similar issue with my '92 W-350. No funky tire wear on the front end, and everything that moves was replaced a couple of years ago.

My issue is that the steering never returns to center, when I let go of the wheel.... I suspect my "new" gearbox was bad right out of the box! Steering is super tight, and stays on course wherever I point the wheel.... New power steering pump also growls the same as the OE one did.

 

[sdeeter19555]

Just for giggles, loosen all the spring shackle bolts with it on the ground and then retorque...if they were tightened with the suspension hanging, that will cause all sorts of handling issues (ask me how I know)...

 

[shortsub]

All things previously mentioned are good for your to check. Originally you mentioned you “thought” it had an aftermarket steering shaft, did you ever confirm?
The borgeson shaft helped mine big time.
With your truck being lifted, I would highly suggest you check caster.
Most people tend to focus on driveline/pinion angle more so than caster.

With crossover you remove the frame adapter at the steering box those are prone to crack but yes check all around the frame area there for cracks. I actually cleaned up my frame rails/gussets and welded them.

With my latest revision on my 93 I did an all new crossover setup, borgeson shaft, I built my own delrin spring bushings, and rolled my caster back some.

This truck drives better than it ever did in the past 10 years. I’d give it a strict 7-8 out of 10.