Attention: TDR Forum Junkies I have been reading every thread and post on front end problems for the past year (well OK, 95% of them). I have had something wrong, but it did not seem to relate to anything everyone else was posting. I checked all of the suggested items and "found no fault".
Well, yesterday afternoon, I asked a friend to help me check the toe-in before I took it to an alignment shop (Not wanting to spend the $50 plus dollars). After a couple of trips to his side of the truck to ensure proper tape measure position (I was getting screwy readings on my side), I decided it was towed in too much. I loosened the clamps and turned the adjuster out, drove forward, remeasure, readjust, etc. When I had the toe where I thought it should be, I went to re-tighten the clamps. I re-tightened them as tight as they had come from the factory. I still had some play between the adjusting collar and the right hand tie rod. (You could take your hand and wiggle the tie rod up and down and see it "bend/kink" at that side of the adjuster. )
Back to the shop for some oil and the air wrench. Needless to say, the play is now all gone and there is no "Loose steering" as before.
I guess the take home message here is,----I had never touched the toe in adjustment or the adjuster clamps before (nor had anyone else), yet there was play on that end of the adjuster. Perhaps they were only marginally tightened from the factory??? Somehow, play/slop developed over time/use!!! As meticulous as I usually am about this sort of thing, I am somewhat embarassed to relate this story. However, I have received so many bits of good advise, either through someone else's misfortune here, or years of accumulated knowledge "shared" with the rest of us, that I just had to tell this story at my own expense. If it only helps one other TDR member, I can stand the shame.
Well, yesterday afternoon, I asked a friend to help me check the toe-in before I took it to an alignment shop (Not wanting to spend the $50 plus dollars). After a couple of trips to his side of the truck to ensure proper tape measure position (I was getting screwy readings on my side), I decided it was towed in too much. I loosened the clamps and turned the adjuster out, drove forward, remeasure, readjust, etc. When I had the toe where I thought it should be, I went to re-tighten the clamps. I re-tightened them as tight as they had come from the factory. I still had some play between the adjusting collar and the right hand tie rod. (You could take your hand and wiggle the tie rod up and down and see it "bend/kink" at that side of the adjuster. )
Back to the shop for some oil and the air wrench. Needless to say, the play is now all gone and there is no "Loose steering" as before.
I guess the take home message here is,----I had never touched the toe in adjustment or the adjuster clamps before (nor had anyone else), yet there was play on that end of the adjuster. Perhaps they were only marginally tightened from the factory??? Somehow, play/slop developed over time/use!!! As meticulous as I usually am about this sort of thing, I am somewhat embarassed to relate this story. However, I have received so many bits of good advise, either through someone else's misfortune here, or years of accumulated knowledge "shared" with the rest of us, that I just had to tell this story at my own expense. If it only helps one other TDR member, I can stand the shame.
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