Question regarding heavy steering

[87warrior]

I finally had the opportunity to take my 100 to the San Juans last weekend for a brief trip. I bought this vehicle in January and have been repairing/replacing parts as you would expect on a high mileage 100. It is a pleasure to drive down the highway and doesn't complain one bit.

When I drove 550 from Ouray to Silverton I noticed some heavy handling that I haven't been able to 'un-notice' since. When taking low speed turns, less than 30 mph, the front end seems to dive quite abit. This results in heavy steering input that doesn't seem smooth. When on 550, I didn't enjoy the drive as much as I did 2 months ago in my lifted Jeep with aired down tires and the front sway bar disconnected.

Is the front end dive typical for a stock 100? What about the heavy feel while making a quick turn at slow speeds? It has 265k miles on it and I have replaced the steering rack/big bushing, sway bar bushings and end links, ball joints, new Toyota shocks and did a bearing repack 18k miles ago. The steering shaft 'u joints' were tight when I did the rack.

It has 3/4" of forward rake and the alignment is good running on 265/75R16 Cooper AT3 tires.

Thanks in advance for your help and suggestions.

 

[DirtDawg]

Can you give us a little more info about your setup? Year? Lifted? How much weight were you carrying?

If you fill out your signature, it will help us to help you more!

How bad is the dive? If you were carrying a ton of weight on torsion bars with 265k, I could definitely see the front end diving.

 

[87warrior]

Can you give us a little more info about your setup? Year? Lifted? How much weight were you carrying?

If you fill out your signature, it will help us to help you more!

How bad is the dive? If you were carrying a ton of weight on torsion bars with 265k, I could definitely see the front end diving.

It's a 99, stock. Hauling 415lb of passengers (2 passengers and a dog), a small cooler and a 50lb winch setup in the front bumper. Pretty unremarkable compared to some of the rigs here.

I cannot judge the distance the front end dives, but I'd guess it is double or triple the distance of the natural sway in the rear. Do torsion bars 'sag' or loose spring rate as they age like a coil spring? When I bought the 100 (at 246k) the front end sat 2 1/4" lower than the rear. I'm not sure if that was factory sag overtime or not since the tbars had some alignment markings on them from the original owner. I cranked on the tbars prior to my alignment so the front end sits 3/4" lower than the rear. The ride is fantastic on the road, and trail, when pointed straight

 

[jLB]

I've been driving an 06 LX, w/ VGRS, for the last 10 years.

About 2 years ago, when we were looking for a LC/LX for my son, some of LC/LX vehicles that we test drove seemed to have very sluggish/heavy steering below 30MPH. We ended up purchasing a 2000 LC for my son. The steering was not as pleasant as my 06 LX, but it wasn't nearly as bad as some of the others that we drove. We replaced the rack bushings, added some aftermarket UCAs to get the caster back in line, and just assumed that the difference between the 06 LX and 00 LC was just VGRS vs. non-VGRS. This past summer, my son's power steering pump went out. We rebuilt the power steering pump and steering rack, and WOW what a difference! At this point, I think I like my son's non-VGRS better than my VGRS steering.

 

[87warrior]

@jLB Thank you for your insight! I suspect the power steering pump is a viable culprit for the heavy steering. I see no record of the pump being serviced by the original owner's maintenance records. My pump nosier than I am accustomed to in other vehicles and at lock it really bellers. Is the pump rebuild an afternoon type of job?

 

[jLB]

@jLB Thank you for your insight! I suspect the power steering pump is a viable culprit for the heavy steering. I see no record of the pump being serviced by the original owner's maintenance records. Mine pump nosier then I am accustomed to in other vehicles and at lock it really bellers. Is the pump rebuild an afternoon type of job?

I was pressed for time, so I cheated and had a local specialty shop rebuild the pump & rack

 

[DirtDawg]

I will say this: if your running a winch, passengers, camping gear, etc, you should look into some heavier duty TBs. While not necessary, they will handle the weight a ton better.

 

[crimsonaudio]

Hmm, I'm running stock TBs (cranked) with a Slee front bumper, 12k winch (synthetic), and Slee skid plate - steering / handling still feels almost exactly like it did before the changes.

 

[DirtDawg]

Hmm, I'm running stock TBs (cranked) with a Slee front bumper, 12k winch (synthetic), and Slee skid plate - steering / handling still feels almost exactly like it did before the changes.

Stock shocks?

I think most on this forum will agree that if your running bumpers, winch, plus all your gear, that a heavier TB will handle the weight much better than the 10+ year old stock TB. It's just a given. Not trying to say your set up is wrong, just that the aftermarket Tbs handle weight better.

 

[2001LC]

@jLB Thank you for your insight! I suspect the power steering pump is a viable culprit for the heavy steering. I see no record of the pump being serviced by the original owner's maintenance records. My pump nosier than I am accustomed to in other vehicles and at lock it really bellers. Is the pump rebuild an afternoon type of job?

Flushing with 1qt of M1 full synthetic MV ATF, has always quiet down power steering pumps for me. Repeat three time, once every 300 to 500 hundred miles seem to work best. Make sure to start by cleaning reservoir.

 

[crimsonaudio]

Stock shocks?

I think most on this forum will agree that if your running bumpers, winch, plus all your gear, that a heavier TB will handle the weight much better than the 10+ year old stock TB. It's just a given. Not trying to say your set up is wrong, just that the aftermarket Tbs handle weight better.

Yup, relatively new OEM shocks.

I may well upgrade these in the future, but paflyter had this set up for a while and contends it was his favorite - it really rides nicely and the offered performance is very good. I may eventually go aftermarket, but for now the truck rides great (which is why I posted about it).

 

[jrmudder92]

What was the outcome of this?

 

[87warrior]

What was the outcome of this?

I have not attempted the recommended flush that @2001LC outlined, nor have I replaced /rebuilt the power steering pump or upgraded the suspension. When I installed a new rack last March, I did flush out the old power steering fluid with new. Short of a miracle, I believe the only fix will be to rebuild or replace the power steering pump. The cruiser still has that 'heavy' feeling under 30mph when making a turn. I believe my cruiser tends to dive some in turns, probably due to the tbars loosing spring rate due to age, but a weak power steering pump is what is giving it that 'heavy' feeling when turning at lower speeds.