Steering off after rock play (1 Viewer)

[UWdave]

So I spent a little time on the rock in my last outing. At one point I really had to reef on the steering wheel. Well, when I got to the road I noticed my wheel was now 15deg clockwise when going straight.

Front & rear links/arms -
Look good. No bends. Everything looks normal.

Sector shaft -
Was really worried about this one but after a lot of inspection, I don't think this is the problem. I've cleaned the area really well and I just can't see anything abnormal about the splines. We'll keep this on the list as "possible".

Steering linkage (from wheel to box) -
I was looking everything over and noticed that the firewall gasket/mounting is completely ripped loose. Playing with it, this could be throwing off the steering a bit. I figured it wasn't a bad place to start; it is obviously bad.

Part #45292

 

[Frankencruiser]

I don't think the firewall gasket has anything to do with steering allignment. If you really yanked on the steering wheel while it was stuck, well that's how you bend the sector shaft.

 

[Sc0-]

I vote sector shaft or a slight bend in the tie-rod or relay rod especially if the are stock.

 

[UWdave]

The reason I think the firewall gasket may be playing a part is because right now the column sits lower.

May not be everything, but it is something.

Tie-rod and relay stock. No toe, so I don't think it is tie rod.

 

[Kernal]

The firewall seal is soft rubber, from reading a few threads and looking at my own they disintegrate over time. Here's a couple of photos of an old seal in place and a new seal.

 

[UWdave]

Is the seal hard to replace? I haven't pulled out the manual to see where to break the column. Maybe I have something else wrong with the column too. Mine is sitting very low in the hole and has lots of play.

Maybe I'll take the opportunity to just upgrade the links. I think I'll call up SLEE and place an order.

For the sector shaft I'll need to go and borrow a fork & puller from the auto store. I've been hitting it with PB blaster for the last couple of days, so hopefully that helps some.

 

[MAD MARK 80]

I don't know what's your problem it is you think it's #45292.

You say toe in/out is fine but steering is 15 degree clockwise off, then you can adjust relay rod make little longer. Slight bend on relay rod or links damaged who knows, that's how you can adjust it, it's nothing to do with tie rod so you can try many times you want to till you get steering wheel center. One end is RH screw other end LH screw so you can turn center tube to adjusted it.

 

[UWdave]

I don't know what's your problem it is you think it's #45292.

You say toe in/out is fine but steering is 15 degree clockwise off, then you can adjust relay rod make little longer. Slight bend on relay rod or links damaged who knows, that's how you can adjust it, it's nothing to do with tie rod so you can try many times you want to till you get steering wheel center. One end is RH screw other end LH screw so you can turn center tube to adjusted it.

I could just adjust the relay rod, but it scares me because I really want to fix the problem, not just fix the symptom.

If something did get bent/damaged, it is more likely to fail the next time I go out. A slightly bent rod in compression is much weaker than a straight one. And broken sector shafts are no fun on the trail.

 

[kidglove13]

A bent rod is not a big deal and I have wheeled on a bent rod hard with no ill effects
The sector shaft would be my main concern if it were twisted

 

[Shipwreck]

If both the tie rod and relay rods are straight as you say and there is no indication of twist in the sector shaft, the next place I would look is the splined connections of the steering shaft itself. Specifically in your diagram above, check that bolts #90119-08560 are tight at #45209 as well as the clamp at the steering box input shaft. If you have the front wheels jammed as you described and continue to torque the steering wheel, the force can spread those clamps enough that the shaft jumps a spline. It leaves no evidence aside from the cocked steering wheel. The steering will still be tight with no play, and all the linkage will still be straight.

This was a recurring problem on my FJ40 until I replaced the clamping bolts and torqued them TIGHT.

 

[thisbugger]

This is what normally happens to me when I play in the rocks.

 

[UWdave]

Battle w/ friction

So I finally got a good chunk of free time to work on the FJ.

1) Autozone $15 pitman arm puller

2) Pulling the pitman arm was not easy. PB Blaster, tighten the puller, whack with hammer, more PB Blaster, tighten the puller more, more whacks with hammer... After a while with this routine, I notices the hooks on my puller are starting to bend (cheap pot metal crap). Time to break out the MAP. Torch, hammer, torch, hammer... I had almost given up hope but then I realized it budged a tiny bit! Retightened the puller and a few more hammer whacks and it was on the floor.

3) Inspected the sector shaft and it was perfect, no twirl, no rounding of teeth, nothing. Chalk this one up as "a good learning experience".

4) Next I went to the steering shaft. I looked at all 4 splined joints and saw no signs of anything abnormal. I even loosened the clamp and pulled them back a little and all of the splines looked fine. I tried pulling the joints apart to realign the wheel, but I couldn't pull the splines out of the socket. Tried at 45203A by the box and the 45210/45209 union. It felt like there was a snap ring or something. The splined would slide easily in/out partially but then hit a hard stop.

5) Giving up on the steering shaft, I addjusted the drag link so the steering wheel was straight.

Test drive. While the wheel is now centered, the rig still seems to pull a little to the right. To make sure it wasn't street crowning, I did some parking lot testing as well. It isn't bad. In fact I've driven peoples daily drivers that felt worse. But it really annoys me.

So now I'm thinking: Do I have a tow issue? I did a crude measurements and it seemed ok. ( measure PS front of tire to DS front of tire, compare with back of tire)

 

[-Spike-]

To separate the steering shaft, you have to completely remove the clamping bolts. They fit in a machined groove in the shaft, the shaft won't come apart if the bolts are in the holes. FWIW you shouldn't need to pull those joints apart anyway, you did the right thing by adjusting the (relay) rod ends to straighten the wheel.

You may have to go to an alignment shop to find out why the truck pulls to one side.

 

[UWdave]

To separate the steering shaft, you have to completely remove the clamping bolts. They fit in a machined groove in the shaft, the shaft won't come apart if the bolts are in the holes. FWIW you shouldn't need to pull those joints apart anyway, you did the right thing by adjusting the (relay) rod ends to straighten the wheel.

You may have to go to an alignment shop to find out why the truck pulls to one side.

That's some good info there. I searched the FSM and couldn't find anything about this. I thought there might be some sort of snap ring like in the birf/axle union.

 

[Tapage]

did you raise both of your front tires in order to check if there is any knuckle play .. I mean wheel bearing or knuckle bearing giving up ?

 

[nuclearlemon]

boot is easy to replace. you've got ujoints both inside and outside the cab. i pulled the shaft completely out and cleaned it up when i did mine.