79 k30 steering rebuild

[Lu Blunt]

got all the new parts installed. didnt realize i would have to relocate the spare tire but ill mount it to the flat bed somewhere, for now its in the back seat. dropped the truck off friday at the alignment shop, hopefully done today. heres a few pics.... before n after

 

[Lu Blunt]

moar pics

 

[NOPHO84K30]

love ord's stuff ive gotten alot from them. ill probly do the shackle flip next. also looking at ((diy4x))a bomb winch plate spring holder for my warn m1200 my front spring bolt holes are oblong..

 

[kickdeez]

^ Agreed. I have bought a bunch of stuff from them also. I have found their website to be a good list of upgrades to do along the way. But if you search around, you can find very similar products and kits for considerably cheaper in some cases.

 

[Lu Blunt]

I agree similar parts can be had for cheaper but I like the quality of ORD n they have good customer support. Drove the truck all week to work n back n I'm very impressed with the ride. Even with hd springs up front it's still soft enough to be comfortable on or off road. After the alignment the truck drove very straight n no more death wobble!!! Couldn't be happier. My only concern is the steering wheel seems to be drifting more n more off center from when I picked it up from the alignment shop. To drive straight my steerring wheel is at like 2oclock. Should I take it back for another alignment ?

 

[Lu Blunt]

Bad news.... Had a death wobble today slowing down from 40mph or so. Not near as severe as before the steering n suspension work. Idk why this is happening. Could the alignment be getting off ? I drive a pretty rough road the last mile to work, maybe something settled or broke in and now the alignment is off? Steering gear box has no more play than my 89 k30 which does not death wobble. Brakes are strong n can lock up tires without pulling to either side. Also my heater core n passenger head light went out this week lol.

This truck is my best friend, I have to solve the death wobble. Even far right field ideas are appreciated

 

[Lu Blunt]

Drove it the 50 mile trip to town today. Havin the tires balanced n then back to the alignment shop to address the steering wheel at 2oclcock. Just want to eliminate the wheels n tires as being the sorce of the death wobble

 

[kickdeez]

Balancing your tires is definitely a good thing to do at this point. It is very possible that an out of balance tire, or worn out tire could cause this wobble. I hope this fixes the problem for you.

If it doesn't, the next thing I would check would be wheel bearings. Lift the truck up, and check to see if there is any play in the hubs by wiggling the wheels. Also, check to see if the hubs/tires/wheels get warm after driving for a period of time. Most times a bad wheel bearing, or improper bearing pre-load would cause friction inside the hub, and result in the hub getting warm.

 

[kickdeez]

Did the balancing and alignment help?

 

[Lu Blunt]

I'm not saying rebalancing and a second alignment didn't help but the shake is still there. It really only does it when I'm on the brake now. Not severe enough to make normal driving dangerous but still there non the less. I checked, my mechanic checked, and the alignment shop double checked wheel bearings. Quick list of what has been checked or fixed
1. Tires
2. Tire Pressure
3. Tire Balance
4. Alignment
5. Sway bar
6. Leaf springs/bushings/hangers
7. Tie Rod
8. Drag Link
9. Kingpins
10. Steering Damper
11. Wheel bearings
12. Front driveshaft
13. Rear driveshaft
14. Front Axle ujoints

I'm pretty sure my power steering pump is going out. It leaks a lot n whines. Sometimes it's like I'm turning the steering wheel too fast for the wheels. After driving for a week my steering wheel is losing center and the alignment is no longer perfect. meaning if I let go of the steering wheel it'll pull right just alittle. Is this a sign of steering gear box failure? My plan of attack is
1. Cab mount bushings
2. Power steering pump
3. Steering gear box ?
4. Front Brake calipers

After the holidays I'll call the alignment shop n see what they think is causing the truck to loose it's alignment.

 

[highdesertrange]

well the steering gear should have been inspected right off. also the frame where it mounts. also check the rotors for run out. highdesertranger

 

[crazy4offroad]

Death wobble is always related to caster. Alignment shops anymore seem to only want to deal with toe-in. At stock lift, 2 degrees of shim may have made it go away (shimming pinion up). With the lift 2 or 4 degrees should work. I have 6" lift and 4 degrees made mine go away. I had completely redid my kingpins, springs and bushings, did the ORD crossover kit and finally searched enough to learn I needed to shim the pinion up. Tire air pressure can affect it too. Airing down 5-10 lbs can help in a pinch when you're out and about. Hope this helps.

 

[Lu Blunt]

well the steering gear should have been inspected right off. also the frame where it mounts. also check the rotors for run out. highdesertranger

The frame n steering gear box were checked when the steering brace from ORD was installed. Is there a way I can inspect the steering gear again? Steering isn't loose but it's slowly getting moar out of alignment. The steering gear is one of the few unreplaced parts. Rotor runout sounds very similar to my symptoms. But it doesn't do it every time I press the brake. The truck is a k30 so it has hydroboost.... Could the power steering pump be causing problems in steering and braking?

 

[Lu Blunt]

Death wobble is always related to caster. Alignment shops anymore seem to only want to deal with toe-in. At stock lift, 2 degrees of shim may have made it go away (shimming pinion up). With the lift 2 or 4 degrees should work. I have 6" lift and 4 degrees made mine go away. I had completely redid my kingpins, springs and bushings, did the ORD crossover kit and finally searched enough to learn I needed to shim the pinion up. Tire air pressure can affect it too. Airing down 5-10 lbs can help in a pinch when you're out and about. Hope this helps.

I will look deeper into the shimming. It death wobbled before and after the 2" lift.

 

[ehr400]

Steering stabilizer should be replaced. I put a Rancho on my '89 V3500 after replacing springs, bushings, PS pump, steering box, drag link. Still never got rid of it until I replaced the stabilizer. Zero issues now.