FOUND IT! '86 K5, 2 1/2" Jacked Front, Rear Stock Height ... etc.....

[59840Surfer]

I had a set of 'snow plow' assist springs on the front and the ride height was OK for many years (over 20) ... but they just got tired or I did ... so I got a new full set of leaves with a 2 1/2"-3" rise, urethane bushings, new shox and yet ....

..... I still feel like I'm driving a unicycle with no real directional stability. It just doesn't seem to stick to the road and I wind up pinballing the white lines on both sides of the road.

Everything's tight -- new balls and tierod ends and new Pittman, etc., yet I feel like I'm driving nose-down with zero KPI or not enuff caster to make it stable.

The hubs are good - at least there's no play or noises ... and everything takes grease well ..... tires are newish LT245x75R16 E rated @65lbs pressure all around.

I'm thinking of adding some 2 1/2 degree shims --- anyone else agree?

 

[77 K20]

Do you have a drop pitman arm? If the road is perfectly smooth is driving ok? And only once there are some dips and bumps then it starts to pull/wander?

Might just have bumpsteer.

 

[Bextreme04]

I had a set of 'snow plow' assist springs on the front and the ride height was OK for many years (over 20) ... but they just got tired or I did ... so I got a new full set of leaves with a 2 1/2"-3" rise, urethane bushings, new shox and yet ....

..... I still feel like I'm driving a unicycle with no real directional stability. It just doesn't seem to stick to the road and I wind up pinballing the white lines on both sides of the road.

Everything's tight -- new balls and tierod ends and new Pittman, etc., yet I feel like I'm driving nose-down with zero KPI or not enuff caster to make it stable.

The hubs are good - at least there's no play or noises ... and everything takes grease well ..... tires are newish LT245x75R16 E rated @65lbs pressure all around.

I'm thinking of adding some 2 1/2 degree shims --- anyone else agree?

Have you had an alignment done? What were the numbers?

 

[59840Surfer]

The pitman is in very good shape - always was, really --- and the snowplow springs were on the truck for over 20 years with no bad symptoms before this time.

Now with fresh springs --- installed because I thought my old plow springs were shot (they actually dropped a lot) and that by adding new stronger springs it would help the "unicycle feel" (which it still has and has had only for the past 6 months or so) created no new symptoms -------- nor did it make things better.

The parts are all new-ish if not outright new and all are tight, take grease lubrication and the steering box is fresh because it leaked so badly - that's all.

None of the new parts made it any easier to drive in a straight line.

Everywhere I look and squeeze and push and pull --- shows up good or new or very good --- and that's the big mystery.

The Pitman arm has never been an issue and I don't suspect it is now --- and besides --- it's not really bump-steering anyway --- it's just the straight line vagueness and feeling like I'm not attached to the front wheels through the steering wheel -- and that's all the time.

New parts:
1. Two front/right ball joints with Zerks
2. Reman'd steering box
3. New steering dampener --- a good named part -- cannot recall at the mo.
4. 10Ply LT "E" rated tires all around --- stiff sidewalls/no squirm
5. Lugs are tight - and all bearings are good ---
6. New "rag connex" on the steering shaft.
7. I got nutthin'



.

 

[59840Surfer]

Have you had an alignment done? What were the numbers?

Not professionally -- but I'm mighty handy with some chalk and string and a plumber's level --- just kidding!

Reality-wise --- this is what I used to call a "PBJ" <Peanut butter and jelly> alignment with not much to do except toe and steering wheel centering.

Toe was set at -3/32" for front-of-the-axle tierod.
Camber is fixed and not really adjustable .. shims, mebbee?
KPI is also like the Camber - un-adjustable without shimming

The alignment shop found no problems anywhere else .....They even suggested that having returned to the original 2 1/2" lift SHOULD make the ride more secure and steering more stable anyway.

 

[59840Surfer]

FOUND IT!

The Pittman shaft in the box is wobbling. This is a rebuilt unit too!

Isn't that upper Pittman Shaft bearing a "gusher style" and is adjustable?

I've forgotten all I knew about the innards of theses boxes - except that the preload on the Pittman bearings can be adjusted --- but it's all kinda foggy to me ..........

 

[Bextreme04]

FOUND IT!

The Pittman shaft in the box is wobbling. This is a rebuilt unit too!

Isn't that upper Pittman Shaft bearing a "gusher style" and is adjustable?

I've forgotten all I knew about the innards of theses boxes - except that the preload on the Pittman bearings can be adjusted --- but it's all kinda foggy to me ..........

Yep, it’s adjustable. The adjustment procedure is supposed to be performed with it out of the truck, but you can do it in the truck by just going real slow. You need a 5/8” wrench and an Allen key. You’ll see the shaft with an Allen key on top of the steering box with a 5/8” jam nut on it. Put the Allen key on it, and loosen the 5/8” nut, then hold the nut and turn the Allen key 1/8-1/4 turn and tighten it back down… go drive it and see if that helped. If not, do it again. Repeat until it is tight again, or the steering feels too tight and won’t return to center on its own anymore. Once you hit the point it won’t return to center on its own anymore, you have overtightened it and need to back off the adjustment by 1/4 turn.

 

[idahovette]

You can adjust that box all day and it's NOT gonna take the "wobble" out of the shaft. The play is in the lower bearing/shaft area, so.....new sector shaft and lower bearing. Reman boxes are a shot in the dark, There are people on this forum that have used Redhead units and swear by them, just like the people that buy remans and swear AT them.

 

[59840Surfer]

You can adjust that box all day and it's NOT gonna take the "wobble" out of the shaft. The play is in the lower bearing/shaft area, so.....new sector shaft and lower bearing. Reman boxes are a shot in the dark, There are people on this forum that have used Redhead units and swear by them, just like the people that buy remans and swear AT them.

Looking REAL closely, it appears that the lower bearing isn't really where the wobble is --- the wobble seems to come from the top of the shaft where the upper bearing/bushing lives and it is just using the lower bearing as a fulcrum --- ya know ... where it pivots when the upper is loose.

But --- I may be wrong and just got off the phone with my parts house and they'll have another one for me tomorrow --- Oh Joy! I get to change it out .......................... again!

 

[idahovette]

What ever you find, just know, reman boxes are 9 times out of 9.5...crap

 

[59840Surfer]

What ever you find, just know, reman boxes are 9 times out of 9.5...crap

Yeah ---- it was an act of desperation.