I don't get it, front alignment
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 494
Likes: 0
From: Denver nc
I don't get it, front alignment
My steering box is centered with the rag bolt pointing up. The column flat is on top. New rag joint, rebuilt gear box. PS pitman arm. Rebuilt control valve.Valve is centered. Why is the passenger side tie rods about out of threads and the driver side has a bunch of threads showing?
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 1999
Posts: 65,492
Likes: 230
From: Orange Park Florida
I am going to hope you are one turn off on the wheel, or your steering wheel is maybe 180* out on it's mounting?? maybe??
at any rate, with the wheel looking straight up, your output pitman arm from the box to the cross link should be pointing straight AFT....inline with the centerline of the car....
at that point, your tie rods should be looking damn close in length....
at any rate, with the wheel looking straight up, your output pitman arm from the box to the cross link should be pointing straight AFT....inline with the centerline of the car....
at that point, your tie rods should be looking damn close in length....
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 494
Likes: 0
From: Denver nc
The rag joint came from the chevy dealer. I don't see how 180 degrees off would do anything except make the short one on the other side.
I thought I was one turn off center and I tryed it one turn in the direction it needed to go. The left tire hit the control valve and the pitman hit the cylinder bracket. So I put it back and still can't make since of it.
I thought I was one turn off center and I tryed it one turn in the direction it needed to go. The left tire hit the control valve and the pitman hit the cylinder bracket. So I put it back and still can't make since of it.
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 2,486
Likes: 71
From: Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin
What your not showing is the inboard end of those tie rods. The long thread outboard could be sucked way in on the inboard side and opposite for the other side. If they were not setup properly when they were initially installed this could be the results. Or when adjusting them they removed one end and just turned the outboard end rather than rotating the rod itself rather then the tie rod ends. These do get rusty so I would bet they took the easy way out and just adjusted the outboard ends.
Last edited by RobRace10; Aug 19, 2010 at 11:21 PM.
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 37,637
Likes: 3,116
From: Crossville TN
Just because the machined flat on the shaft (or the bolt groove) are directly on top doesn't mean the steering box is centered. You have to turn the steering box fully to the left, then fully to the right, then find the middle of that number of turns. At that point, you then position the flat (or bolt groove) at the top of the shaft and you have found the center position of the steering box.
You must have been one full turn off in your centering calculations.
You must have been one full turn off in your centering calculations.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 494
Likes: 0
From: Denver nc
That's what I thought the first time I had it this way. I drove the car and it pulled to the right. I let the steering wheel go while driveing slow to see where it wanted to go. It mad a full turn. So I thought I was off 1 turn. I put it back on the lift and turned the wheel 1 turn to where I now thought the box was centered. Of cours the tires were now pointing right. So I adjusted the tie rods to get the wheels straight. Then the left tire hit the the control valve when I turned it left. And when I turned it right the Pitman arm hit the cyl bracket.
So I put it back where it was. And it turns the same amount both directions.
This is driving me nuts!
So I put it back where it was. And it turns the same amount both directions.
This is driving me nuts!
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Racer
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 310
Likes: 0
From: London
They told me to put it on and flip my steering wheel but it sounds like a bad idea!
Race Director
Joined: Sep 1999
Posts: 11,360
Likes: 382
From: Plano TX
That's horrible advice. The turn signal won't cancel right if you do that. You can take the rag joint apart and re-assemble it correctly.
Race Director
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 10,040
Likes: 672
From: FL
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 494
Likes: 0
From: Denver nc
The pitman can only be put on in 4 locations at 90 degree intervals. It is pointing forward. Accordinig to some post i read by Jim Shea, it is'nt possible to connect everything together if it is off. I guess if you had the box cranked all the way one direction you might could put the pitman on and hook it up but you would have no travel at all in that direction.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 971
Likes: 45
From: Middlesex NJ
You changed two parts (box and rag joint) and now you have a problem. If you still have the old parts compare them if not you just learned a lesson I did a while back.
I would remove the ragjoint and pitman arm. Then center the box. I'll bet the box is not centered correctly from the rebuild.
The sector gear should have a flat spot (key) on it that should point to the back of the car when centered. Then without moving the sector gear see where you wheels windup if you try to put the pitman arm back on.
I received a jeep pwr steering conversion box that was not centered correctly and wound up with tie rods just like yours trying to center it after I was told by their tech support that it was normal to have to take up the centering with the tie rods..... well I sent the box back for a different issue and guess what... that new box was spot on centered.
Your tierods should be about 15" to 15" 1/2 inches from grease fitting to grease fitting per side as a rough starting point with the box centered, mine were more like 17" and 14".
I would start with what you replaced and find the problem part unless you had this problem before.
Here is a pic of what my friends box looks like centered below:
I would remove the ragjoint and pitman arm. Then center the box. I'll bet the box is not centered correctly from the rebuild.
The sector gear should have a flat spot (key) on it that should point to the back of the car when centered. Then without moving the sector gear see where you wheels windup if you try to put the pitman arm back on.
I received a jeep pwr steering conversion box that was not centered correctly and wound up with tie rods just like yours trying to center it after I was told by their tech support that it was normal to have to take up the centering with the tie rods..... well I sent the box back for a different issue and guess what... that new box was spot on centered.
Your tierods should be about 15" to 15" 1/2 inches from grease fitting to grease fitting per side as a rough starting point with the box centered, mine were more like 17" and 14".
I would start with what you replaced and find the problem part unless you had this problem before.
Here is a pic of what my friends box looks like centered below:
Last edited by mysixtynine; Aug 20, 2010 at 02:41 PM.
