steering linkage and joints

mikeeg02 · Nov 12, 2016

mikeeg02 said:
Reviving the dead here for those subscribed to this thread. Track rod upgrade! I havent tried it yet, and its expensive, but it does transform the lower joint into a double shear design!!!

http://www.readylift.com/products/f...bar-bent.html#product_tabs_description_tabbed

Yellow1000 said:
So after reading this , my track bar makes noise and the truck wanders all over. Stock size tires and 27,000 miles. Carli replacement is a good one right?

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In your situation I'd do this. And eliminate the bottom single shear type joint. If I handnt just replaced the entire track bar/joint combo, I would of gone that route. I will next issue I have.

You also need to check your entire front end for the wander. Make sure you don't have a bad rod end.

Yellow1000 · Nov 12, 2016

Just seems hard to believe that a truck with stock size tires and stock offset wheels that don't go off road would already need parts replaced up front.

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mikeeg02 · Nov 12, 2016

My truck is a little heavy. It's an ecsb, with a utility bed and it weighs 9500. Stock tires /wheels here. Had trouble since ~40k (right out of gasser warranty). I'm at 115k now. Both ends of my track bar were shot. Though I finally replaced it at 100k.

lincolnlocker · Nov 15, 2016

mikeeg02 said:
I did the same. Replaced both ends. Still had intermittent shimmy. Turned out one of my wheels had a small flat spot in it. It showed fine on the balancer. But when driving down the road it was intermittent. Sometimes it'd be perfect, then for 20 seconds it'd shake. Never mattered whether it was in the front or rear (during rotations) same on and off shimmy. Swapped the tire onto the spare tire rim, all better.

Does your truck have aluminum or steel wheels? I wouldn't think it would happen with aluminum. (Mine are steel)

Secondly. How loaded is your truck? I can't remember if you'd said before.

well, I know I have a bent rim but its on the rear right now.. aluminum rims and last I weighed it, with a quarter of a tank of fuel, it was 8400+ lbs..

live life full throttle

god bless america and the farmer who feeds your fat ass

lincolnlocker · Nov 15, 2016

Jomax said:
Have you checked your alignment? Your camber could be off. When I bent my Axle causing the camber to go bad. I had that shimmy hitting those expansion joints on the freeway bridges. Also had it of the bolt for the traction bar to frame wasn't SUPER tight.

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I had an alignment done a couple weeks prior.. my steering wheel is off now that it had a tighter trac bar. not sure how bad that would effect anything or not..

live life full throttle

god bless america and the farmer who feeds your fat ass

mikeeg02 · Nov 15, 2016

lincolnlocker said:
well, I know I have a bent rim but its on the rear right now.. aluminum rims and last I weighed it, with a quarter of a tank of fuel, it was 8400+ lbs..

live life full throttle

god bless america and the farmer who feeds your fat ass

Swap it out with the spare wheel asap. I know it sounds ridiculous, but on my truck, it didnt matter where the wheel was. Front, back, either side. It intermittently shook the truck and intermittently the wheel.

Three things fixed mine.

1st was adding caster.
2nd was the track bar.
3rd and final thing needing attention, that f!cking wheel.

lincolnlocker · Nov 15, 2016

mikeeg02 said:
Swap it out with the spare wheel asap. I know it sounds ridiculous, but on my truck, it didnt matter where the wheel was. Front, back, either side. It intermittently shook the truck and intermittently the wheel.

Three things fixed mine.

1st was adding caster.
2nd was the track bar.
3rd and final thing needing attention, that f!cking wheel.

I'm not on stock size tires and the spare is a steel rim with a stock tire on it..

live life full throttle

god bless america and the farmer who feeds your fat ass

mikeeg02 · Nov 15, 2016

lincolnlocker said:
I'm not on stock size tires and the spare is a steel rim with a stock tire on it..

live life full throttle

god bless america and the farmer who feeds your fat ass

Is your spare rim size different also? I swapped the wheel. My tires are the same size, but different tread on the spare.

lincolnlocker · Nov 15, 2016

mikeeg02 said:
Is your spare rim size different also? I swapped the wheel. My tires are the same size, but different tread on the spare.

I think they are the same size but im not going to run a steel rim and 3 chrome aluminum rims till I am ready for a new set of tires.. ill try it then..

live life full throttle

god bless america and the farmer who feeds your fat ass

mikeeg02 · Nov 15, 2016

I gotcha. I got three gray ones, and one black one haha. Been browsing classifieds for a set of factory used aluminum 18s. Until then, Ill rock the trailer park look. Doesnt shake anymore.

jimmystoys · Nov 20, 2016

I use OEM. No questions asked on replacement. I check my front end regularly because I'm runnin 40" from almost day one. It's worked for me. On my second drag link and one tie rod end only. No ball joints yet and not even an alignment! Have about 100k miles. I attribute this to my 75% highway with good Toyos and my tire rotation at every oil change (5000 miles). I tow a lot of trailers pretty hard mind you, but have had good luck! (unlike my '05!!) Do think a new steering box is comin soon though lol. Thats my 2 bits...hope I didn't steal thread...:ford:

lincolnlocker · Apr 30, 2017

bringing this back up... i replaced the the steering linkage component's today.. all had lots of movement now so i bit the bullet and went back with oem.. only problem im having now is i cant find the tq specs..

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lincolnlocker · Apr 30, 2017

sootie said:
we only use OEM. partly because we get special pricing from ford and secondly because of warranty. they seem to last the longest for us too.

my 2012 needed a complete drag link at 65k miles and feels like it needs the track rod joint as well. tie rods and ball joints are fine.

by chance know the tq specs for the drag link ends and tie rod ends?

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sootie · Apr 30, 2017

Gudntite lol

wiseguy · Apr 30, 2017

Description Nm lb-ft lb-in
Brake caliper anchor plate bolts (F-250/F-350) 225 166 —
Brake caliper anchor plate bolts (F-450/F-550) 400 295 —
Hublock screws 6 — 53
Jounce bumper nuts 35 26 —
Lower ball joint nut a — — —
Radius arm front and rear nuts (F-450/F-550) 300 222 —
Radius arm front and rear nuts (F-250/F-350) 300 222 —
Shock absorber lower bolts 150 111 —
Shock absorber upper nuts 63 46 —
Spring lower nuts 200 148 —
Stabilizer bar bracket nuts 48 35 —
Stabilizer bar link nuts 80 59 —
Tie-rod end nuts 115 85 —
Track bar ball joint nut 250 184 —
Track bar bracket to frame bolts 175 129 —
Track bar bracket nut 550 406 —
Upper ball joint nut 94 69 —
Wheel extension nuts 176 130 —
Wheel bearing and wheel hub nuts 180 133 —
Wheel speed sensor bolt 18 — 159
Wheel speed sensor harness bolts 15 — 133
Drag link nut 200 148 —
Meshload adjusting screw locknut 133 98

lincolnlocker · May 1, 2017

wiseguy said:
Description Nm lb-ft lb-in
Brake caliper anchor plate bolts (F-250/F-350) 225 166 —
Brake caliper anchor plate bolts (F-450/F-550) 400 295 —
Hublock screws 6 — 53
Jounce bumper nuts 35 26 —
Lower ball joint nut a — — —
Radius arm front and rear nuts (F-450/F-550) 300 222 —
Radius arm front and rear nuts (F-250/F-350) 300 222 —
Shock absorber lower bolts 150 111 —
Shock absorber upper nuts 63 46 —
Spring lower nuts 200 148 —
Stabilizer bar bracket nuts 48 35 —
Stabilizer bar link nuts 80 59 —
Tie-rod end nuts 115 85 —
Track bar ball joint nut 250 184 —
Track bar bracket to frame bolts 175 129 —
Track bar bracket nut 550 406 —
Upper ball joint nut 94 69 —
Wheel extension nuts 176 130 —
Wheel bearing and wheel hub nuts 180 133 —
Wheel speed sensor bolt 18 — 159
Wheel speed sensor harness bolts 15 — 133
Drag link nut 200 148 —
Meshload adjusting screw locknut 133 98

thanks for posting that! jomax sent me the specs shortly after i posted the question.. but that is good info for everyone!

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