Help Needed Steering Box Jamb Nut

[JRJ04]

It's kind of an emergency.

Now that I got my front end in good shape, I wanted to get rid of the sloppy steering. Per other threads, i loosend the jamb nut and then tightened the nut in the center. I snugged it, and now its too tight (going down road i can turn the wheel and it wont come back to center on its own)

Every time I try and loosen the center nut while holding the big nut, the center nut will only go so far before it just wont move any more...and i know its still tighter than when i started.

What did i screw up? Should I just try and muscle it to loosen it? What kind of harm do i risk driving it as is?

Pls help ASAP!

 

[dpantazis]

hugh?

the preload on the steering box is set with a 3/16" allen stud with a 11/16" or 9/16" jam nut.

iirc, the proper procedure is to LOOSEN the jamb nut, then screw the allen stud in until snug then back off 1/4 or 1/2 turn.

hold the stud in place then tighten the jam nut to hold the stud in the proper prosition.

running the truck with the steering box too tight will wear it out faster.

 

[JRJ04]

ok lets make sure im talking correct terms here.

jamb nut is the big nut, and the allen nut is the other one.?

 

[dpantazis]

the allen is the stud in the middle with the hex recess.

 

[JRJ04]

correct.

So i tightend down the allen until snug, backed off, and then reightened the large nut.

Steering is too snug now and I tried to reverse what I did, however I can only get the allen to loosen some, and then it gets real tight. so i go back tighter a tad and the steering is too tight still

do i need to jack the front end up and try and relieve some pressure or something like that?

 

[NevrKnow]

No. make sure you loosen the jam nut ALOT. That will give you enough play to loosen the allen bolt. THEN retighten the jam nut.

Only going by what i did. Yes I did the exact same thing you did and thats how I fixed it.

 

[JRJ04]

how much is a lot?

can i loosen it TOO much? i would assume something would eventually come off? what could happen then?

 

[NevrKnow]

I just mean get it a couple of wrench turns. You know what I mean, there aint a lot of room in there. Seems like the allen bolt bunches up in the jam nut. You should be able to feel it. I did it with both wrenches at the same time if that makes sense.

 

[dpantazis]

are you relying on feel that he steering is still tight? the REAL way is to use a torque wrench to test preload on the steering at the wheel.

if you took up too much of the play in the steering box, jacking up the front end wont matter.

i think that you need to slow down and take a few deep breaths before continuing doing anything- wrenching or posting.

here is TG's pic of his new steering gear. i marked it up for you.

i think that you mean that you tried backing out the adjuster, but you found that it bound up as you backed it out. what did you go back and tighter a tad? the jam nut of the adjuster.

did you loosen the jam nut before you loosened the adjuster? just making sure.

did you count how many turns you advanced the stud in? did you turn the stud out more than you turned it in? make sure.

i would say that you should do the procedure, make sure the jam nut is snug, then drive around the block to get things 'settled in a bit'.

 

[dpantazis]

if you back out the adjuster too much, then the balls wont fit between the plates no more, they fall out, and your steering box is hosed.

at least, that is how they were in the old days.

DO NOT remove the adjuster bolt. just loose the jam nut a couple of turns then snug the adjuster and back it off.

book time is a couple of hours to do it the right way. so figure between the alignment that you need, and the steering adjustment, you are looking at $300 at the dealer.