Steering stabilizer

[highhorse78]

BTW...does anyone know how to tell if a steering stablizer has gone bad? I assume they have about the same life span as a shock...but how do you actually tell if it's blown/bad?

Kinda have to go by feel and visual inspection. If its leaking, rotted out or takes very little force to compress or extend, I would look at replacing.

 

[Skandocious]

Slop sucks!
but like I said before a Stabilizer does help allot!

Absolutely incorrect. Look at the way a steering stabilizer works...

It mounts 1 end at the chassis (independent of steering) and 1 end at the drag link. How can it do anything except absorb sudden jerks occurring at the drag link. It cannot.

I will state once more-- a steering stabilizer will NOT clean up slop. Period.

 

[TexasNomad]

Absolutely incorrect. Look at the way a steering stabilizer works...

It mounts 1 end at the chassis (independent of steering) and 1 end at the drag link. How can it do anything except absorb sudden jerks occurring at the drag link. It cannot.

I will state once more-- a steering stabilizer will NOT clean up slop. Period.

Whatever you say boss man.

 

[Skandocious]

It is probably that a person might install a steering stabilizer and THINK that it has cleaned up slop, just because of the added "smoothness" factor, but it's a placebo effect. Slop is created from wear-and-tear; steering stabilizers don't have magic powers which enable them to fix steering components.

 

[TexasNomad]

Then home come after I changed every! thing that had any thing do with steering I still had slop?
And the Mechanic told me get a Stabilizer it will make the steering much firmer..
Also didnt you see where I posted a Link to get the rag joint? I all ready said that a stabilizer wont fix ever thing only help is the steering of these old trucks.
But I guess you just want to fight with me, whats wrong still mad about me asking about Conner? Not my fault he screwed up.

 

[Skandocious]

Then home come after I changed every! thing that had any thing do with steering I still had slop?

Are you a perfect mechanic? You fix everything you touch? We all make mistakes sometimes.

And the Mechanic told me get a Stabilizer it will make the steering much firmer..

Then he's a smart man. It WILL make your steering firmer-- the shock adds a finite amount of resistance in the steering. But even though it's FIRMER doesn't mean that you're turning the tires. I can move my steering back and forth 2-3" from dead center and my tires don't move an inch. I can make the steering as firm as I damn well please, and it'll make it HARDER to turn the wheel for those 2-3 inches, but that don't mean I'm actually turning the wheels. The firmness that is added from the shock is what contributes towards the placebo affect. It may FEEL like you're turning the wheels for those 2-3 inches but that's impossible.

But I guess you just want to fight with me, whats wrong still mad about me asking about Conner? Not my fault he screwed up.

It has nothing to do with that. I'm here just argue. I'm here to make sure the that anyone who comes by this thread in the future won't read your post, and go waste their money on a steering stabilizer thinking it'll fix their slop. Every thread gets archived and people who come here tomorrow, next week, next YEAR will come and reference these threads for what they believe to be pseudo-accurate tech information. Forums allow us to COLLECTIVELY supply accurate tech info-- not one person on this forum could possibly know everything about everything.

 

[TexasNomad]

Sure...................
I'm not going to get in to a pissing match with you girly mouth.. Your still pissed about me asking, and thats all it is. Other wise you wouldn't be fallowing me around the forum.
If the man wants a stabilizer then get one it will help (Not fix) help Period! end of it! nothing more to say thats all folks.

 

[Alvin in AZ]

speaking of sloppy steering, I can turn my wheel about 3 inches either way
without it actually doing anything, do you think this could eventually lead to
a problem? the rag joint looks fairly new.

BTDT!
But mine was measured at a measly 2+1/2".

Everything was about perfect except for the power steering gear.

Get someone to rock your steering wheel back and forth for you and you get
under there and feel each place/joint where there can be play. Have 'em rock
it "far" and "short" both.

With mine everything was tight, I'd already gone over all of it from the ball
bearing right under the steering wheel to the king pins. But I could see the
sector shaft on the "Ford Integral Power Steering Gear" fist move straight to
the side before it'd twist. Why it was leaking to beat hell from the seal there
I have no idea.

Look in your service manual, there ain't no bearings in those stinkin things! :/

I got a "rebuilt" from AutoZone and it wasn't any better than mine. The "Ford
cure" was already done to both boxes and that was the results... over 2" of
play at the steering wheel.

After I got my steering gear line board and new bearings installed... my play
went from 2+1/2" to less than 3/8". No friggin kidding! :/

That's not the whole story, just chapter one.

Alvin in AZ
http://www.panix.com/~alvinj/file12/radiusarm.jpg
http://www.panix.com/~alvinj/file12/damper.jpg
http://www.panix.com/~alvinj/file12/damper&shock.jpg
ps- My sloppyassedol'clucker would steer sooooo good when going around a
long sweeping curve on the freeway while all the play was gone! ...see it?
pps- "looks fairly new"?? Don't you -ever- say that to me again, hear?
ppps- It either has play or it don't, looks don't count on this.

 

[Alvin in AZ]

Kinda have to go by feel and visual inspection. If its leaking, rotted out or
takes very little force to compress or extend, I would look at replacing.

Yep.
But.
On or off makes no difference in the amount of play in the system.
System play is the bad guy, IME. YMMV

Alvin in AZ