Riotnrrd
Tennessee Chapter member
Hi folks;
I have a 1979 F150 4x4 (new to me a couple months ago). I've had some events lately described as follows:
Start truck up, proceed down road approx 35-40 MPH
Usually going around a left hand corner at about 35-40, wheel starts to shake a little. After straightening out, a SEVERE THUMPING / POUNDING BEGINS. I can't tell whether its coming from the front or the back, but its pretty severe. I pull off the road, check obvious things, nothing seems wrong.
Usually I start the truck up again and it proceeds with no further problem, but lately it seems like its getting worse. Again, the steering wheel starts to shake a little, a SEVERE pounding or thumping begins, but it usually goes away (not always, though).
I took a closer look under the front end yesterday. Its pretty clear there's at least 2 things wrong.
1) I have a leak in my power steering gear. I'm not sure where its coming from yet (one of the seals probably), but I've got bubbles in the air reservoir and it seems like its getting worse. Inspecting the coupling between the steering shaft and the power steering input, it looks like the flange on the steering column side is visibly bent / warped.
2) I have a horizontal shock absorber (steering damper?) that's bent. about 5 degrees, so obviously its not going to work.
3) It looks like the bushings on the steering linkages are fairly worn. I'll inspect them closer tonight.
I currently plan on doing the following:
- Identify leak location in the power steering gear, replace seals / repair as needed
- Replace the coupling between the steering column and the power steering input
- Replace the bent steering damper
- Replace any bushings that are obviously worn
- Possibly inspect or replace the Left Hand tie rod end (I think there's only one on this 4x4, along with an adjuster nut that can also be replaced).
Front wheel bearings SEEM fine, there is no discernable movement in or out on the front. The right rear has some obvious play, so it might need to be adjusted / replaced.
QUESTION: Am I on the right track here, or are there other things I need to be looking at? What are some of the likely causes of this sort of issue?
I'll be getting some new tires as soon as I can drive it to the shop safely, currently have 33x12.5 R15 Thornbird mudders of some sort, in rough shape. Plan to install Uniroyal AWT IIs as they are a cheap AT option. I plan to use the truck mostly for light hauling and some offroading.
ANY INFORMATION WOULD BE APPRECIATED, THANKS!
I have a 1979 F150 4x4 (new to me a couple months ago). I've had some events lately described as follows:
Start truck up, proceed down road approx 35-40 MPH
Usually going around a left hand corner at about 35-40, wheel starts to shake a little. After straightening out, a SEVERE THUMPING / POUNDING BEGINS. I can't tell whether its coming from the front or the back, but its pretty severe. I pull off the road, check obvious things, nothing seems wrong.
Usually I start the truck up again and it proceeds with no further problem, but lately it seems like its getting worse. Again, the steering wheel starts to shake a little, a SEVERE pounding or thumping begins, but it usually goes away (not always, though).
I took a closer look under the front end yesterday. Its pretty clear there's at least 2 things wrong.
1) I have a leak in my power steering gear. I'm not sure where its coming from yet (one of the seals probably), but I've got bubbles in the air reservoir and it seems like its getting worse. Inspecting the coupling between the steering shaft and the power steering input, it looks like the flange on the steering column side is visibly bent / warped.
2) I have a horizontal shock absorber (steering damper?) that's bent. about 5 degrees, so obviously its not going to work.
3) It looks like the bushings on the steering linkages are fairly worn. I'll inspect them closer tonight.
I currently plan on doing the following:
- Identify leak location in the power steering gear, replace seals / repair as needed
- Replace the coupling between the steering column and the power steering input
- Replace the bent steering damper
- Replace any bushings that are obviously worn
- Possibly inspect or replace the Left Hand tie rod end (I think there's only one on this 4x4, along with an adjuster nut that can also be replaced).
Front wheel bearings SEEM fine, there is no discernable movement in or out on the front. The right rear has some obvious play, so it might need to be adjusted / replaced.
QUESTION: Am I on the right track here, or are there other things I need to be looking at? What are some of the likely causes of this sort of issue?
I'll be getting some new tires as soon as I can drive it to the shop safely, currently have 33x12.5 R15 Thornbird mudders of some sort, in rough shape. Plan to install Uniroyal AWT IIs as they are a cheap AT option. I plan to use the truck mostly for light hauling and some offroading.
ANY INFORMATION WOULD BE APPRECIATED, THANKS!