How to I reduce slack in steering?

[Mark B]

My steering wheel has about 3 inches of side to side play before any actual steering happens. What is the solution to take out slack? My truck is 1970 C10 with original manual steering.

thanks
Mark

[ubtripn]

Hi there, I'm sure that you will receive a lot of good technical advice that is better than mine but I have learned one thing from past vehicles and that is that replacing the Idler arm can take out a ton of play and doing so gives a lot of bang for the buck. Of course there are other steering/front end components one can go through as well but simply doing this one thing has turned cars from undriveable to drivable for me.

[Shaky]

If the idler arm is good and it's the box that is sloppy, there are instructions in the service or overhaul manual on how to adjust the worm rack (slotted screw with jam nut). My experience has been that you only get so much out of this - it won't perform a miracle.

[cdowns]

tyrod ends idler arm pitman arm and ball joints all may have wear after 40years

that steering box adjustment is a very stopgap method at best// it can cause alot of pressure on the worn box and lead to a steering box failure at the worst possible time

[LockDoc]

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If you tighten it up too much, when you turn a corner you won't be able to straighten it up and you will drive through a fence and almost hit a tree... Ask me how I know..... (on second thought, don't)

If it is the steering box that's bad go to your friendly auto parts store and buy a replacement.

LockDoc

[Wrenchbender Ret]

First jack it up & get under it. Start pulling & pushing all the joints & kingpins. Anything with play or looseness needs to be replaced. With that much play I'm sure it or most of it is in the steering gear. If it was a small amount you can adjust it but with a lot of play it needs to be rebuilt. They are not that hard to rebuild & when the front end on these trucks are right they are a pleasure to drive.

[70C10Toejam]

Originally Posted by LockDoc

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If you tighten it up too much, when you turn a corner you won't be able to straighten it up and you will drive through a fence and almost hit a tree... Ask me how I know..... (on second thought, don't)

If it is the steering box that's bad go to your friendly auto parts store and buy a replacement.

LockDoc

Oh come on....please tell!!!!!

Or wait and tell it around the campfire.

[CARR33]

First try adjusting the steering box. On the top of the box is a threaded stud with a slot cut accross the end facing up. This stud is kept from turning by a lock nut at its base. This stud takes the slop out of your box. Jack the truck up so both wheels are off the ground. Make sure nothing has been placed in the way of any parts that will move when you turn the steering wheel lock to lock. Now loosen the lock nut and while holding the lock nut with a wrench use a big flat blade screwdriver inserted into the slot of the stud and turn the stud in (clockwise). Try 1/2 turn and see if the steering has gotten any better. Keep going in 1/2 turn increments until you have gotten most of the slack out. If the screw gets tight (meaning you have meshed the gears completely tight) stop and back off 1/2 turn. You only want to turn the stud in until you have taken the slop out. Once done tighten the lock nut down and turn the steering wheel slowly from lock to lock feeling for any tight or binding spots. If there are any loosen up the lock nut and turn stud out another 1/2 turn. Any tight or binding areas could cause the steering wheel not to center properly while driving or completely lock up on a turn. While the truck is jacked up check all steering components also. The idler arm is a good place to start as stated in a thread earlier.

[barryvanhook]

I've seen listings for "quick ratio" boxes in some of the catalogs catering to our trucks ... the claim is about 1 turn less, lock-to-lock. Any experience?

Barry