Steering does not self center.

[I am PMS]

1980 C20. New inners/outers/upper/lower/pitman arm. Now, steering does not come back to center from either direction of turn.

I am new enough that I read something about setting the lash on power steering gear. Could this be set wrong and not allowing wheels to "center"?

Alignment appears to be just fine. No abnormal tire wear.

Power steering is easy to turn. We have sprayed the slip joint in the column (still may be stiff)

What have i missed.

And no, I have no plans of cutting up my LONG bed truck. Can't fit anything in a snort bed.

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[Ricko1966]

Have you messed with the steering box if not don't yet. If it is a new problem after installing new components,I'd be looking at what has changed. Has it been aligned after all this work was done? Upper and lower? Are you talking control arms or ball joints?

 

[Edelbrock]

Have you messed with the steering box if not don't yet. If it is a new problem after installing new components,I'd be looking at what has changed. Has it been aligned after all this work was done? Upper and lower? Are you talking control arms or ball joints?

What he said.

 

[77Dmax]

Not enough caster or super stiff balljoints

 

[fast 99]

Have seen offshore ball joints that are too stiff. What is the caster reading? Was everything lubed? Don't mess with anything else.

 

[I am PMS]

Ball joints. Everything was shot when I bought it. I never drove it prior, as it was missing a few parts in the carb and three corners were leaking brake fluid. We even changed bushings up front as the truck came from the high desert.

I am going to be putting it up in the air late may myself. My son, who is just starting his square journey, has had it in the air and says it turns fairly easily by the tires. His fairly easy and my fairly easy may be different.

 

[I am PMS]

You are reassuring me of my gut feeling that it is in the alignment.

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[Ricko1966]

Ball joints. Everything was shot when I bought it. I never drove it prior, as it was missing a few parts in the carb and three corners were leaking brake fluid. We even changed bushings up front as the truck came from the high desert.

I am going to be putting it up in the air late may myself. My son, who is just starting his square journey, has had it in the air and says it turns fairly easily by the tires. His fairly easy and my fairly easy may be different.

Reason I asked ball joints or control arms,was wanted know if the control arm shafts had been removed,sounds like they have,if the shims weren't put back in the right spots caster and camber will be wrong,not enough caster and the wheel doesn't return. But if it was aligned in the past with worn out control arm bushings,caster and camber are not going to be right. And not enough toe will make the wheel not want to return. That's why I asked about alignment. If you get it aligned,post your before and after print.

 

[nvrenuf]

Not enough caster or super stiff balljoints

Winner ^^

 

[Radiohead]

You are reassuring me of my gut feeling that it is in the alignment.

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I see it

 

[TotalyHucked]

Yeah, I'm also gonna chime in on the new balljoints being too stiff or the cast being out of whack.

Glad you mentioned the new balljoints. I was gonna come in here and tell the tale of my steering slowly getting worse and worse about returning to center and it being a balljoint fixing to let go lol

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[59840Surfer]

"In the air" and "on the ground" resistance from the ball joints is a bad call - there are dynamics involved --- eg, the vehicle weight alone is the biggest dynamic to consider.

Let an alignment shop handle the high-center setting in the steering box - it should be part of a good alignment shop's procedure; if they say it's extra --- I'd go somewhere else.

 

[Ricko1966]

It should be an extra charge it's a simple procedure to do correctly. I've run the alignment rack at more than one shop and I wouldn't do it as part of a standard alignment. Consult ant factory service manual about perform8ng this adjustment. I've never seen one that didn't say set worm gear preload FIRST! Then adjust sector backlash.