D1 steering mystery

Chuckwagon976

Well-known member
Dec 5, 2013
142
7
Ft. Worth, Texas
96 D1 with 3" lift. Steering wheel typically sitting a little counter clock wise at about 11:55 I think due to having a stock pan hard rod, I could be very wrong about that, but that isn't the problem. Here is the problem, got in it last week and the steering wheel is at 10:00, when steering wheel is at 12 o'clock position I can feel resistance from the steering pump, kind of pushing until you keep turning the wheel clock wise. It doesn't feel like slack at all, Putnam arm nut is good, steering uj's seem OK, nothing looks out place. What do I check next?
 

ezzzzzzz

Well-known member
Apr 22, 2010
604
7
SE Va
I guess the pump or box valving is failing. If it persist and it only happens when turning right I would suspect the box is the problem.
 

squirt

Well-known member
Nov 13, 2008
824
13
Los Angeles
96 D1 with 3" lift. Steering wheel typically sitting a little counter clock wise at about 11:55 I think due to having a stock pan hard rod, I could be very wrong about that, but that isn't the problem. Here is the problem, got in it last week and the steering wheel is at 10:00, when steering wheel is at 12 o'clock position I can feel resistance from the steering pump, kind of pushing until you keep turning the wheel clock wise. It doesn't feel like slack at all, Putnam arm nut is good, steering uj's seem OK, nothing looks out place. What do I check next?


Off center steering wheel can be cured by a simple drag link adjustment.

Is your pitman arm centered when the steering wheel is centered? Have you adjusted the preload on the steering box recently(or ever)? Hard to imagine what you're describing, but it sort of sounds like binding in the box.
 

cdansan

Well-known member
Sep 15, 2008
537
0
Northwestern, Vermont
Jack the front up (both wheels off the ground and turn the steering wheel lock to lock with engine off and again with engine on.
Then knock the tie rod end out of the pitman arm and try it again.
Then turn the wheels from lock to lock by hand.
There are only a couple of pieces in this puzzle, sheering shaft, steering box, TRE's and swivel pin bearings.
If it doesn't bind with the drag link removed it is in the TRE's or swivels.
If it binds with the drag link removed it is in the steering box or shaft.
Engine on and off should be no different in feel, only different in effort required to turn the box.

I also just realized that I have an adjustable drag link to sell. Made from 1-3/4" DOM with a heim jointed end.
 

p m

Administrator
Staff member
Apr 19, 2004
15,617
837
58
La Jolla, CA
www.3rj.org
Off center steering wheel can be cured by a simple drag link adjustment.
STOP.

There's a pretty simple and straightforward way to deal with D1/RRC steering, if a little time-consuming.

Adjust the toe-in using the tape/clothesline around the wheels - to zero or a tiny bit in (1/16" at the sidewall).

Adjust the play in the steering box in dead-center position (slot in Pitman arm against the hole in the box). Leave it centered.

Adjust the position of steering wheel by pulling the steering shaft splines off the steering box and rotating the wheel. Remember to keep the seat belt through the bottom of the steering wheel so you don't unspool the cassette.

Adjust the drag link until the wheels are straight and the vehicle doesn't pull anywhere.

Done. If your TREs are not welded shut to the drag link and tie rod, you can pull it all off in forty minutes.

Tweaking the drag link will make your steering wheel pretty and square against the dashboard, but it'll mask the other issues you might have in the front end.
 

Chuckwagon976

Well-known member
Dec 5, 2013
142
7
Ft. Worth, Texas
PM good write up, however the truck tracks straight., should have mentioned that earlier....I have not adjusted pre-load on the box. Other issue I have had with this truck is the steering has always required effort to turn the wheels, when I bought it, after multiple pumps and boxes the effort was always more than it should be.
 

ezzzzzzz

Well-known member
Apr 22, 2010
604
7
SE Va
PM good write up, however the truck tracks straight., should have mentioned that earlier....I have not adjusted pre-load on the box. Other issue I have had with this truck is the steering has always required effort to turn the wheels, when I bought it, after multiple pumps and boxes the effort was always more than it should be.

Have you driven other DI's? The PAS is just that... PAS. These trucks do not steer lightly like an chevy or ford. There will road feel that provides good feedback which is especially helpful offroad.
 

Chuckwagon976

Well-known member
Dec 5, 2013
142
7
Ft. Worth, Texas
yeah, I have another disco that is stock and steering is pretty light, nothing compared to the one with the 3" lift. It was a while ago but my first disco had a 2" lift and I don't remember steering being this difficult. If turning at slow speeds no throttle it really takes effort and engine rpm's drop pretty low, so the pump could be going, though it doesn't have that many miles on it way less than 10K. I know the swivels need a reseal and possible I haven't kept them topped up enough as they do leak. Very well could be the swivels are toast as well as bearings.
 
Wheel-to-heel steering bar seems not to be bent, so you feel steering center position at 10, because i think effect should be the opposite. But if your lower conical bearing of the right swivel housing is completelly worn and wheel viewed from the front would be inclined, you could feel this centering shift...
Or steering damper failing, as Jimmy suggests.

Regards
 

Chuckwagon976

Well-known member
Dec 5, 2013
142
7
Ft. Worth, Texas
No update yet, I haven't had the time to tear into because of life..... If I get on the brakes hard the steering wheel returns to 12, leads me to believe it could be swivel bearings as German Gruner suggested. I will keep this thread going as I continue to figure out what the hell is going on.
 

4Runner

Well-known member
May 24, 2007
660
110
Boise Idaho
Thanks for the follow up. Boy when mine when out the steering was downright scary when going down rutted roads. Mine bushings didn’t really look bad but I changed them out of desperation to make it drive the way it should. After that I changed all the bushings everywhere. I usually adjusted/ check my steering box slop about every year.