Offroad-Express

Steering on my 80 feels loose What can I check for to see if i'm over reacting or if there is actually a problem??

Have a good look at the steering box attachments to chassis. The 80 has a habit of cracking the chassis.
Also there is an adjuster on the steering box you can adjust to take out any backlash in the box.

The steering just feels light. Steering wheel feels like its got more play in it that usual. It still drives straight, corners fine. It just seems to mildly jerk when i go over pot holes and if the road is on an angle it veers to on one side, but not by much.. How do you adjust the power steering box?

Has it been lifted recently? Castor could be out...
Or your steering dampener is shot. Or the panhard bushes are on the way out...

Yes, but only a 2 inch lift though. Yeah could be dampener as its still factory? How do you fix castor?

Probably castor is out a bit... Will make it feel light in the steering department and also prone to bump steer.
Castor correction bushes will do the trick...
Plenty of info on the forum... Search is your friend.

Check the nuts are tight on the 4 studs coming out under the front left hand hub - kingpin nuts. These work lose on lifted trucks after a bit of off-roading

kbushnz wrote:Probably castor is out a bit... Will make it feel light in the steering department and also prone to bump steer.
Castor correction bushes will do the trick...
Plenty of info on the forum... Search is your friend.

Is this what i would need to solve the problem?

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing ... =641385891

Danjr wrote:Check the nuts are tight on the 4 studs coming out under the front left hand hub - kingpin nuts. These work lose on lifted trucks after a bit of off-roading

what he said

and dont piss around, I dont care if the weather is shite outside, go and check immediately

have had this happen to me and seen it on others 80s as well

in my case, of the 4 bolts that were supposed to be there, 2 had snapped off, 1 had disappeared all together and the last one was halfway out, so go check them now

luxsurf wrote:

kbushnz wrote:Probably castor is out a bit... Will make it feel light in the steering department and also prone to bump steer.
Castor correction bushes will do the trick...
Plenty of info on the forum... Search is your friend.

Is this what i would need to solve the problem?

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing ... =641385891

They are correction bushes, however you need to check everything else that others have suggested before committing to them. (no need to waste money)
A wheel alignment would pick it out.

skid wrote:

Danjr wrote:Check the nuts are tight on the 4 studs coming out under the front left hand hub - kingpin nuts. These work lose on lifted trucks after a bit of off-roading

what he said

and dont piss around, I dont care if the weather is shite outside, go and check immediately

have had this happen to me and seen it on others 80s as well

in my case, of the 4 bolts that were supposed to be there, 2 had snapped off, 1 had disappeared all together
and the last one was halfway out, so go check them now

Do as Skid has said. Go check those bolts.
A mates 80 had the hub just about ripped off when those bolts finally failed. He was very luck as two minutes earlier he had been doing 100k on the back roads

skid wrote:

Danjr wrote:Check the nuts are tight on the 4 studs coming out under the front left hand hub - kingpin nuts. These work lose on lifted trucks after a bit of off-roading

what he said

and dont piss around, I dont care if the weather is shite outside, go and check immediately

have had this happen to me and seen it on others 80s as well

in my case, of the 4 bolts that were supposed to be there, 2 had snapped off, 1 had disappeared all together and the last one was halfway out, so go check them now

Are the kingpin nuts these ones at the very bottom of this photo? > http://gearingdynamics.com.au/picsmay05/withoutboot.jpg

luxsurf wrote:

skid wrote:

Danjr wrote:Check the nuts are tight on the 4 studs coming out under the front left hand hub - kingpin nuts. These work lose on lifted trucks after a bit of off-roading

what he said

and dont piss around, I dont care if the weather is shite outside, go and check immediately

have had this happen to me and seen it on others 80s as well

in my case, of the 4 bolts that were supposed to be there, 2 had snapped off, 1 had disappeared all together and the last one was halfway out, so go check them now

Are the kingpin nuts these ones at the very bottom of this photo? > http://gearingdynamics.com.au/picsmay05/withoutboot.jpg

Yes
Top and bottom...of the swivel hub.
4 on top and 4 on bottom.

Yes
Top and bottom...of the swivel hub.
4 on top and 4 on bottom.[/quote]

Checked the four on the bottom and the two on the top of both hubs, checked all the bolts and nuts and they were all good. Checked the chassis for cracks around the steering box and nothing there either. So I guess I'll just book truck in to get an alignment, then go from there.

get a bar and check all bushes etc associated with front end and probably check the wheel bearings for play as well

may as well check everything you can

if nothing shows up and you go for a whell alignment, make sure it goes to a reputable place that has a good history of doing good wheel alignments

skid wrote:get a bar and check all bushes etc associated with front end and probably check the wheel bearings for play as well

may as well check everything you can

if nothing shows up and you go for a whell alignment, make sure it goes to a reputable place that has a good history of doing good wheel alignments

Yup will check all that out. Could the type of power steering fluid influence the light steering at all?