I've been feeling something "not quite right" in my front suspension sometimes when I turn, so I started looking around yesterday. I noticed that if I grab my steering damper I can rotate it a bit each way, changing the angle of it and the tie rod and the tie rod to knuckle arm angle. I noticed in the FSM it says that the angle of the steering damper clamp opening must be 45 degrees. I can get it there, but do I then need to tighten the clamp bolt to get it to stay? Is that all there is to it, that bolt is just loose?

Still don't have a digital camera...

 

The tie rod connects to the arms like the arrow shows. I can move the entire rod so that where they connect, there's either a good angle, or totally flat against each other, and the steering damper moves along with it. My guess is that this isn't ok? Or is it?

 

Is there really no one on here who's worked on this stuff, or am I not exaplaining it well enough that you know what I'm talking about?

 

the tie rod should rotate a lil like what your describing.

the main concern is the actual ends, as long as there is no "play" in them they should be ok.

have somebody turn the steering wheel back and forth a just a lil, while you check for play.

 

Your tie rod and steering damper can pivot and that is normal. If there is movement left to right without the tie rod moving thensomething is loose.

What doesn't feel right? Have someone rock the steering wheel back and forth just enough to work any free play and take a look at your drag link coming off the pitman arm on the driver side. Thats probably rocking and popping. Adjustment is easy and while you are at shoot some grease in there before and after you tighten things up. You might as well look at all the steering components at this time.

 

Yes that rotating motion is normal

Sometimes it takes more than just turning the wheel to reveal the slack, it needs a little more risistance. If turning the wheel back and forth doesnt reveal anything, try putting the tire against a rock or something to give it a little more risistance... follow me?

 

Toyota 1, you beat me to it.

 

haha, it happens

 

Yes I follow you, Al. Might have to put it somewhere that I can really wrench on the steering to see if that will make the problem present itself. Ok, thanks a lot everybody. I'll make sure there's no side to side play in it, check the drag link and the rest of the steering.

Hard to describe what it's doing...it hasn't been something I can completely nail down to "when I do this, it does this". It just kind of happens every now and then, but I did hear a clunking/popping noise earlier this week when I was really cranking the wheel on a low speed (like 2mph) turn. Seemed like on the drivers side. I've got a good leak coming out of my steering box from where the pitman arm connects to it, I wonder if that could be it. I tried grabbing & moving the drag link back & forth the other day and couldn't feel any play, but that doesn't mean anything. I'll look up the adjustment instructions in the FSM. I've got a power steering set-up that I really need to get up off my butt and install, and that would be the perfect time to check/adjust the rest of the steering set up.