Trouble with steering rack

[Autokyrios]

Wait, unclear...Are you saying the rack visually moves when it's up on jacks and you're just turning the wheel around? Or are you saying it steers wonky when going over bumps? That's what I read, but want to be sure.

Sounds like you've got a bad bump-stop setup and possibly a wheel alignment issue. Sorry, maybe someone already mentioned this above? If your bump-stop setup is bad/incorrect or your alignment (thinking camber) isn't correct, you will definitely have steering confidence and behavior issues.

 

[LeTont]

I'm definitely having steering confidence issues when going over bumps, you really think it could be the bumpstops? The car is lowered pretty damn low so that does add up. To clear it up, on normal ground with the car off (so no ps) I move the wheel and can feel I have a good amount of play due to the steering column shifting left and right. I will definitely try new nuts and some loctite @DieHarder thank you, also I am working on a writeup of my navigator swap for you right after this. I will try to make an appointment to get my alignment done soon.

 

[DieHarder]

I would take it to a different alignment shop and have them evaluate it. Seems dangerous to drive as it is now.

 

[LeTont]

It's like trying to drive a cow that hates you. but it's my daily, I'll try to find an alignment shop asap.

 

[whitmanink]

the 5.4 isnt really worth it to swap imo,
between lack of CAI,and intakes , and other goodies , it just isnt enough to warrant it,
you can cam it, but other than that ,
i havent seen much more to give on that

 

[LeTont]

Boost is where the 5.4 shines. And I did a 5.4 for the sound, which it beats the coyote with by a mile. I did this swap because it was weird and I want to push this readily available and very cheap swap option to see what I can make it do.

 

[05stroker]

What does your hardware consist of? Are there lock nuts on them?

 

[GlassTop09]

Would like to hear more about what it took to swap in the Lincoln Navigator engine sometime.

+1

 

[thump_rrr]

It's like trying to drive a cow that hates you. but it's my daily, I'll try to find an alignment shop asap.

If your car is severely lowered you need adjustable tie rod ends to put the tie rods parallel to the control arms otherwise you will get what’s called bump steer.
There are also special lower ball joints to help correct the roll center.

 

[Autokyrios]

Yeah, if you're lowered any significant amount, your ball joints will turn into cats. The kind that look cute then bite you.

I'm partial to Steeda's bump-steer kit ball-joints, but pretty much any mustang-centric brand is good IMO. Lowering the car also puts more stress on the ball joints so the stock ones go to carp pretty quick anyway.

I'd be surprised if any standard alignment shop or dealership will do anything with a bumpsteer install, because it generally takes trial-and-error or special equipment to dial them in, and it's not a normal alignment job. That said, if you're savvy enough to replace a ball joint, it's exactly the same, just with a lot of extra washers to go on the spindle bolt. The Steeda kit gives you a good starting point and you basically go for a drive and adjust. Calling Steeda will get you closer, but every ride is different. You CAN get bumpsteer gauges, but they're expensive and time consuming, and if you don't intend on changing your geometry often, not worth it IMO. Lots of videos available, too.

 

[86GT351]

I recently got a really nice 4.6 2009 3v that was fitted with 5.4 internals and a bunch of other stuff. I love the car but the suspension was lacking and I've had a couple alignments to not much success, and I have since replaced the whole tie rod assemblys, the rear upper control arm, and tried to adjust the pinion angle on jacks because no shop near me even knows what that is. I'm going to tackle one problem at a time so I would like to fix the movement of my power steering rack. I get slop in the middle and going over bumps is scary, the car is not safe to drive because of this. I can't seem to find anything about replacing bushings on a s197 and I read somewhere that it bolts straight to the k member. I can't tighten the bolts any more to keep it in place and it still moves. Am I missing anything. Does anyone know what I could do here, please! I want to get this thing back on the road already.

The steering rack mounting bolts go through the eyelets from the top of the rack and screw into the sub frame. If they are over tightened and back out at that point the whole rack can/will shift when turning. No Alignemnt Technician can Align properly with a rack that moves like that. If you look closely at the rack you can see the mounitng tab.

 

[DieHarder]

I'm definitely having steering confidence issues when going over bumps, you really think it could be the bumpstops? The car is lowered pretty damn low so that does add up. To clear it up, on normal ground with the car off (so no ps) I move the wheel and can feel I have a good amount of play due to the steering column shifting left and right. I will definitely try new nuts and some loctite @DieHarder thank you, also I am working on a writeup of my navigator swap for you right after this. I will try to make an appointment to get my alignment done soon.

If you have play one other area to look at is the steering column and couplings/u-joints. I had to replace the lower steering column shaft with the couplings (see link) to fix my sons steering issues when he had play similar to what you describe. Additionally, if anyone has ever removed the bolts to the couplings/u-joints they're supposed to be reinstalled in only one direction. Get it wrong and the couplings won't pinch the shaft correctly which also results in play in the steering.

Ford Workshop Service & Repair Manuals - fordrepair.info - 2005 Mustang Steering Column Steering column shaft - lower

Ford Workshop Service and Repair Manuals, 2005 Mustang Workshop Manuals Chasis Steering System Steering Column Replacement, Removal and Installation Steering Column Shaft Lower

iihs.net

 

[LeTont]

Thank you everyone. A lot of good information to look into. I will be getting a bump steer kit and possibly lca ball joints for a lowered car. Also I will check my steering track bolts if i can even access them, 5.4 DOHC motor in this engine bay is hard to work around.

 

[DieHarder]

Thank you everyone. A lot of good information to look into. I will be getting a bump steer kit and possibly lca ball joints for a lowered car. Also I will check my steering track bolts if i can even access them, 5.4 DOHC motor in this engine bay is hard to work around.

I wouldn't worry about bumpsteer at this point. More important to figure out what is causing the excess play with your steering. I don't know these days but shops used to offer to diagnose for free or low cost. I can't imagine that a decent alignment shop wouldn't be able to figure out what the issue is in about 5 minutes or less. There are only so many things that will cause the symptoms you describe.

 

[Autokyrios]

I wouldn't worry about bumpsteer at this point. More important to figure out what is causing the excess play with your steering. I don't know these days but shops used to offer to diagnose for free or low cost. I can't imagine that a decent alignment shop wouldn't be able to figure out what the issue is in about 5 minutes or less. There are only so many things that will cause the symptoms you describe.

You might need to read up above where I had him clarify that he's having steering behavior when going over bumps, not the rack moving.

 

[Autokyrios]

Thank you everyone. A lot of good information to look into. I will be getting a bump steer kit and possibly lca ball joints for a lowered car. Also I will check my steering track bolts if i can even access them, 5.4 DOHC motor in this engine bay is hard to work around.

Good plan. I would stick with a normal ball joint until you know that you're going to need a different size (chances are good you won't). They're a good thing to have either way as they're better quality and durability than the stock ends.

If your LCA's are original and you've never changed the ball joints, I'd recommend picking up a set of the GT500 front LCA's. They have an improved ball joint already installed and work great. I did a quick look and CJ is selling a pair for $200. Have run a set for years without problem, and I'm pretty lowered. There's tubular front LCA's on the market, but IMO only the adjustable ones are worthwhile and the adjustable ones are best for if you need to dial in a specific geometry (see them mostly on track-heavy cars).