mike.germann
Full Access Member
Hey guys. This is gunna be difficult to explain due to my lack of knowledge about steering components, but I'll try. So... this morning I pulled out of the car wash, and had to go over a small curb to make the turn on the way out. No big deal. I handled it just like any other big bump. I went over it pretty slow and made it just fine.
Well, I pulled out and started driving down the road in town (about 25 mph) and I realize I'm having to hold the steering wheel almost a full 90 degress to the right in order to keep the truck driving straight. wtf?
No vibrations or weird noises. Barely ANY steering. I illegally cut across 4 lanes of traffic, but I safely made it into a parking lot and shut the truck off to assess what was going on. (Thank you Jesus for keeping me safe. Could have been a wreck.)
When I got under it, I was shocked. My center tie rod/ drag link (I think) was almost completely separated. It made sense once I saw it, because I've worked with the front components before, like when I installed the dual steering stabilizer. (SEE PICS 1,2,3)
View attachment 11260
View attachment 11261
View attachment 11262
Because that piece was like that, it was holding my driver's side front wheel partially turned, which explains why my steering was jacked up.
Maybe the bolts had come loose over time? Who knows. Maybe that little curb was all it needed to come lose? (at this point, that's trivial compared to what else I found).
Well, I walked a couple blocks down to the nearest auto parts store, and bought a bottle jack (I should own a jack, but I've had a hard time finding on big enough to actually lift my truck). I jacked it up just enough to get my driver's side tire just off the ground. I got the center tie rod back in place and secured enough to get it to the my shop and inspect it more thoroughly.
Put it on the body lift and got the front tires off the ground, and found a HUGE weld was busted and looked VERY fragile. I don't know what it's called, but I'll try to find a diagram or a picture to more accurately explain this.
What is the diagonal bar in this pic called?
View attachment 11263
If you follow that bar up, the piece of metal it's attached to. That's what I'm gonna need. It looks like it's just attached by 2 bolts and a bushing on the opposite side, BUT...a previous owner must have ran across this problem and just welded it, because it's welded across the entire seam. FANTASTICALLY CONVENIENT. The only thing holding it to the truck is one bolt, the one on top. And a bushing. YIKES.
I'm pretty sure (whatever this component is called...) pivots with the drag link/tie rods and the "diagonal bar" every time I turn the wheel.
This whole setup looks very fragile. No apparent other damage. However, my truck is down until I can fix both. Tie rods and center drag link won't be too hard. Can someone please help me out on what the other components are??
If anyone has a diagram or an explanation of what all the bars do under there, that'd be GREAT.
Thanks!
Well, I pulled out and started driving down the road in town (about 25 mph) and I realize I'm having to hold the steering wheel almost a full 90 degress to the right in order to keep the truck driving straight. wtf?
No vibrations or weird noises. Barely ANY steering. I illegally cut across 4 lanes of traffic, but I safely made it into a parking lot and shut the truck off to assess what was going on. (Thank you Jesus for keeping me safe. Could have been a wreck.)
When I got under it, I was shocked. My center tie rod/ drag link (I think) was almost completely separated. It made sense once I saw it, because I've worked with the front components before, like when I installed the dual steering stabilizer. (SEE PICS 1,2,3)
View attachment 11260
View attachment 11261
View attachment 11262
Because that piece was like that, it was holding my driver's side front wheel partially turned, which explains why my steering was jacked up.
Maybe the bolts had come loose over time? Who knows. Maybe that little curb was all it needed to come lose? (at this point, that's trivial compared to what else I found).
Well, I walked a couple blocks down to the nearest auto parts store, and bought a bottle jack (I should own a jack, but I've had a hard time finding on big enough to actually lift my truck). I jacked it up just enough to get my driver's side tire just off the ground. I got the center tie rod back in place and secured enough to get it to the my shop and inspect it more thoroughly.
Put it on the body lift and got the front tires off the ground, and found a HUGE weld was busted and looked VERY fragile. I don't know what it's called, but I'll try to find a diagram or a picture to more accurately explain this.
What is the diagonal bar in this pic called?
View attachment 11263
If you follow that bar up, the piece of metal it's attached to. That's what I'm gonna need. It looks like it's just attached by 2 bolts and a bushing on the opposite side, BUT...a previous owner must have ran across this problem and just welded it, because it's welded across the entire seam. FANTASTICALLY CONVENIENT. The only thing holding it to the truck is one bolt, the one on top. And a bushing. YIKES.
I'm pretty sure (whatever this component is called...) pivots with the drag link/tie rods and the "diagonal bar" every time I turn the wheel.
This whole setup looks very fragile. No apparent other damage. However, my truck is down until I can fix both. Tie rods and center drag link won't be too hard. Can someone please help me out on what the other components are??
If anyone has a diagram or an explanation of what all the bars do under there, that'd be GREAT.
Thanks!
Last edited: