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pitman arm ?

1K views 9 replies 5 participants last post by  whitjo 
#1 ·
yesterday i put a tough country 2.5 leveling kit on my truck, the kit went on easy and didnt even have to take the tires off to put it on :evil but after i was done i got in the truck and noticed that my steering wheel was a quarter turn to the right when the wheels where straight. can i just take the pitman arm off and rotate it one or two teeth or is there a keyway in the arm that will only let it sit on the steering box one way? any input will be helpful that crooked steering wheel is annoying lol
 
#2 ·
Adjust the drag link... NOT the pitman arm. You can not anyway as it has a keyway.

Its very easy, loosen two bolts and make it longer if your steering wheel is pulled to the right and shorter if its to the left. Half turn will fix about an 1/8 of the wheel being off.
 
#3 ·


A picture to help out...
 
#4 ·
alright thanks guys that helps out alot
 
#5 ·
whats the best way to turn that? pipe wrench? i have it soaking in pb blaster at the moment
 
#6 ·
Its split on one side, I throw a screwdriver in there to bust it loose, then they turn pretty easy. However you live in the salt belt so... LOL
 
#7 ·
If you like your tires you may want an alignment if you messed with the suspension,
Unless your 100 percent sure....that's all it needs...
Just saying, tires are not cheap to me.
 
#8 ·
im taking it to an alignment shop tomorrow to get it checked so i dont ruin my tires lol forty bucks for an alignment at a pretty good shop isnt bad (i know him so i got a bit of a deal :)hah )
 
#9 ·
If you have a solid front axle, then simply lifting it 2.5 inches will not change anything unless there is a tapered shim or it was a hanger/shackle lift. As you have found though....the drag link needs to be lengthened because the distance from the frame to the axle has changed (greater distance).

Toe can't change nor can camber (two main tire wear angles) when lifting these Ford SD trucks with solid axles. Caster can change if one end of the spring mount is altered for the lift or if tapered shims were used under the leaf springs but that doesn't cause excessive tire wear (just changes high-speed handling).

If you have a 2wd or Twin-trashin' beam, then yes, it DOES need an alignment.
 
#10 ·
When you adjust the drag link......don't forget to UNLOCK the steering wheel !!
 
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