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What did I screw up while centering my steering wheel? Now CLUNKING.

1K views 10 replies 6 participants last post by  Jngreen 
#1 ·
What the hell did I screw up? I loosened the two bolts on the bar that runs diagonally from the passenger tie rod end to the pitman arm link. I then grabbed a pipe wrench and turned the adjuster. While doing this, torque was going through for sure. I grabbed wd40 and sprayed the adjuster, but it still took some torque to move. I went for a drive. The wheel is where I want it, but now I have a clunk in the steering wheel. Did I screw up that drag link joint or the joint that goes to the pitman arm. Do I have bad luck or did I screw up the procedure? Thanks.
 
#3 ·
or you might have f'ed up the drag link ball joint when you were torquing on the adjuster
 
#5 ·
My guess is I screw up the joint. I rocked down towards the ground and I leaned on the adjuster. After that intelligent move, I got the feeling that that could break something, so I sprayed the wd40. But, it still took more torque than I would have liked. I tightended the adjuster up, so it can't be that. I think I screwed the links.
I am working with Torrie at fastpartsnetwork.com to get the factory parts. Anybody know the part numbers of the drag link and the link that comes of the pitman arm? Thanks.
 
#6 ·
Wow, $148 for the long joint and $85 for short joint that goes from the adjuster to the pitman arm. That $85 for the short seems crazy expensive.
 
#8 ·
Sorry, but could you explain more? What would that do?
 
#11 ·
If the drag link does not have equal movement top and bottom, it could clunk, and worse bind, during operation. Look underneath and make sure the top and bottom move the same amount.
Read these posts carefully. The ball joints on each end of the drag link must be in the most central location when you adjust the link and retighten. If the joints don't have full range of motion, then they will clank when bottomed out. It sounds like you got it fixed though.
 
#10 ·
Well, can anyone explain this: I have taken the truck for 2 test drives, one 5 minutes and one 15 minutes and I can no longer get the truck to make the clunk. When I first made the adjustment, I took the truck for a 1 mile test drive and it clunked when I tested it in the driveway. Now the damn thing seems perfect. The clunk was pretty bad. How the hell could it have gone away???
 
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