mstep3

when I try to center my steering wheel using the adjustment on the drag link my pitman arm is always at an angle.....i thought that the pitman arm should pretty much be in line with the steering box.....pointing straight towards the back of the truck....am i not making adjustments right? how do you get both the steering wheel centered & not have the pitman arm at an angle? I just put in a borgeson steering shaft & it seems to have made the angle even worse....

mstep3

I took a photo of my steering box with my steering wheel completely centered. I was wondering if you guys can tell me if this looks normal for the pitman arm to be angled like this with the steering wheel centered? I'm able to turn the wheels further to one side than I am the other.....

mstep3

Sorry, I guess that photo didn't insert....here's the link..

https://www.dieseltruckresource.com/...hp?photo=41672

b4wheeler

I have never had the pitman arm off, but is it keyed??

Could it possibly be installed a tooth off?

Did you install a new pitman arm?

P.S. That truck is incredibly clean underneath.

mstep3

thanks....i think it's mainly caused i moved my puke bottle so it would quit spraying all over the engine.....

yes, my pitman arm is keyed....i could only put it on one way....i would move it over a few keys but it will only go on one way....

b4wheeler

Next question..

When you replaced the Borgsen shaft, was that shaft keyed also?

Overall, center the steering wheel and you will just not get equal amounts of steering to the left and right.

And where did you relocated the puke bottle to.. I just rebuilt the from of my engine and replaced the VP, and I don't want to reinstall the puke in the same place. I was thinking about just extending the hose lower so it drips directly to the ground and not down the front of the engine.

mstep3

The Borgeson shaft wasn't keyed on the steering box end, but the steering box has a flat spot on it from the factory that I used to keep it on tight with the set screw......The only other option that I can see would be to flatten another spot on the steering box connection for the set screw & move the steering shaft around that way.....I'm just not sure if that's really the right way to get it corrected....I guess it would be good to know what some other people have done who have installed the Borgeson shaft....


That was the same thing that I did....I just got rid of the puke bottle....I got a 1" radiator type hose & attached it to the original hose with a hose clamp.....I just ran it down further where it was away from the fan.....It really did help to keep all the oil and junk out of the radiator....You just have to run it down close to something where you can tie it off & it can stay in position....It has worked great so far....

nickg

it does not matter if the pitman arm is on an angle, so long the steering gear is centered, and you centered the box prior to installing the pitman arm,
turn the steering wheel lock to lock counting the total number of turns, then divide by 2, turn the wheel back that number and your box is centered, if you installed eveything correctly your steeing wheel will be centered as well, if the steering wheel is not centered then adjust the pitman arm to center the wheel,

another tip to center the steering wheel before adjusting pitman arm is to drive forward 20ft or so WITHOUT touching steering wheel, stop truck, then adjust pitman arm sleeve to center steering wheel.

as your picture shows that is how my pitman arm is aligned when my steering wheel is centered

mstep3

thanks for the help nick. i will try this.....

the reason i don't think it's right is because it feels like the steering box is trying to turn too far when i turn in one direction but not in the other.....if i turn it completly to the right i get some pushback from the steering wheel.....i need to get it re-centered....