Steering wander fixed!!!

[jay206]

After 3 years and replaceing every part under the front of my 1996 k2500 suburban I finialy fixed my steering wander problem. While you would drive straight down the road, holding the steering wheel in a locked position, the truck would go left then right, back and forth.the higher the winds the worse the problem. At 70 mph you would be exhausted after an hour. I replaced: steering gear, idler, pitman, all 4 tierods, shocks, tires, all 4 balljoints, steering stablizer( Napa with statged valving was locked up. watch for this. steering too tight for emergcy manovers.) Then for some reason tonight it hit me. I checked my ride height. The front was higher then the back. After adjusting my torsign bars the front sits .75 inches lower than the rear. Problem solved. Now the truck sits in the road and soaks up bumps. Adj ride height .75 inches lower in the front. tire psi 43 on all tires and realign. Some one had played with the truck before I had gotten it. I never realized it. And I am ASE master certified! There was so much pressure on the front tires that they wouldn't move up into the fenderwell. Instead it would kick the truck up on angle. Now the suspension moves. A fast way to tell if the suspension has enough travel check to see if the rear helper springs are touching the leafs <unloaded> They shouldn't be. If they are then lower the front.

[DA BIG ONE]

Well, you have me checking ride hight later today.

I'm thinking the suspension should be centered halfway between upper limit bracket and lower bump stop, is this correct?

[jay206]

The alldata ride height adj calls to measure the controll arm. I can get it at work later today. I looked at it last night and decided to not go that route, because of the type of lift I was on.

[jay206]

Z" HEIGHT

Lift front bumper of vehicle up approximately 1.5 inches.
Gently remove hands and allow vehicle to settle on its own.
Repeat this operation twice more for a total of three times.
Measure "Z" height, Fig. 1 .
Push front bumper on vehicle down approximately 1.5 inches.
Gently remove hands and allow vehicle to rise on its own.
Repeat this operation twice more for a total of three times.
Measure "Z" height.
Find the average of the high and low measurements. This is the "Z" height. "Z" height should be 6.18 inches on 1 and 2 series: 5.70 inches on 3 series."D" HEIGHT
Use the same procedure used in determining the "Z"
height. "D" height should be 7.17 inches.
http://www.motoralldata.com/alldata/MOTOR%7EV77785671%7EC23525%7ER0%7EOB0%7EP4R0H%7EN/0/41746574/42420501/42420536/42420539/34853741/34864218/34864722/34865408/127438885/87575974/87575973

[jay206]

That post did have a picture. I don't know what happend to it.

[mncguy]

can i have a pic or more explanation on measurment Z