houtex

The steering shaft, to be exact. The lower one, not the upper one.

I was experiencing a little bit of 'hanging' (so much that I actually accidentally curbed my left rims... DANGIT... ) when turning the wheel. It'd sort of hang at the 90 and 270 degrees (0 being top, of course.) More effort was needed to get it past that hump, and it wouldn't center if it was caught on either side, needing that extra effort to get it into the 'wedge' where it would be ok.

After reading and watching videos and diagnosing, I figured out it was the lower steering shaft... either the upper or lower U joint coupler was locking up and bad.

So I got the pieces. They aren't exactly cheap for the pair. They are Ford only bits. But they're new, and that's what I needed.

I won't go into more details, suffice to to say the removal and installation is a relatively simple process, yet irritating to a degree given where things are. Also, doing it solo is fun.

But sure as there's a Sun still orbiting the Earth, I got those two bits assembled and installed. Yay me and stuff, right?

End result: MAN.

I mean... I mean...

I musta been having that issue for a while, and it just now (well, about two weeks ago, took that long to get the thing figured and the parts in my hands, then get to the weekend to install) it went really bad. Because the car steers as if she's *brand new*, and is just more pleasureable to steer than ever. Smoove and silky.

The rack and pump seem to be ok, and I did a flush/change fluid on it, all looks to be ok there.

The strange to me thing is that the *upper* shaft coupler/U joint was the bad one... Way up on the firewall. I would have bet real money on the lower one, but nope. It's just as freed up as could be. I might save it. I might not, it looked really old and stuff, so...

Anyway. Just figured I'd say what I did today, 'cause 1) I'm proud of being able to fix my car, and 2) I've never, ever, had this happen on any car I've ever owned. Driven, but it wasn't mine (rag coupler on a '78 Tbird.)

Ok then.. laters!

mrkabc

Wow! When did this start? How did you notice? How many miles?

Ford only parts, hah? Must have cost a grip. ..

Cavero

NICE. What do you mean by hanging?

houtex

I can't say when it started, but I can say that for the past few years, it never, ever felt as silky to turn as it does now. Not that it was a problem, just... in thinking about it, there was more resistance, now there's just about zero. But I noticed it about a couple of weeks ago, when the hanging started. Right about 130,500 I suppose.

I got a 'brother' discount, so it wasn't terrible. You can get them for about $300 for both, about $100 for the lower and the upper is $200. Most places it's worse. It is what it is, being Ford only... And I'm glad I didn't assume which and replaced as a set, truly, because I had guessed wrong, and would have just done the lower, which wasn't really bad...

What I mean is if the wheel is 'straight', that's 0 degrees. Turning the wheel so the bottom spoke is on the direct right or left, the wheel would simply not return to 0, preferring to hang up on that turned state of 90 to the right or left.

It was defeated by strongarming the wheel back out of that spot.

And the reason it was doing it at all is because one 'axis' of the U joint was just plain frozen on the upper part of the lower strut. It would move 'left to right', but not 'up and down'. Like, at all, in my hands. With the wheel, it could be forced to move with extra effort.

It's a slow, insidious death, those u-joints, and then all of a sudden... boom, they're locked up.

ford4v429

Typing on this tablet is weird. Anyways I had same issue on my mercury winterbeater after it sat all summer, definitely hard to drive...I sprayed some penetrating oil on it overnight, motor oil next day and it loosened right up...that was 2 yrs ago, probably should oil it again... Sucks there's no real provision for greasing, its a kinda important part. Guess I better start oiling the mustangs occasionally too. My mercury had zero slop,but the yoke/seals got rust between,and were tight as heck...a little oil/time and it felt like a new car