That video is awesome!

I had to remove hubs and bearings for a brake job last winter. There was no grit in the bearings, the bearings looked good and spun smoothly, and I regresased after…

 

What about the bearings that the hubs pivot on for steering? Not the wheel bearings.

 

ahhh lol, thank you for that. I guess I don’t know how to check those? I don’t see any marring and it doesn’t seem to be leaking grease.

 

The hub bearings are on the top and bottom of the steering knuckles. The ABS sensors go through the top bearing pin. Check out the diagrams and procedures in the workshop manual. I think I spent a week end or two getting mine set up, not counting ordering and waiting for parts. Probably need a medium level of mechanical ability, but a beginner could follow the manual I suppose. Good videos on the web.

I think it's worth the effort getting in there, based on the messes I found on my high mileage trucks, e.g. busted bearings, worn thrust washers, improper shim thicknesses, etc. I had hopes that would solve my ABS problems, but it did not. There are a bunch of seals that can be renewed while you are there too.

 

What JohnZo is writing about is generally referred to as a 'swivel ball re-build' When I did mine Trevor at Rovah Parts was extremely helpful and had good pricing.

 

This is definitely an area I’m weak in. I think Bearmach may have some kind of YouTube video, but I’m not sure that this part is actually the issue.

 

Sometimes the best way to learn to swim is to just dive right in.

 

I would recommend clamping a vise grips to the shaft of the steering box (not super tight, but 'snug'), then tying the vise grips to the frame, or something rigid, so it won't move at all. then wiggle your steering wheel annd feel if you can feel some 'play'. There could be a joint somewhere in the shafts or between the wheel and steering box which this test will quickly reveal. There could be a slight amount of wear in multiple points that together add up to loose steering. Not uncommon at all. And a little free-play in this region can make the steering feel quite loose.

Also, if all the other suspension and wheel points seem tight perhaps re-look at the steering box a 2nd time. Did you remove the steering box to adjust it? Hopefully you did, most guys don't. About the only way to get a really good 'proper' adjustment is to remove the steering box from the vehicle and adjust in a vise. The reason is, you're adjusting for a certain amt of 'drag' in inch/lbs on the shaft as you move it over 'center'. The normal way to adjust a steering box is to first adjust the bearing pre-load (that's the big nut on the bottom you can't access very well on the vehicle), then adjust the screw on the top. If the pre-load is off and there's up/down movement in the shaft, you can adjust the top screw all you want and it won't remove freeplay. Also, there could be possibly a tiny amt of (wear) on the lower bushing/bearing, that again, if it's got a little looseness in, you'll never adjust that out. The steering box isn't that difficult to rebuild. Once you get the box out of the vehicle and loosen up the adjustments you can check those things.

But maybe you'll find what's causing your steering sloppiness in other suspension points or hubs.

 

D1's don't have telescoping steering wheels - they only adjust vertically