I'm trying to get to the bottom of my steering woes.

So far,I've replaced the steering bars front and rear with all four new greaseable tie rod ends. Steering rods and Steering damper are HD Terrafirma.

I have newer 265/75 BFG AT T/A KO's tires with a 2" TF MD lift

Truck has 180k miles on the clock.

I'm wondering on the highway (hard to keep a straight line). The alignment was set after the steering rods were installed. Alignment checks out fine.

The, wife doesn't like driving it says it "scary". I do notice I have a little play in the steering wheel. Could it be a bad steering box or ball joints?? How do I diagnose which is at fault?

 

First, with anything over a 2" lift, your alignment is not fine, your caster is out and without also replacing your pan hard rod with an adjustable pan hard rod, your diff is now off center towards the drivers side.
I would also highly suggest you do a good inspection of all 6 of your trailing arm bushings as well as your radius arms.

 

Whoops, thought I forgot something. New TF adjustable panhard rod was installed along the steering bars.

Excuse my ignorance. What's the difference between trailing arms and radius arms. Are trailing arms located in the rear of the truck? And radius arms located in the front of the truck?

 

Yes, and the castor correction is what will keep you from tracking, but it requires castor correcting radius arms or the installation of a True Trac dif in the front which will always keep the steering centered so it won't track.

 

Check to see if
you're steering box has excessive play
The condition of the rear watts link bushings. If these are bad it will make the truck wonder down the road.
and as Mike Rad arm bushings maybe bad

 

Good info. Thanks, guys.

 

Shout if you need any help.