Gen 1 Montero steering questions

[Zerocool]

Hey guys, long time no post. Monty is great, (we run a bakery) its carried up to 1200lb in the trunk on occasion ( and thats not a guess)
but the steering play seems like its gotten to the point where its become bothersome.
could the steering gearbox have gone bad? Im at 183k miles..
do the gen 2 ones fit?

and anyone put on any steering wheel stabilizers?
I really wish a company would make specific parts for gen 1 montys.
oh and anyone in southern california have a drivers side mirror? (LWB) I broke mine and its also annoying.
thanks

 

[Kmrtnsn]

What condition are the tie rods in? They're a wear item, probably well overdue for replacement. Crawl underneath, start pushing up and down on the steering linkages and find where the play is. There used to be a company the specialized in Gen 1 Monteros and Raiders, long out of business.

 

[Zerocool]

no play in anything but it seems like the power steering gearbox has a small leak where the shaft comes out.

 

[Kmrtnsn]

Do this. Lay in front of the truck with the tranny in park, e-brake on, a chock or two, and someone you trust implicitly behind the wheel. Have someone else slowly rotate the steering wheel lock to lock, left, then right. Repeat as necessary. While the tires are turning in place, you watch the tie-rods, tie rod ends, Pittman, steering arm, etc. Watch for movement/play as the linkages "wind up". Your loose pieces (probably more than one) should be obvious.

 

[rxinhed]

Have you checked the steering idler arm bushings and upper control arm bushings? Both of these will cause wobble.

I used a Rancho steering stabilizer on my Raider for about 2 weeks before I removed it. Too much dampening and the steering didn't return to center when leaving a corner.

 

[Jay Ayala]

I'm about to go over all of the steering components in my raider in the next several weeks. I'll fully document the process.

 

[Zerocool]

actually, I adjusted my torsion bars today because they started to sag in the front, I leveled the car up and now the steering is perfect!
it was a pain in the *** to do though, rusty bolts and not enough help ( alone)
theres a nominal amount of play now in the steering and I dont feel like im going to loose control anymore
Now to address the brakes.

 

[ManfromSnowyRiver]

Also keep in mind there is an adjuster on top of the box to take out slack in the box.

 

[Zerocool]

Are you talking about the two bolts used to make sure it doesnt slip?

 

[Zerocool]

oooooh do you mean the screw on top of the steering wheel gearbox? Do I tighten or loosen it to adjust slack?