front end turning radius alignment

1985 CHEVROLET SILVERADO
150,000 MILES • V8 • 4WD • AUTOMATIC
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G RILEY
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
85 chevy silverado k10. Replaced both tie rod ends from pitman arm to idler arm and replaced the idler arm for 3" lift. Not been done with 1st owner. My front end will not make a full turn to the right. Adjusted somewhat and need a little more info to adjust properly.
Apr 17, 2011 at 11:07 AM
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CARADIODOC
  • ✓Experienced Mechanic
  • 34,413 POSTS
Are you finding it doesn't turn far enough to the right because the idler arm is hitting something or are you also able to turn too far to the left? A common problem is the steering gear box is off by one turn. The fix would be to turn one turn to the left, then readjust each tie rod adjuster to bring the wheels back to straight ahead. A similar problem can be caused by a bent pitman arm but you didn't mention anything that would point to that.

The clue that the tie rods are misadjusted is to compare how many threads are exposed on all of them. They should be approximately the same.
Apr 17, 2011 at 3:41 PM
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