Posted by Jack Smith on March 20, 2000 at 21:11:25:
In Reply to: Don't forget an M37 is aligned differently too posted by Brian in Oregon on March 20, 2000 at 11:28:19:
I believe the truck in question is a 3/4 ton WC, not an M37. As for M 37's wandering, that simply is not true. The M37 front end has about a degree of built in caster, which is plenty to prevent wandering at a sane road speed. If the truck wanders, something serious is wrong with it. Before I did anything as radical as cutting tires to true them, I'd check for something worn or asssembled improperly. Check the spindle bearing adjustment, as loose wheel bearings are often the source of a lot of front end problems. The steering relay lever can cause this type of wobble problem, if it's not in good condition. There is a bushing, and two drag links with four rod ends involved in this assembly before the steering impulse gets to the hub, so that's a good place to start looking for wear or broken parts. I'd also check the preload on the swivel housing bearings. Se that the steering arm itself is not bent or loose. They won't track true unless they're held rigidly enough. The steering box itself is often the source of a lot of slop. If the pitman arm is loose on the shaft, it will use up a lot of your effort just wiggling before it moves anything. The steering box mount bolts come next. Any slop here wastes a lot of motion. Next, those combat wheels originally had big welded in weights, inside the rim. If one or more of them was knocked off while the shop worked on them, or they fell off from corrosion, that would be enough to cause out of balance. I've seen combat rims with 6 and 8 ounce weights in them. Before we condemn an entire engineering concept, let's look at the basic stuff first. Check inside the tires to see that hery are not full of rusty water, or perhaps have a foreign object like a piece of flap or tube still in there. When all else fails, at least you know you have a mechanically perfect steering system, and you can then go on to the tires. Just my 2 cents guys....