# need help asap!



## baddboygeorge (Oct 20, 2002)

i have a 90 f 250 4x4 with the 7.3 diesel.the problem is in the front end somewhere i just dont understand . i have inspected everything ,all the tie rod ends , ball joints,bearings etc everything is tight an solid i did notice about an 1/8 inch play in the pitman arm itself not in the shaft . would that cause this shake in the truck .its getting to the point that i hate driving it . what else should i look for in the front end to eliminate this shake in the front end please let me know asap thanks


----------



## snowflake (Jan 16, 2003)

check tires maybe got one thats out of balance or got the plys separating. or even out off round. fords are good for havent problems if you got a agressive tread style.


----------



## baddboygeorge (Oct 20, 2002)

my tires are screwed but i didnt want to get new ones till i get this straightened out ya know


----------



## DIGEM (Mar 2, 2001)

have you ever rotated your tires it is probaly your tires


----------



## sno-mover (Jan 12, 2002)

You may have a broken belt and its just getting worse.


----------



## baddboygeorge (Oct 20, 2002)

i bought the truck back in october an its paid for itself just in plowing work alone more than once already so i want to make sure it keeps working fine .i checked the whole front end out very well an there is no play at all just about an1/8 th in the pitman arm .truck rides fine up to about 30 then again about 40 its that 30-40 range that it beats you to death . i mean so bad it feels like its gonna shake ya out of the truck. i am gonna get new tires tomm. an see if that does it i just didnt want to get new tires an in a month have the same trouble .i think i will have an alignment done too... let me know guys thanks


----------



## Pelican (Nov 16, 2001)

That pitman arm isn't helping matters any, that eighth inch gets multiplied by the steering geometry. I don't remember if that truck has a steering stabilizer (looks like a shock absorber connected to tie rod), that may need replaced. My F-350 acted the same way without it in place.


----------



## baddboygeorge (Oct 20, 2002)

*hey pelican!!*

hey man hows it going . anyways that year doesnt have that but a friend suggested putting one on so i mite install on if it will help .when it shakes its a side to side shake an i mean a bad shake . on an older truck i used to have it had twin I beam front end it was 2 wheel drive an i got the same type shake an it was the axle pivot busings does this front end have the same bushings . i am gonna try the tires hope fully it works i am tired of shaking!!


----------



## Pelican (Nov 16, 2001)

No, this axle doesn't have those bushings, the axle halves are bolted to leaf springs in the conventional manner.

Where exactly is the play in the pitman arm, you say not the shaft, is it in the knuckle joint?


----------



## baddboygeorge (Oct 20, 2002)

hey pelican thanks man an that play is in the pitman arm where it connects to the sector shaft under the steering box . the arm itself has just a slight bit of play in the arm not the shaft cause when i move the arm the shaft doesnt move!!let me know what you think ok thanks


----------



## Pelican (Nov 16, 2001)

I think your talking about the spline where it attaches to the steering shaft. This could be the source of your problem. If you can't get it to tighten by tightening the bolt, try a new bolt. If that doesn't work, you may need a new pitman arm. Let's hope it's not the shaft spline that's worn, this would be a major repair and $$$


----------



## baddboygeorge (Oct 20, 2002)

its the sector shaft it bolts to i can tell it has play in the arm itself at least i hope it does what do u think shaft or arm!!


----------



## ProSno (Nov 24, 2001)

Some fords have a what I would call a stablizer bar of sorts. It bolts to the top of the axle and the other end bolts to the frame. When the rubber bushings go in this bar my truck would shake like crazy at the same speed range your descibing.


----------



## baddboygeorge (Oct 20, 2002)

dont have a stabilizer sorry


----------



## ProSno (Nov 24, 2001)

Are the front tires cupping? run your hand down the tread and you'll feel low and high spots. You can usually see them too. If they are there is your problem. I have two fords and one had the tires cupped and did the same thing. the other had a bad stabilizer. Let us know how you make out.


----------



## baddboygeorge (Oct 20, 2002)

*prosno !*

your rite on the money these tires have been for as long as i have owned the truck . the tires are cupped bad so today i am getting new tires .hope this corrects it any suggestions on tires !! by the way what makes them cup like that . everyone that has helped thanks so much an i will let ya know how it all goes !!


----------



## ProSno (Nov 24, 2001)

Twin I beam front end and bad alianment make them cup. As far as tire-B.F.Goodrich commercial T/A traction bite like crazy, gotta love em.


----------



## wyldman (Jan 18, 2001)

The F350's used a little short track bar to keep the front diff in line,and when it goes,you get the shake.

On your F250,the tires will most likely fix your problem.Bad shocks can also cause it as well.

Take it to someone who knows Ford TTB's,and how to align them.Most places will just set toe and that's it.

Spring sag,and bent TTB's will cause the camber to be way out causing the tire wear.You will need adjusting sleeves for the upper ball joints to adjust it.If the left side camber is way out,look for cracking of the axle beam,just outboard of the diff assy.If it's cracked,you will have to replace it.


----------



## bobcatman (Dec 9, 2002)

Could be something other than front end. I recently had bad shake in my F-350 between 30-40. On highway, plowing at low speeds, it was fine. It turned ot to be the rear U-joint for me. Might want to check driveline.


----------



## baddboygeorge (Oct 20, 2002)

*UPDATE!!!!!*

to all the guys that put there 2 cents in thanks a whole bunch!!anyways to tell you all the details i bought some new tires an had them put on today .the old tires were in rough shape causing some of the problems . the real problems were in the front rims , the drivers side was a little out of round the passengers side was really bad .the guy said it would take 9.5 onces of weights to balance the tire on the passengers side. so i took the front rims an swapped with the back that were in good shape .anyways i am gonna get new rims all the way around , any suggestions!! after i had the tires put on ,boy did she ride nice !! couldnt believe the ride it was like nite an day difference.so tommorrow i am taking it to have a good alignment done on it an i am gonna put on some new shocks ,also would like suggestions on the shocks .i was gonna use some rancho rs 5000's on the truck but i dont know if thats a good choice .by the way i pumped the airbags up today an boy did it make the front end look an feel alot tighter , they are a nice option when the plow is on !! i love the way my truck rides nowan cant wait til i get another event so i can try out the new tires. again,thanks so much for everyone that gave me some imput an helped me get this ol'ford straightened out ,sincerely george


----------



## Rooster (Dec 13, 1999)

badboygeorge,

I just bought a F350 2003 model, it has the off road package with
rancho rs 9000's for the shocks, and a rancho 5000 for the steering dampner.

Good luck 

Rick


----------



## Guest (Feb 27, 2003)

Rick,

I hate to break it to you, but the Rancho's on the 2003's with FX4 packages are all 5000's, not just the steering damper! 

I've had 9000's(5 way adjustable) and now have the 9000x's(9 way adjustable) and wouldn't be without them! You can really tell the difference when plowing or hauling when you crank them up!

If there is no adjustment knob at the base of the shock, then they are 5000's.

Greg


----------



## wyldman (Jan 18, 2001)

Rancho's are great shocks,but the quality control sucks.I have installed lots of them,and I would say 40-50% have some little problem.Bad welds,leaky seals,missing parts etc.I have since gone back to installing just regular HD gas charged shocks,and they work just as well.


----------



## Rooster (Dec 13, 1999)

GREG,

Now, you aren't suggesting the salesman would lie to me would you??? ROTFLMAO!

Well, I'll have to go and check them now!

Thanks for the heads up Greg.

Rick


----------



## Guest (Feb 27, 2003)

Rick LOL!!

Salesman are pieces of work!

I was at the Post Office a few months ago and ran into a friend who had a brand new(still had Temp tags) 2003 PSD. I asked him if it had the new motor and he said yes. I said "Cool, can I take a look?". He popped the hood and I looked at him rather quizical and said "This is a 7.3????". He said "No!, The Salesman told me it was the new High Output *7.6 L*" I said "I think you've been fed a line!", but he was animate that it was a 7.6 L!!!!!

I didn't have the heart to agrue with him. I figured I'd let him be happy with his new toy!!

Greg


----------



## Guest (Feb 27, 2003)




----------



## Rooster (Dec 13, 1999)

Rick


----------



## Tillerman1664 (Sep 18, 2002)

*baddboygeorge*

I hope the tires and rims were the ONLY cause of this problem.

If when you refer to "shake", does it feel like it will completely throw you out of the cab of the truck? The only feeling I can relate it to is the front end "bucking" like you're completly turned against the steering, in 4-wheel drive on dry pavement. If so, there's something else you may want to check. When the original F450 Super duties came out, there was a problem with the frame rails being too thin. We had a tow truck that did exactly that. To remedy the problem, we made a tortion bar to go from frame rail to frame rail, right behind the bumper. It stopped it completly. Ford eventually remedied the problem by either adding a cross member or stiffening the frame rails. What puzzles me, if this is true, and in fact your case, the plow cradle should act as a stiffening damper or cross member. I'm not even sure if this was ever a problem in your model of vehicle, but maybe something you want to check. Just a thought!


----------

