1962 steering unstable when going around right hand curves | Ford Thunderbird club group 1955-2005 T-Bird models

1962 steering unstable when going around right hand curves

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1962
When I am going around a right hand curve it is very difficult to make a smooth turn. When I am going around the curve it feels like the I am constantly having to adjust the wheel while going around the curve. If you have ever watched a video of someone trying to drive on 2 wheels and the car tends to turn tun and the driver is constantly having to make little adjustments in order to keep it upright. That is how I imagine that it feels. It’s like I am trying to balance while turning and the slightest adjustment is very sensitive. Like every right hand curve requires a bunch of little turns. I have had the alignment done by the mechanic and have had another mechanic double check it. The only Suggestion that the mechanic had was that he thought that the tires are too tall and wide and that the wheels have too little back spacing and that going back to the stock wheels and tires would help.

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I had a 62 Cadillac two years ago that did exactly that same thing. Going around the right hand turn it would try to turn itself and then not. Very strange took it to the top notch alignment shop. They told me that it was my steering gearbox . I couldn’t believe it because turning left it was normal. I finally broke down and changed the steering box and problem resolved.
 
If it's not unstable on left hand turns then I'm doubting it's the oversized tires.

I would suspect something loose in the steering gear or a wheel spindle. Are you confident the mechanics did a thorough check for loose components?

Another possibility is one of the front tires is separating internally, you could check this by swapping the front tires and see if the problem then ocurs during left hand turns.
 
64ZCODE said:
If it's not unstable on left hand turns then I'm doubting it's the oversized tires.

I would suspect something loose in the steering gear or a wheel spindle. Are you confident the mechanics did a thorough check for loose components?

Another possibility is one of the front tires is separating internally, you could check this by swapping the front tires and see if the problem then ocurs during left hand turns.
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What do you mean when you say that the “tires are separated internally”.

I am pretty sure everything is tight. It has been looked over by 2 mechanics.
 
Tire separation is when a tire starts to break down and the outer tread separates from the internal steel belts and cords. One symptom is wobbling and wandering in the turns.
 
Have you taken it to a shop that does front end alignment, or just a mechanic?
 
64ZCODE said:
Tire separation is when a tire starts to break down and the outer tread separates from the internal steel belts and cords. One symptom is wobbling and wandering in the turns.
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The tires are less than a year old so I don’t think that’s the problem.
74 Harley said:
Have you taken it to a shop that does front end alignment, or just a mechanic?
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Yes it was an alignment shop/mecanic.
 
Then I believe you need to look into the power steering control valve. And on this car it's in the steering box. At a minimum you can try flushing the system.
 
74 Harley said:
Then I believe you need to look into the power steering control valve. And on this car it's in the steering box. At a minimum you can try flushing the system.
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Is that the bolt with a screw head that has a lock nit on it or is that something else. I tried loosening that a quarter inch at a time and then driving it but that didn't seem to help much but I didn't get much further than a hole turn.
 
That one is to take the slack out of the box. It's been so long since I've torn down one of these things I don't remember the internal configuration. Somebody may chime in that has a better memory. Doug?
 
I've not done a Ford steering box. A web search indicates the power steering control valve is external to the steering box, located near the Pitman arm. The valve's function is to control fluid pressure to the steering gear. Why would the valve work OK when making a left turn but not when making a right turn?
 
64ZCODE said:
I've not done a Ford steering box. A web search indicates the power steering control valve is external to the steering box, located near the Pitman arm. The valve's function is to control fluid pressure to the steering gear. Why would the valve work OK when making a left turn but not when making a right turn?
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The job of the valve is to transfer pressure from the pump to assist either right or left. There could be a broken spring or leaking seat on the one side.
 
Forbird said:
When I am going around a right hand curve it is very difficult to make a smooth turn. When I am going around the curve it feels like the I am constantly having to adjust the wheel while going around the curve. If you have ever watched a video of someone trying to drive on 2 wheels and the car tends to turn tun and the driver is constantly having to make little adjustments in order to keep it upright. That is how I imagine that it feels. It’s like I am trying to balance while turning and the slightest adjustment is very sensitive. Like every right hand curve requires a bunch of little turns. I have had the alignment done by the mechanic and have had another mechanic double check it. The only Suggestion that the mechanic had was that he thought that the tires are too tall and wide and that the wheels have too little back spacing and that going back to the stock wheels and tires would help.
Click to expand...
I had this exact issue with a 55 Tbird w/o power steering. I discovered that the top bolt of my left rear shock was missing and the stud had come out of the steel saddle of the chassis. The driving sensation was as you described, I felt like I needed a rear anti-sway bar or the car was going to roll up on two tires. Problem resolved after reattaching the bolt. I also severely needed a front end alignment, which was a different matter.
 
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