Chevrolet 10 1971 Series Chassis Service Manual page 342

STEERING 9-2
Fig. 1— Removing Pitman Arm (Typical)
Steering Gear
Before any adjustments are made to the steering gear
in an attempt to correct such conditions as shimmy,
loose or hard steering and road shocks, a careful check
should be made of front end alignment, shock absorbers,
wheel balance and tire pressure for possible cause.
Correct adjustment of steering gear is very important.
While there are but two adjustments to be made, the
following procedure must be followed step-by-step in the
order given.
1. Disconnect the battery ground cable.
2. Remove the pitman arm nut. Mark the relationship of
the pitman arm to the pitman shaft. Remove the
pitman arm with Tool J-6632 or J-5504 as shown in
Figure 1.
3. Loosen the steering gear adjuster plug locknut and
back the adjuster plug off 1/4 turn (fig. 2).
4. Remove the horn button cap.
5. Turn the steering wheel gently in one direction until
stopped by the gear; then turn back one-half turn.
Do not turn the steering wheel hard
CAUTION:
against the stops when the steering linkage is
disconnected from the gear as damage to the
ball guides could result.
6. Measure and record "bearing drag" by applying a
torque wrench with a 3/4 inch socket on the steering
wheel nut and rotating through a 90° arc (fig. 3).
Do not use a torque wrench having a
NOTE:
maximum torque reading of more than 50 inch
pounds.
7. Adjust "thrust bearing preload" by tightening the
adjuster plug until the proper "thrust loading pre­
load" is obtained (See specifications section at rear
of this manual). When the proper preload has been
obtained, tighten the adjuster plug locknut to speci­
fications and recheck torque. If the gear feels
"lumpy" after adjustment, there is probably damage
in the bearings due to severe impact or improper
adjustment; the gear must be disassembled for re­
placement of damaged parts.
8. Adjust "over-center preload" as follows:
a. Turn the steering wheel gently from one stop all
the way to the other carefully counting the total
number of turns. Turn the wheel back exactly
half-way, to center position.
b. Turn the lash adjuster screw clockwise to take
out all lash between the ball nut and pitman shaft
sector teeth and then tighten the locknut.
c. Check the torque at the steering wheel, taking the
highest reading as the wheel is turned through
center position. See the Specifications Section
for proper over-center preload.
d. If necessary, loosen locknut and readjust lash
adjuster screw to obtain proper torque. Tighten
the locknut to specifications and again check tor­
que reading through center of travel.
If maximum specification is exceeded,
NOTE:
turn lash adjuster screw counter-clockwise, then
come up on adjustment by turning the adjuster
in a clockwise motion.
Fig. 3 — Checking Torque at Steering Wheel
10-30 CHEVROLET TRUCK SERVICE MANUAL