Last October or so, I hit a storm drain in my truck. i bent a lot of crap in my front end. I replaced all ball joints, upper a arms, all tie rods, center link, pitman arm, and idler arm. but on my passager side the inner tierods where it bolts up to the center link is still very close to the frame. could some one show take a picture of the pasanger side center link and innner tie rod to show me how much space you have between the tierod and the frame? I have looked every where on the web for this. i thank the idler arm is bent again,or wrong part every thing bolted up right though. there is only one way the center link can go. thanks a million if you do this for me.

 

i had that isue when i first got my truck. Turns out the previose owner had the wrong center link. I would double check to make sure they gave you the right one. I beleive it was a link for a 2x4, not a 4x4

 

Drivers side inner tire rod distance from frame
http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/j...o/102_1723.jpg
Passager side inner tire rod distance from the frame
http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/j...o/102_1722.jpg

Look how the Center link goes up hill to the passager side. all these parts are new, and everything is the correct part/ not sure about the Pittman arm.
http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/j...o/102_1721.jpg

 

Thats exactly how mine looked when i had the wrong bar. (never looked at it from the front so mabey mine was level)

The pitman or idler being off could cause it to look like that also. Is the spot were the idler arm mounts to the frame tweaked at all? and is the pitman arm pressed onto the steering shaft enough? I think there is only one variation of the pitman so you probly got the right one.

Also the draglink that was on the truck when i got it was a few inches shorter than the 4wd one. If you can messure from the center of the inner tierod nut to the center of the other inner tie rod nut i will messure mine to compare and so you know its right.

 

I think the alignment is all out of wack. Meaning you did not put the pitman arm in straight then assembled everything else with the bar un centered. Did you get an alignment after doing all the ball joints? From looking at the pics it looks like one inner tie rod is threaded almost all the way in. While the other is threaded way out more.

 

Go take a pic Eric. I'd have to back mine out of the garage to do it lol.

 

Just noticed what toolj said too, shouldn't the amount of threads be closer to the same amount on both sides? It looks like centerlink runs too short because of how little thread is left on the passenger side.

 

I have a few in this gallery, - not very good ones tho, -

https://www.f150online.com/forums/me...000+miles.html

 

Yep. He may even have put the pitman arm in straight but the steering wheel was not. Throwing it all off when getting alignment.

 

the Pitman arm would only go 3 ways due to the way the sterring box/ pitman arm is splined, so i know it is right. the alingment was done by a reputable ford dealership the next day. the Pit man arm is put on as tight as i could get it with the Pull bar, but is in about the same place as the stock one is. i never paid any attin to the center link untill after i hit the ditch. At first i thalt maybe the lift shifed, but me and a guy at the alinement shop took mesurment to check for that to day. If i had let anyone borrow my truck cince i changed all these parts i would say they the hit something, but no one has driven but me so i know thats not the case. I did not pay attn to this when i put on the new parts to see if it was this close to the frame, but it had to be. i layed all the new parts next to the old ones to verify they were all the same, and they was.

 

but if nothing was on the truck, but the ider arm, pitman arm and the center link should the center link be level? as you can see in the picture mine goes uphill to the passager side probley about 1.5-2" between the pittman, and ider arms. Kinda like it would if it had a drop pittman arm, with a stock ider arm.

 

You may think the alignment shop is reputable but the truth is there not. Any one who knows what there doing will notice something is not right that one side is threaded almost all the way in and the other side not even close.

They would have takin the pitman arm off and re centered it with the steering wheel.

 

That is true, but the center link should all still be level? correct. I did not even notice it untill looking at my wheel bearings. the drivers side tire is tight, but there is some play in the passagers side wheel where it has messed up the new ider arm.

 

Get the alignment squared away. And then and only then will i help with the rubbing (if it even still does), Levelness of the link bar etc. The others will continue to help but as for me i am done untill that main issue is fixed.

Im not sure what wheel bearings have to do with any of this. And the tire is tight? Could you explain these issues better? And your new idler arm is messed up?

 

yes the idler arm is shot, i was trying to feel for looseness in the wheel bering and i looked up to see the center link hitting the frame, and thought thats not right, lol. is can move the passagers side tire about 1.5-2" side to side due to the angle the passager side inner tie rod and he center link is at. this is grabing the tire @ 3 oclock, and 9 oclock and turning the tire side to side. when i do this it pushes the tierods, and passager side center link up about .5" toward the frame untill it hits the frame. i will not et an alingment untill the problem is fixed becouse i do not feel the alingment is going to fix the problem. I have to first figure out if i have a wrong part, or a bad part other than the little play i already know i have in the idler arm witch i will change this weekend.