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    #1

    broken steering rack

    sigh, my GMQ is starting to show her age

    tonight while backing out of a parking spot, i felt like the car hit a solid object and make a loud snap and crunch sound. shook the whole car. after doing a full walkaround and undercarriage inspection i was unable to find anything. on my way home, any right turn i'd make at low speeds would cause there to be a loud snap/ pop sound from the front end and the steering wheel/front end would wander.

    i don't want it to be the steering rack but thats what i'm leaning towards. i can't really see anything else binding up. any thoughts?
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    #2
    sounds like you need to get the front in the air and look it over good... as far as i knew... the front steering on a box body is the tie rods and center arm all connected thru the pitman, idler, and tie rod ends... i would make sure the shocks are ok, that a spring didnt break, and the bushings and ball joints.... lift each side of the car individually by jacking it up under lower control arm and grab tire... grab it one hand on top and other at bottom and push up and down... then do a side to side check... steering racks i thought were on the whale bodies in late 90s to early 2000s and newer
    Addicted to 86-87 Panthers

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      #3
      panthers made before 2003 do not have steering rack.

      sounds like the swaybar endlink.
      Builder/Owner of Badass Panther Wagons

      Busy maintaining a fleet of Fords

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        #4
        idler arm/end links/tie rod ends. get the front end in the air and wiggle the tires and see what moves. if nothing in the steering gives way... check the idler arm for up and down motion (it shouldn't move but left and right). if that's fine... the pitman arm itself may have issues. Something may be about to come completely loose... definitely get it fixed before that happens.

        Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. -- Albert Einstein
        rides: 93 Crown Vic LX (The Red Velvet Cake), 2000 Crown Vic base model (Sandy), 2003 Expedition (the vacation beast)

        Originally posted by gadget73
        ... and it should all work like magic and unicorns and stuff.

        Originally posted by dmccaig
        Overhead, some poor bastards are flying in airplanes.

        Comment

          #5
          Thanks for the input. I'll try and look at it today. If it was just a link that'd be awesome.

          Comment

            #6
            Check your ball joints it is NOT GOOD if they seperate while you are driving.



            87 Ford LTD Crown Victoria Country Squire Station Wagon. 4.10's, Repacked Trac Loc, Boxed LCA's, Explorer Intake, 65mm T-body, 'Stang Cam, 'Stang Air tube, K&N, GT-40X Heads, 1" Spacer, 1 5/8 BBK's, 2.5" Pypes X-pipe w/high flow cats, Single Chamber Thunderbolts, B&M 'vertor, Po-lice Swaybars.

            91 Mercury Grand Marquis Colony Park Station Wagon. K-Code, 4.10's, Repacked Trac Loc, MK VII LSC Engine, 'Stang Upper Intake, Stang Air Tube, K&N, 65 mm T-Body, 'Stang Headers, 'Stang Cat Pipe,'Stang Torque Convertor, 2 Chamber Thunderbolts.

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              #7
              Originally posted by mrltd View Post
              panthers made before 2003 do not have steering rack.

              sounds like the swaybar endlink.
              +1 we have linkage type steering. Pitman, idler arms, a drag link, and inner/outer tie rod ends with adjusting sleeves between them. Nothing too complicated except where the pitman arm is splined to mate up with the steering box. My vote is for sway bar end links or a funky steering box.


              before this happened, did you find your car slightly hunting from side-to-side at highway speeds? especially after a bump
              Last edited by 1990LTD; 02-17-2011, 04:58 PM.
              sigpic


              - 1990 Ford LTD Crown Victoria P72 - the street boat - 5.0 liter EFI - Ported HO intake/TB, 90 TC shroud/overflow, Aero airbox/zip tube, Cobra camshaft, 19lb injectors, dual exhaust w/ Magnaflows, Cat/Smog & AC delete, 3G alternator, MOOG chassis parts & KYB cop shocks, 215/70r/15s on 95-97 Merc rims

              - 2007 Ford Escape XLT - soccer mom lifted station wagon - 3.0 Duratec, auto, rear converter delete w/ Magnaflow dual exhaust

              - 2008 Mercury Grand Marquis Ultimate Edition - Daily driver - 4.6 2 valve Mod motor, 4R75E, 2.73s. Bone stock

              Comment

                #8
                Tie rods letting loose while driving FTL. Been there, done that, have the T-shirt.

                Thankfully, mine did it around town going under 30 mph, so no further damage resulted.
                2012 Mazda5 Touring | Finally working on the LTD again!

                Comment

                  #9
                  Originally posted by 1987cp View Post
                  Tie rods letting loose while driving FTL. Been there, done that, have the T-shirt.

                  Thankfully, mine did it around town going under 30 mph, so no further damage resulted.
                  I couldn't believe how bad my passenger side outer tie rod was..the boot was gone and the ball socket just spun freely whichever way it decided to do. Wandering much?



                  The idler arm bushing was an oval.
                  sigpic


                  - 1990 Ford LTD Crown Victoria P72 - the street boat - 5.0 liter EFI - Ported HO intake/TB, 90 TC shroud/overflow, Aero airbox/zip tube, Cobra camshaft, 19lb injectors, dual exhaust w/ Magnaflows, Cat/Smog & AC delete, 3G alternator, MOOG chassis parts & KYB cop shocks, 215/70r/15s on 95-97 Merc rims

                  - 2007 Ford Escape XLT - soccer mom lifted station wagon - 3.0 Duratec, auto, rear converter delete w/ Magnaflow dual exhaust

                  - 2008 Mercury Grand Marquis Ultimate Edition - Daily driver - 4.6 2 valve Mod motor, 4R75E, 2.73s. Bone stock

                  Comment

                    #10
                    Originally posted by 1990LTD View Post
                    +1 we have linkage type steering. Pitman, idler arms, a drag link, and inner/outer tie rod ends with adjusting sleeves between them. Nothing too complicated except where the pitman arm is splined to mate up with the steering box. My vote is for sway bar end links or a funky steering box.


                    before this happened, did you find your car slightly hunting from side-to-side at highway speeds? especially after a bump
                    i have new outer tie rods on the car. the alignment is off as these;

                    More Information for RAYBESTOS 5951033
                    http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/moreinfo.php?pk=1033269


                    are in need of replacement. well aware of what can happen if a ball joint snaps while driving. not going to let that happen. i think the steering box is fine. basement flooding has kept me from being able to devote any time to this.

                    Comment

                      #11
                      Originally posted by 1990LTD View Post
                      I couldn't believe how bad my passenger side outer tie rod was..the boot was gone and the ball socket just spun freely whichever way it decided to do. Wandering much?



                      The idler arm bushing was an oval.
                      Curiously, the tie rod that let go on mine was a whole 2 or 3 years old, and let go more or less without warning. Running high-offset wheels on Detroit roads after installing off-brand parts can't have helped, though. I ended up getting TRW replacements since that's what the local Murray's sold, and those are now on my Vic. :p
                      2012 Mazda5 Touring | Finally working on the LTD again!

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