Kingpin
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Thought I'd post this for all of those guys who are still learning their way around their trucks like me.
The Steering wheel on my son's M1009 was turned about 90 degrees to the left. I assume this happened as a result of the previous owner putting much larger tires on the truck.
I kept reading what an easy fix it was... simply adjust the drag link. Having never adjusted a drag link, nor seen one for that matter, I had to find it first.
It is right behind the drivers side front wheel. It's about 6 inches long, and it looks and acts like a turnbuckle. It ties together two threaded rods end to end, has bolt tightened clamps around each end. I got under the truck, took one look at it and got the WD-40. The thing was rusted and stuck big time. I let the lubricant penetrate overnight, and the bolted clamps loosened fairly easily.
MAKE SURE THE WHEELS ARE STRAIGHT BEFORE YOU GO ON.
When I tried to turn the sleeve (drag link) itself... it wasn't budging even with a pipe wrench and a hammer. And the angle from under the truck was nearly impossible. My neighbor suggested jacking up the truck and popping off the front wheel, and that made all the difference. We could get at it from the side then and could really see what we were working on. More lubricant.. cleaned rod threads with wire brush.. and it slowly came loose.
The steering wheel needs to be unlocked with the key in the ignition while you're adjusting the drag link so it can move into the correct position. At least that's the way we did it, and I can't imagine it would work if it was locked. We were unsure if this was bad for the glow plugs so we turned the truck off every couple of minutes. Maybe one of the real mechanics can answer that.
Anyway, we got the steering wheel lined up... tightened the clamps back onto the drag link, and put the front wheel back on.
Tools: Lubricant, pipe wrench and a cheater pipe, and wrenches for the clamps. Don't underestimate the importance of lubricant and cleaning the threads.
Took us about an hour.. a real mechanic could do it much faster!
Hope this helps any beginner who needs help. This is a great forum, and a real money-saver. Thanks guys!
The Steering wheel on my son's M1009 was turned about 90 degrees to the left. I assume this happened as a result of the previous owner putting much larger tires on the truck.
I kept reading what an easy fix it was... simply adjust the drag link. Having never adjusted a drag link, nor seen one for that matter, I had to find it first.
It is right behind the drivers side front wheel. It's about 6 inches long, and it looks and acts like a turnbuckle. It ties together two threaded rods end to end, has bolt tightened clamps around each end. I got under the truck, took one look at it and got the WD-40. The thing was rusted and stuck big time. I let the lubricant penetrate overnight, and the bolted clamps loosened fairly easily.
MAKE SURE THE WHEELS ARE STRAIGHT BEFORE YOU GO ON.
When I tried to turn the sleeve (drag link) itself... it wasn't budging even with a pipe wrench and a hammer. And the angle from under the truck was nearly impossible. My neighbor suggested jacking up the truck and popping off the front wheel, and that made all the difference. We could get at it from the side then and could really see what we were working on. More lubricant.. cleaned rod threads with wire brush.. and it slowly came loose.
The steering wheel needs to be unlocked with the key in the ignition while you're adjusting the drag link so it can move into the correct position. At least that's the way we did it, and I can't imagine it would work if it was locked. We were unsure if this was bad for the glow plugs so we turned the truck off every couple of minutes. Maybe one of the real mechanics can answer that.
Anyway, we got the steering wheel lined up... tightened the clamps back onto the drag link, and put the front wheel back on.
Tools: Lubricant, pipe wrench and a cheater pipe, and wrenches for the clamps. Don't underestimate the importance of lubricant and cleaning the threads.
Took us about an hour.. a real mechanic could do it much faster!
Hope this helps any beginner who needs help. This is a great forum, and a real money-saver. Thanks guys!