Play in steering wheel = nerve wracking!

WA7NDD wrote:
Need to ask this question. Is it play in the steering wheel, or, does the steering feel like the front tires are just really easy to steer. My E350 felt like the front tires had no weight on them you could steer with one finger. Read a ton of posts here, and then took it in to a local garage with a good rep. I supplied them with variable sleeve casters and had them set to +5, they replaced the tie rod ends, I supplied new HD shocks. Made a huge difference in the steering. Felt like I had a wheel in my hands. I removed the Ford steering stabilizer and replaced with a new non Ford stabilizer. Went on a 2400 mile trip worked just fine. Check out all the post about setting the Caster to +5.

The best I can describe it, is having to move the wheel about 1/4-1/2" before it actually turns the vehicle. So, if it slightly drifts one way, there is that slack in the steering before it will set and turn the wheels the other way. Consequently, I find myself constantly moving the wheel back and forth to keep it straight. Sweeping turns were fine as I wasn't dealing with that steering slack.

It's probably not as bad as it sounds, but is pretty aggravating when going down a two-lane highway with drop offs on either side and very little shoulder. Keeping it safe, I rarely went over 55 even though the speed limit was 70.