Suspension Help

[brenden84]

hey-

i have a 1984 bronco XLT. as far as suspension everything is stock. im the 4th owner and ive taken in offroading a few times. i started noticing the tires have a very slight tilt inward when going toward the ground when standing in front of the vehicle looking straight back at it. theres a little bit of wear beggining to occur on the outer edge of the tire. its more serious on the passenger side tire than the drivers. is this a simple case of replacing a bushing or is it more serious? note to justshootme. ive found your feedback very helpful and im hoping i will be able to hear back from you knowing we have the same truck. thanks everybody. peace

-brenden

 

[Shadow_D]

Sounds like all you need is a simple alignment. Shouldn't cost more than $100.00 for a four wheel job. Is your steering wheel turned one way or the other when you go straight?

 

[brenden84]

no, my steering wheel is perfectly straight. my alignment is great. it goes straight for a while before i even hit the lines. i mean my actual tire is tilted inward toward my car, sort of like a VW bugs rear tires when they're suped up for racing.

 

[Shadow_D]

Ok so you are saying the front tires go in at the front of the tire and out at the back of the tire (Toe In) or in at the top of the tire and out at the bottom of the tire (Negitive Camber)?

If it is the first then I still think you have an alignment issue. Did you have an alignment done within the last week or so?

 

[brenden84]

u almost had it. the tire goes in at the bottom and out at the top. its a minor lean but its there. no i havnt had the wheels aligned recently. i bought the vehicle in november 2003 and havnt touched the steering at all.

 

[Shadow_D]

Ok you have Positive camber. This is easily fixed with an alignment. Most shops can do this for you, shouldn't cost more than $100 for a 4 wheel job around $90 for a 2 wheel job. If you go to a good shop they will inspect your steering linkage and let you know if there is anything broke or worn.

DO NOT TRY TO FIX THIS YOURSELF! You need a special machine / lift to do this correctly.

Hope this helps.

Oh by the way, Welcome to the "B Zone"

 

[Justshootme84]

brenden84, Shadow-D did a great job of answering your question!!! Either the alignment needs to be corrected, or you have a worn balljoint on the passenger side. That's usually the case if one tire is a different angle than the normal one or other side. When looking at the Bronco from the front, both tires should be straight up and down, and the wear on one edge is a good indicator of a problem.

Be aware that some alignment shops will want you to replace everything on the front end and charge you a fortune. Just be sure you need to replace an item, and have the shop show you why it's worn out. Such items as the tie rod ends, drag link and balljoints may only last 20K miles before they're worn out, so look for heavy-duty upgrades where you can. And the front end set-up on the Bronco (TTB) needs regular alignment check-ups at least once a year, more often if you drive it offroad alot like I do.

Welcome to BroncoZone, my '84 brother!!! B)

 

[brenden84]

hey thanks for your great advice guys. i'll go get that fixed this weekend. peace

 

[brenden84]

hey guys- i just got back from the shop. he took a look and said it was very positive camber, he said it was unusual to be that positive. however he recomended me a good place to get an alignment done, also, he said it wouldnt be too bad cost wise because i have some kind of ball joint something or other that would make it adjustable without taking out the hub completly. im still learning about this kinda stuff but i love it so its great to hear all of ur input. also, i asked about possible causes for my poor gas milage, im gettin bout 7 or 8 miles to the gallon. i have a K&N but i dont think its doing much at all. he checked out my carb, he said my float levels were good, didnt spill even when we rocked the car back and forth so they're plenty low, but when he took off a little tube goin somewhere, i forgot what its called, the timing got slower, he said that it doesnt really have an effect until the throttle is wide open. any input on that? any other ideas for better gas milage? thanks- brenden

 

[Shadow_D]

Glad to hear I was right with the alignment. I posted a reply to your other post about the exhaust.

 

[Justshootme84]

You may have some type of adjustable camber bushing on the front end, but I would still check out the balljoint on the right side. With the wheel off of the ground, see if you can move it up and down any at all. If it's tight, then the bushing is out of adjustment or it is worn. Not a major cost either way.

As for the mileage, you may only get 8-10mpg, depending on driving habits. I drive like an old man, and get 11-12mpg. The hose he removed sounds like the vacuum advance coming from the distributor. If you have the 351W H.O. with the 4-bbl Holley carb, first off I'm sorry for you if it's the original. They will wear out and get terrible mileage. Checking the float levels is a good step, but also check the function of the choke . The accelerator pump is a common thing that wears out, too. Be sure it's not leaking any gas on top of the intake manifold.

It sounds like you may be running in a "rich" condition, and you can easily check that at the exhaust pipe. Look to see if it's black, and hold a piece of white paper over the end of the pipe while the motor is running. If it's rich, the paper will get black spots all over it in a hurry. Also, if you have a miss or vacuum leak, the paper will either jump around or **** back into the pipe. You may need a tune up, could have a bad plug wire or some leaking vacuum lines. There's a real spaghetti mess of'em in front of the carb, and about 3 of those are improtant. The rest are mainly for emissions items.

If you need any help on the carb, I have had lots of experience with the "Holley bombs" on the 351W Fords!!!

 

[brenden84]

jsm, im thinkin i might have the original, i've got the 4bbl holley on the 351. anyway, i might take u up on that help on the holleys. haha, i definatly dont drive like an old man, the only thing i dont like about my truck is that its not a race car, i tend to drive a little too fast. i know im going to get bad milage but it never hurts to find ways to improve it. haha. peace- brenden

 

[Justshootme84]

If your Bronco has the original Holley 4bbl., you should see some MotorCraft part numbers on the front of it. If so , it prolly is the factory one, since most folks swap in a different make (Edelbrock or Carter) when the Holley craps out. It is rather finicky, and sometimes difficult to set just right, but is a decent carb. I replaced mine with a remanufactured Holley #4180, which is the same thing only refurbished. There are better carbs, but you will have to modify some of the linkage or get a few brackets for things like the tranny kickdown rod and such.

When the carb is running right, everything is smooth, and you will be glued to your seat when all four barrels kick in. IF the carb sputters, idles rough or has any binding in the linkage, you'll notice it. THe paper on the exhaust trick is the test I use most often to be sure the choke is working. That is what I have had the most problems with, and that was with the power source to the electric choke, not the carb's fault. AS I stated, it is also controlled by a few vacuum lines, and if any of those are bad or come unhooked, you will think the carb is the problem. Just take a really close look at the lines, and the fittings that they connect to. Don't forget to change the fuel filter often, too!!!

 

[brenden84]

ok, i'll check the fuel filter. so ur saying that if my carb was running like it should that when i floor it there should be a lot of power behind it? there is but i wouldnt say i was glued to my seat. u say "when all four barrels kick in", does that mean that not all of the barrels are working at all times? im really new at this stuff. i'll do that paper trick this weekend or when i have the chance. thanks- brenden

 

[Justshootme84]

Right, at idle and low RPM's, the front two barrels are open, and the back two kick in at full throttle. THis also activates the kickdown rod for the tranny that makes it downshift.

 

[brenden84]

o ok, cool. jsm, is there anything u suggest i check out, possible things that might go wrong on an 84 XLT?

brenden

 

[Justshootme84]

What could possibly go wrong on an 84 Bronco??? You gave me an idea, though. Like maybe I'll start a new post on "what repairs have been done to your Bronco since you bought it????" My list is very long, as I have a tall stack of receipts for parts!!! $-)