Nuts and Bolts with Buffalo Jim

Dear Jim,

I own a 1993 Ford F-150, 6-cyl, 2WD truck. It has a 6-inch SuperLift suspension and 33-inch mud tires. I have a problem every time I turn left. If there is a bump in the road, the front passenger tire starts to hop. The truck begins to shake violently. It gets progressively worse until I straighten the wheels, then it stops. I balanced and aligned the tires. I even had the suspension system checked. Every shop I take it to thinks there is nothing wrong with it. They test drive the truck in a parking lot or at slow speeds, but the problem only occurs when turning left at 35-plus mph. I was told by a suspension shop that I was experiencing "bump steer," but I never had the problem when I first purchased the truck two years ago. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

--Nick Cimino

To be honest, bro, I don't work on a lot of lift kits, but it's my experience that if an automotive system suddenly stops working, then something's either loose or broken and it's not going to get any better until you fix it. My guess is that you have a worn stabilizer shock on the right end of your drag link. I don't want to get too technical on you, but you should have a horizontal stabilizer shock on each wheel to control the vibrations in your steering system. If you had a 1998 Ford Contour, you wouldn't need these shocks, but by lifting up the truck, you've made this extra stability necessary.

Now, if the right stabilizer shock went bad, it might create the symptoms you describe. If I were you, I'd have both of the shocks changed. They're cheap and easy to get at, so the whole job--parts and labor--should cost less than $100.

As to this whole "bump steer" thing, that's a bunch of shade-tree mechanic mumbo-jumbo. All bump steer means is that when you hit a bump, your steering gets loose. Well, duh. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that if the steering gets wobbly after the car hits a bump, then there must be something loose within the steering assembly. The real question is, what's loose? I'm sticking with the stabilizer shocks, but it might have something to do with your steering linkage. If that's the case, you need to bring the truck into a qualified suspension specialist, who will test your truck at the appropriate speed. It may cost you a little money, but that's the price you pay to play with the big boy toys.

Tip of the week: Shocks

As I said in a previous column, I usually don't sell shocks. In fact, I almost never sell them. This is not because I'm opposed to a comfortable ride or sporty handling. The truth is, unless it's a really old car or the shocks are clearly malfunctioning, new shocks are an unnecessary expense.

If the handling is otherwise okay, here's a simple test that you can try out on your car: Put your hands on the hood and push down hard. If the car quickly stops bouncing, then the shocks pass the Buffalo Jim test. Don't ever let anybody hit you up for parts that don't need replacing. Remember: The more you know about your car, the less you'll have to pay to keep it running. Even if you can't do all the repairs yourself, you'll still know what's essential and what's simply making the next payment on your mechanic's boat.

Buffalo Jim is the owner of Allstate Auto Marine. He owns a boat, but it hasn't been in the water for a decade. The last time he had it in Lake Mead, he ran out of gas in the middle of the lake and had to be towed in. It took the whole day, and he got a sunburn. E-mail him your car and/or water sports questions at buffalojim@lasvegasmercury.com.