The primary components of the recirculating ball and nut steering system are:
The pitman arm shaft is attached to the steering box by a spline and nut. As the driver turns the steering wheel, the steering box mechanism moves the steering linkages via the pitman arm shaft either left or right, depending on the direction in which the steering wheel is turned.
The steering box provides the change of angle at 90° to the steering linkage.
The idler arm is attached to the chassis and is positioned parallel to the pitman arm.
The track rod connects the pitman arm shaft to the idler arm shaft. In this way any movement in the pitman arm shaft is directly applied to the idler arm shaft.
The tie rods connect the track rod to the steering arms that are located on the steering knuckles. Thus all movement from the pitman arm shaft is relayed directly to the front wheels, which steer the vehicle.
Tie rod ends are attached to the tie-rod shaft. These pivot as the rack is extended or retracted when the vehicle is negotiating turns. Tie-rods and tie-rod ends are left or right hand threaded.
The adjustment sleeve connects the tie-rod to the tie-rod end. It provides the adjustment point for toe-in or toe-out, depending on the manufacturers' specifications.
