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The only right way to adjust a steering box is with a torque wrench & specs. Playing with the adjustments to try to attain a driving feel might work, but is likely to cause problems. If you tighten it too much you'll create wandering which may make you think it needs to be tightened more. Once it's over tightened it's wrecked and will never feel right. I've loosened a couple of them to regain a better feel, but they'd already been tightened by someone trying to make them better and rebuilding was the only cure. My dad & I rebuilt the one in his old F-250 and it involved sensitive torque wrenches to get the right set-up. Once done it drove really well. Before that he'd tried tightening it and while it felt better wiggling the wheel in the driveway, driving it showed that it hadn't helped.
The only right way to adjust a steering box is with a torque wrench & specs. Playing with the adjustments to try to attain a driving feel might work, but is likely to cause problems. If you tighten it too much you'll create wandering which may make you think it needs to be tightened more. Once it's over tightened it's wrecked and will never feel right. I've loosened a couple of them to regain a better feel, but they'd already been tightened by someone trying to make them better and rebuilding was the only cure. My dad & I rebuilt the one in his old F-250 and it involved sensitive torque wrenches to get the right set-up. Once done it drove really well. Before that he'd tried tightening it and while it felt better wiggling the wheel in the driveway, driving it showed that it hadn't helped.
Other than needing sensitive torque wrenches is there anything abnormal in there to deal with? And where you easily able to identify the problem(s)?
I'd like to see some pictures etc. of this if you have it. I'd much rather replace a part with SS and be done forever than pay Bluetop or Redtop or whatever they are $500 for a new steering box that may last 200k more miles.
Has anyone else here rebuilt their box themselves?
I have not re-read from the top, but there is a "crush sleeve" associated with that adjusting nut. If it indeed gets crushed by over tightening it the box is done and needs to be rebuilt or replaced.
Locate the allen bolt and locknut on top of the steering box. It’s close to the radiator. The locknut should be a 5/8".
Mark the allen bolt so you’re oriented and know where the starting point is, then loosen the locknut. Turn the allen bolt clockwise a quarter turn to tighten the gear mesh. Tighten the locknut and road test your vehicle.
Be careful not to over-tighten the allen bolt. If you do, the steering may become too tight and get extremely stiff during a tight turn, possibly causing you to drive off the roadway.
Keep repeating the sequence, turning the allen bolt a ¼ turn at a time, followed by a test drive, until you're satisfied with the performance. If you over-tighten the allen bolt, turn the allen bolt back a quarter turn, counter-clockwise.
There is a risk of over tightening the box and causing it to wear out prematurely, so I suggest you tighten it to the point where the slop is gone, and no further.
Most people will turn the allen bolt three-quarters of a rotation to one and one half rotations before they’re happy with the results.
Just curious if slop in the steering box would also cause the truck to veer and also have a little bit to a hard spot in the steering wheel when turning
Just curious if slop in the steering box would also cause the truck to veer and also have a little bit to a hard spot in the steering wheel when turning
Veer yes, but prolly not a hard spot, unless the box is adjusted too tight. Another culprit might be the ball joints.
I'd suggest checking the ball joints then start a new thread with a descriptive title and more info about your truck. 2WD or 4WD most important.
Today I adjusted the OEM steering box again. Noticed a little looseness on this last camping trip. I had tightened the allen head about 1-1/2 turns when I bought the truck - steering was very loose. I also keep the front tire pressure no more than 50-55psi. That has helped reduce wander. Did another 1/2 turn today and it feels pretty good. I think I could go a little tighter, but will drive it this way for a bit.
A paint pen marks the starting orientation of the allen head. I used a 5/8" deepwell socket and several wobble extensions to crack the nut loose. Then a 3/16" allen key and open-end 5/8" wrench to hold the nut steady while turning the allen head. Finally tighten the locknut with the wrench, and give it a final tighten with the deepwell socket.
Last edited by Y2KW57; Jul 30, 2023 at 11:58 AM.
Reason: Copied from BWST's maintenance thread, truncated to isolate for steering gear adjustment topic.
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