You will save yourself time if you get one from the same generation (as the connecter to the steering shaft assembly changed), if it is the same gen you just have to seperate it from the shaft, and swap in the new one. If not you have to remove the coupler from the top of the steering box, and swap it with the existing one to make it work. You may, and likely will have other issues with the front end. It's a ford, if they are not properly maintained they all have some quirks in them. But the power steering to the left, with manual steering to the right is a extremely common sign that it is the box, I had that for months, swapped it with another, and it now turns flawlessly either way, and kicked myself for not swapping it sooner.

It is a overall simple swap if you can seperate it from the PS pump, I could not and had to remove that completely as well and feed it down between the radiator, engine, and frame behind the steering box.
All you need is a heavy duty pitman arm puller if you don't already have one, a 1/2" socket for the steering shaft assembly, I believe the 3 bolts connecting the box to the frame are 16", I could be wrong. It is also infinitely easier to remove the splash shield behind the front shock in the wheel well instead of fighting with it while dealing with the 3 bolts. And the I believe 14" and 16" sockets for the power steering pump.

I found it easiers to remove the tie rods, remove the ps pump (ie not connected to belt setup), seperate the steering shaft assembly 1/2" socket, with 2 6" extensions, a socket with a cheater pipe connected to it. Remove the two clamp bolts holding the PS fluid cooling pipe line from the crossmember, it'll hold itself up till the box is removed. Remove the 3 bolts and slide it and the PS pump out, and deal with it on a bench (tailgate). Disconnect the two lines, swap steering shaft assembly coupler if needed, and reverse the steps for re-installing it. Simplest way to tell if steering box is good or not is to turn it by hand. If for every turn (or half turn, memory is fuzzy on this part) at the top, the pitman arm connecter rotates a 1/4 turn without play your golden (helps when picking up a wrecker box).

If you choose two right when your putting it all together is a great time to flush the system. Get the big bottle they sell (1 liter will only 'just' fill it). Once you re-assemble it, fill it up, turn the van on, turn it right and left till it gets low, fill resivour, and repeat till it stops going low. Put the cap back on, and giver each way, she'll overflow a bit with the pressurization, wait till it stops spraying out, top it off a touch and you should be perfect.

I recenty did this swap so it's pretty fresh in my memory, a second pair of hands definately helps with the feeding of the objects through the bottom. Though don't be like me and get someone who's a drama queen and has a hissy fit every time something doesn't work the first time. *cough* step-father *cough*

 

If I don't like the first truck, this one came up today:

1990 f-350 4x4 diesel

4x4 no turbo and more $ but still kinda cheap.

 

They are are the same in some rangers at least, I don't remember the specifics, but I did look it up once. Quickly peaking at Advance's online site, the same steering gear is listed for my '88 F250 and '94 Ranger.

It was probably just easy and cheap to use the same box wherever they could.

 

Well thanks a whole for the info!

The front end if all tight, tie rods, drag link, and pitman are all new from a few years ago.

 

Got home from watching the fights last night, was kinda pumped up and couldn't sleep. Apparently I get descriptive at 1 am, lol.

 

Just got home from seeing the truck. All I have to say is: TRAIN WRECK! The body isn't too bad but open the door and you are greeted with mud from the floor boards to the gear selector! I opened the hood and I almost $h!+ myself when I saw what was going on in there. This poor truck is ready for the scrap yard. I popped off the radiator cap just for grins and all I could see is an oily sludge. Most likely an oil cooler failure. What a mess! It must have been recent because all the oil was still black and sticky. The first thing I noticed was the injection pump WITH THE TIMING GEAR COVER ATTACHED laying in the valley pan.

The best part is when I called the guy and asked him who was working on his truck expecting him to say he was "fixing it." He told me he paid some kid who claimed to be a "Diesel mechanic" to replace the IP. I then proceeded to tell him the obvious and that the truck is only worth spare parts to me. He mentioned that some guy offered him $300 for the Banks setup. I think I can beat that price. There are spare parts on it that I could use for my truck and he seemed open to making a deal.

I didn't expect perfection but I didn't expect a train wreck, either. Boy, the details a seller leaves out!

See for yourselves:

Index of /images/91f350duallyCC

 

so basically it was a $900 truck priced accordingly then.
psst,id like the rear axle please.

i just checked out the pics.that's actually more than i would had expected to see for $900.your being too picky lol.i tried to prepare ya for it.
you didn't think the guy had a 2-3k truck to sell for less than 1k did ya? seriously?
i think its priced right for what you get.you didn't look past the dirt and grime to see the $900+ that's there.that said,is it worth the thousands that it'll likely need? not to me it isn't lol.but that much was clear when you posted the sale link.

 

I didn't think it was going to be a nice truck, no. I only knew what he told me. I wasn't expecting to see "modifications" done to it. There are a lot of things he left out when I asked him questions about it. If I had known some clown pulled the timing gear cover off, I would have not gone and offered him money for the turbo if he parts it out. I really don't have the space to pull the front of that engine apart and realign the timing marks. I hear it is an involved process.

I don't know what the axle is, I forgot to check. I can ask the guy if you are really interested.

The body on it isn't bad. I didn't see any rust spots, just mud. If anyone wants body parts, let me know. The problem is shipping. I think he's gonna part it out in the long run.

 

shipping would probably suck.still.......if the price for the part is right ya never know.
im having a hard time finding one here.a truck like that though,who knows if the rear lube has ever been changed and what condition it's in.too far and too risky to spend $ on most likely.you lost interest once the door was opened and didn't get far enough to look at the door jam sticker.

 

It baffles me how people will list vehichles for sale, without taking a day to spruce it up. If he took the time to clean it out thoroughly, toss a air freshner up, and give it a good clean and wax. Regardless of the mechanical issues it would be an easier sell, and people wouldn't be turned off as soon as you open the door.

 

The part that made me uninterested is that someone was dicking around with the engine and didn't know squat about what he was doing. I can clean the mud out but figuring out WTH that kid did to the engine is something else. I thought I would get there and at least be able to turn the engine over with ether at the worst; not setting the timing gear. I was expecting to replace the IP and have it able to drive onto a trailer so I could get it home. If the engine ran or showed signs of being able to run, I probably would have bought the truck. I would have to do some pretty in depth work to get it to move as it stands now.

The sad part is it was probably a lift pump or air intrusion that caused the truck not to run. I'm guessing that kid mis-diagnosed it as an IP, took the guy's money and starting ripping stuff apart. That's the high idle solenoid on the floorboard and one of the injector line clamps is on the back seat. The IP looked a little too clean to be original but it did say Stanadyne on the side.

If I had the space, time and energy to work on a project this big, it may be a good deal but I was hoping for something in a little bit better mechanical condition. I was looking for something that needed some not-too-major work that I could do myself and be able to sell it at a profit thus paying myself for the time I spent working on it. Usually, around here, when people see a truck for sale with a bad IP, they stay away from it and move on if they don't know how to fix it.

 

Ya its a mess lol .... I'd buy it and fix it up but I don't think my apartment complex would like that lol

 

You are right. I have seen some real dog-*** interiors in these trucks but this one was by far the dirtiest. Dirt aside, this truck isn't going anywhere without some major work. I would have to pay a wrecker a few hundred just to get it back to my apartment complex, 100 miles away. That said, since I can't drive it, I don't have a clue if the transmission, brakes, steering, etc even work, so there is a list of things that may need to be replaced. None of which are cheap parts. My labor is my hobby so I'm not really factoring that in. Space and complexity do count since I am in an apartment right now.

 

That f350 for 1400 looked more promising. You going to look at it? That isnt too far from my place in Irving...LOL Race you to it! ROFL

 

Yeah, that will be next on my list if it is still around by the time I can get down there. That one is a 60+ mile drive and I have to work all next week. Irving is a lot closer than I am. I live near The Colony. If the seller has it when I can get down there, I would be interested. It sounds like a truck that might start and run but so did this one.