** PLEASE HELP, Steering box, nothing fitting

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Aug 24, 2012 | 09:32 PM

ohiof250

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** PLEASE HELP, Steering box, nothing fitting

Hello,

I have a 2000 f250 superduty. I have alot of slack in the steering gear box. So I tried to install a new one. I went thru 3 boxes from 3 different places and nothing fits. The pitman arm is in the wrong position and the draglink is about 4'' to long, from looking up. There is not that much adjustment in any of the steering. It seems the new boxes are built with the output shaft in the wrong position. You only have 4 positions to put the pitman arm in and none of them will work with any box I have tried. Please help me in the right direction.

The truck only has 60,000 miles, stock height.

Aug 25, 2012 | 01:27 AM

Monster-4

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Joined: Aug 2007

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From: Millersburg, OH

The first thing you need to check is if the new steering box is centered. To do this slip the pitman arm on the output shaft. You won't need to install the nut at this point. The orientation does not matter at this point rither. Now turn the pitman arm in one direction until it stops. Now turn it back the other way counting the full revolutions until it stops. Take that number and devide it in half. Take that number and spin the pitman arm back the other way until you reach that number. This should center the steering box.
Remove the pitman arm and install it in the proper orientation. Install the pitman arm nut and torque it to proper spec. Make sure the steering wheel is centered (in fact you should have centered it and immobilize it with the seat belt before removing the steering shaft and removing the steering box) and install the steering box. Most likely you will need to adjust the drag link to keep the steering wheel centered. This is actually pretty common.

Aug 25, 2012 | 06:02 AM

ohiof250

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I did all that. It is the new boxes that out not cenerted the same place old box is. They are anout 1/8 alighnment spline off.

Aug 25, 2012 | 08:41 AM

Monster-4

Logistics Pro

Joined: Aug 2007

Posts: 3,974

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From: Millersburg, OH

What do you mean 1/8 spline off? Are you saying you can't get the pitman arm on the output shaft? If so Model year 2000 trucks had two spline counts on the steering boxes. 32 spline and 36 spline. Count the splines from one alignment gap to the another on both the output shaft and the pitman arm. You'll have 8 splines if it's a 32 spline shaft or 9 if it's a 36 spline shaft.