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My 2004 F350 had a ton of play in the steering, driving on the highway was a chore and it was getting really annoying. Doing some troubleshooting it was determined to be in the steering box. Tried the adjusting proceedure using the allen bolt and nut but it didnt help. Decided it was new box time.
Options were a remaned box from NAPA or autozone, price was about 120-140$, however Ive heard bad things about those boxes, some might of had good luck with them, but I didt want to chance it. Called up Red headed steering and had one in the mail. Ive been working 70 hours a week and have had no time to twist wrenches so took the truck to a local shop to have it installed.
Cost breakdown:
New box: 365$ plus 200$ core
Install cost: 260$ including a 60$ pitman arm(highly recommend just replacing the pitman arm)
I highly recommend them to anyone having the same problem as me.
Interesting, thats cheaper then a Ford reman from rockauto. Whats so special about these boxes exactly? I just replaced my drag link (which was way worn out), but still have a little bit of play.
Did you try adjusting your sector shaft first? I turned mine a 1/4 turn in my Cherokee and it made a big difference. These boxes do not look that much different than the Saginaw style in the Jeeps.
Yes, i did the adjustment proceedure. Helped a little but got to the point where the steering just got hard to operate. Red head hand machines every box to insure that they have the least amount of play possible. Ive heard that boxes from Napa and other sources have worked fine for some, but then ive also heard people that have installed then and had the play be worse. I figured I'd spend the $$ and do it right.
Yes, i did the adjustment proceedure. Helped a little but got to the point where the steering just got hard to operate. Red head hand machines every box to insure that they have the least amount of play possible. Ive heard that boxes from Napa and other sources have worked fine for some, but then ive also heard people that have installed then and had the play be worse. I figured I'd spend the $$ and do it right.
Website: www.redheadsteeringgears.com/
I also installed a a Redhead steering gear. So much better than OEM. My understanding is that each one is custom fit to have as much precision as possible on the internal parts. Within a week of installing one on my truck I was helping my buddy put one on his. He too couldn't believe the improvement over OEM.
