Well crap! The steering gear from AutoZone that I bought in February in order to replace the OEM which exploded at a campground is leaking from the spline/pitman arm joint.

Not sure if I should get a RedHead with their recent issues or just get a warranty replacement from AutoZone.

Might think about it a bit, then move forward with a decision since the garage space is open for a while.

 

That bites, why can't we get decent quality anything anymore?

 

Well, the steering gear leaking was a bit of a kick in the teeth because I was looking forward to getting the truck running today with the new starter, batteries and alternator. But, I will have to wait until another steering gear is installed.

Although, I manged to get the bed cover installed and I am impressed. It is a soft top, but is very tight across and have several supports across the bed. It rolls up to where it sits about about 6" behind the cab and just above the base of the rear window.

 

I have a few parts on the way to the UK, bit of a delay as my shipper was somewhat affected by the weather that hit Florida recently, but they now have power & I'm just glad that they are ok. Truetrac diff for the rear axle with new bearings & a shiny aluminum diff cover, fitting a new fuel sender/pump assembly, I've had enough of guessing how much fuel is left! Definitely going to do the 2wd lo mod, that will make parking the 5th wheel sooooo much easier, probably going to fit a Mishimoto transmission cooler too, if I haven't killed the buckzooka by then.

 

I was just on the RedHead site and they will not provide a full core refund charge of $200 for the remanned AutoZone gear, so I am looking around at other options for sure now as the gear would come out to around $500.

Can anyone recommend a pitman arm puller that is worth having in my inventory?

I am thinking of replacing the tie rod, or whatever it is called that connects to the pitman arm and goes to the passenger side steering linkage as well. The bushings or fittings on it have seen better days.

 

Ended up saying to hell with it and got a free replacement from AutoZone for the steering gear. My wife and I decided that ~$500 for a RedHead which may be questionable was not worth it.

Remaned gears from Rock Auto, I would have to deal with core charges and shipping.

So, we decided to roll the dice and get another Duralast for free and hope for the best. I don't feel the gear with fail catastrophically like the OEM one did, but it may develop a slow leak as this one did. We are hopeful that it will not though and the only thing it costs me is $12 for a gallon of synthetic ATF and a couple of hours.

I do have one question though, when Paul was helping me replace the OEM gear at the campground, he popped the ball joint of the tie rod out so quickly I did not have a chance to see what he used. He did have a puller of some sort, so I rented a small one like the one below from AutoZone to see if I can use it. I am not confident that there is enough space above the ball joint though to get the puller up there in order to push the ball joint out of the pitman arm.

This is the joint in question that I could use some advice about how to safely (non-hammer method) separate the parts.




This is the puller I got to remove the ball joint. The puller for the pitman arm is much larger and the same one I used before.

 

First off, I have to correct your terminology just because it's going to create a bunch of confusion.

The thing that centers the front axle to the frame is called the track bar. It's not part of the steering system at all.

The rod that goes from the pitman arm (that term is correct) to one steering knuckle is called the drag link. The rod that goes from one knuckle to the other is called the tie rod. The joints on the ends of the tie rod and drag link are all called tie rod ends - and I'm actually not 100% sure on this last point to be technically 100% correct, but I think that's the "common" term. Ball joints are the pivot points between the axle Cs and the steering knuckle. There are upper and lower on each side. Technically, tie rod ends are ball joints, but no one calls them that to avoid confusion.

You will definitely need a pitman arm puller. The last time I needed one was in 2004 or so and I rented it from Napa.

There are tools that you can rent called pickle forks that can be used to separate a stubborn tie rod end or ball joint, but they ALWAYS tear up the rubber boot that protects the joint, so you must replace at least the boot if you use one. What I would do with that particular joint since it was apart recently and isn't likely to be too stuck together is this. 1) remove the cotter pin 2) remove the castle nut and spin it back upside-down but not so the stud is exposed 3) hammer on the nut until it breaks free, then you can just take it apart by hand.

I think another "Duralast" steering box is going to eventually cause a problem down the road for you. It's going to start leaking again eventually, and that's a best case scenario. That cheap chinese part could very well leave you stranded beside the road soon. I would put either an OEM-equivalent or a Redhead on it if it were my truck.

 

What brand bed cover is this? I've been really looking hard at toneau covers for a while but there are SO many different brands. I'm pretty sure I want a soft cover so that I can just roll it up and have the whole bed for hauling. The way you described this one rolling up is exactly what I'm looking for.

 

Andy, thank you for correcting my terminology. I have edited my posts above to reflect the proper term for the linkage.

As for the Duralast, I agree that this is not the route I would like to take. But, since I just spent ~$1000 on an alternator, AGM batteries and Denso starter a $500 RedHead is not in the cards. This will have to do and I will keep an eye on it closely. It is a shame the RedHead is so damn expensive. I seem to remember a place in PA that rebuilt steering gears as well, I will have to see if I can find the post.

If this one fails, I will probably go with a MotorCraft gear from Rock Auto which would be $300 before it is all said and done with shipping.

 

Extang Revolution which I purchased from Etrailer because they had the best deal around on it. I really am quite impressed with the cover. It is better than what I thought it was going to be. There are quite a few company made videos about the cover, and they are accurate in their description.

Here is the link to the one that fits my truck. I got it 3 weeks ago for $450 shipped.

https://www.etrailer.com/Tonneau-Cov...g/EX54720.html

 

I have a big fork that I use for tie rod ends, have had it for a few years and don't remember what it cost. It looks like they call it a pickle fork and it looks like they have them to attach to an air chisel. Here's a sample what they look like. https://www.oreillyauto.com/shop/too...nt-tools-19622

My truck came with a Retrax tonneau cover on it. I had to dig a little to find out who made it but here is their website. I really like the thing, I mean I REALLY like it. I figure it's about 18 years old and it still works well. It locks and the lock still functions well. The only drawback to it (besides the price) is that is hogs up about 10" of space up at the head of the bed where it stores the cover when it retracts.
https://www.retrax.com/

 

I wanted a hard cover that rolls up, but carrying the 45 gallons of fuel in the bed threw that out the window. I went out and looked at the cover I bought again, I think it is the ******* child of a hard rolling cover and a soft velcro cover.

It is held in place at 8 different points along the rails that require no action to hold it or release it. It is really quite sturdy for a soft cover and the material is very thick. The bars from side to side give it a lot of stability. There is no velcro or securing it to the sides, you just snap it in at the back and go. It rolls up in a couple of seconds really easily and has buckles to hold it in place if you like in a roll about 8" in diameter.

I like it a lot, and think it was the best choice of covers for my application.


As for the steering gear, I am still kind of pissed off at it. I do think the second POS Chinese part for free is the best option I have at this point. If you read the core return policy for RedHead, it says right in it about non-OEM gears will not receive the full $200 core charge returned. Shipping to me and back to them will be charged as well. So, I put an estimate of around $500 for the RedHead gear. I think I remember a post not too long ago about this very same issue where someone was pretty disappointed at the total ending cost of the gear. Maybe this will be a Christmas time modification if I can get the funds going for it.

There really are no other options out there. A MotorCraft gear from Summit Racing is around $300 after shipping. I don't feel they would have a problem with the Chinese core going to them, but I could be wrong. Also, Summit is down near Atlanta, so the shipping would be far less to them than it would be to RedHead.

I'll swap in the new Duralast gear, hope for the best and find the next best route for my situation in the meantime.

 

On Retrax's homepage, isn't the second picture a scene from that USA show Burn Notice? I'd swear that's the girl from that show.

 

I dunno, never saw Burn Notice.

Sous, having that tank in there does change the game a little. Do you have a way to keep rain out of the bed with the cover on and that tank in there?

 

Mark, not sure what your question is asking, but I will see if I can answer it.

We have been running the truck without the cover and a tank in the bed for 2.5 years no, maybe more I guess. It is an aluminum ATTA45RBR tank and is very sturdy and well built. It has been rained on and what not during this time. All of the critical parts are covered by an aluminum cover and it holds up well.

The roll up cover has multiple layers of weather stripping on the front, then the sides are sealed with a non-spongy type of foam and clamps. The back sits just on and behind the tailgate when closed. I suspect that most water will hit the top of the tailgate and roll down the outside/back. Although, some water may get into the bed by running down the tailgate on the inside. The gap at the bottom of the tailgate and bed though will not allow water to get into the bed.

They put a lot of thought in how to seal this thing up and make is quick and easy on customers.